California Official Visitor's Guide 2009 - (Page 42) play I 42 n certain haughty circles, California is derided as a state lacking in serious purpose, a lotusland of carefree fun seekers who will trade work for surf at the drop of a hat. To which we respond, “Precisely.” Serious purpose has its place, and that place is two steps behind play. In fact, play can have serious purpose. How else to explain Yosemite climbers scaling Half Dome’s sheer face or surfers paddling into growling, apartment-size waves at Mavericks? And where better to play? In the 1800s, one did not gaze Enter keyword in Search box at visitcalifornia.com upon the Sierra Nevada and proclaim it righteous for skiing. Today, however, modern comforts have seen California’s topography segue from daunting to delightful; our vast spread of multifaceted terrain is now the ultimate playground. Power up mountains here, zoom across groomed desert sands there; sprinkle in redwood forest hikes [ ADA trails] and kelp-forest dives. Add snow, sunshine, and surf. If we build it, they will play. Snowboarding, skiing, hiking, climbing, kitesurfing [ kitesurf], scuba diving, a game of beach volleyball with SARA REMINGTON http://www.visitcalifornia.com
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