I was nervous the first time I sat down to try out a bike from Pedego. I’d never ridden an electric bike before, and I hardly even ride bikes at all anymore. Regardless, you can never pass up an opportunity to ride around the harbor area of San Diego.

The nerves disappeared quickly as I rode away. The throttle is easy to use and the ride just as smooth as promised.

San Diego Urban Adventure Quest took us on a ride none of us expected. I can’t remember the last time I’ve done a scavenger hunt. When the opportunity to try this one came about, I jumped on it. I gathered a few friends for some team building and bonding, and we all had a great time.

Even though it completely fried our brains by the end.

Palm trees lining the highways. Sun almost always shining. Big city vibes in a small city space. Smiles and laughter heard from every corner.

Welcome to Oceanside, California.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I love Oceanside. I wasn’t expecting to be as enthralled with this city as I have become over my various day trips out here from San Diego.

Looking for something to do for Memorial Day Weekend in San Diego? Listen, we’re all excited to get our vaccinations and move forward to normal life, and San Diego is ready to party.

Although social distancing and mask mandates are still happening through June 15, here’s a few things for you to enjoy for Memorial Day Weekend in San Diego.

Looking for some places to eat in San Diego? As a recent transplant to SoCal, I’ve been on the hunt for the best places to eat in San Diego. Nothing here disappoints. There’s so much culture, so much life, and so much food here that I hardly even know where to start. I thought Monterey had some good choices, but out here, every turn is a surprise.

As of now, here's a small list of places I've had the fortune of taste testing so far.

The Mission San Luis Rey in Oceanside, California, is an awesome deep dive into California's history. As a native Californian, I never thought too much about our history until recently. In fact, as a kid, history was my least favorite subject. We visited a few missions in elementary school, but I never cared too much about them as I moved into my adult life.

Things changed as I got older.

Got a minute? Or an afternoon? Consider spending it in the fabulous Oceanside, California. Oceanside — often overshadowed by its bigger brother down the beach known as San Diego — is the ultimate California Surf Town.

Seriously.

The Museum of Man — now renamed to “The Museum of Us” — is an absolute must-visit in San Diego’sBalboa Park. Across a slew of exhibits and artifacts, travel through time and cultures to witness the evolution of mankind as we know it.

And no, I’m not talking about the evolution of man from monkeys. I’m talking about man as a society, as a culture, as a race. 

So, you’ve got a weekend in San Diego. You may notice there’s more than one thing to do here. Every corner opens up the opportunity for another experience, and it can be overwhelming trying to decide where to go and what to do. Well, as someone who came here to “visit” and decided not to leave for that very purpose, let me tell you:

I feel you.

Most people immediately associate Oregon wines with the Willamette Valley. I know I did. That was all I was familiar with when it came to Oregon wines during my bartending days. This is why seeing the sheer amount of wineries while driving through the Rogue Valley intrigued me so much.

One stop landed me along the Upper Rogue Wine Trail at an incredible Southern Oregon wine tasting room called Kriselle Cellars.

Anyone who loves anything outdoors should never sleep on an opportunity to explore Southern Oregon. I have visited my family in Medford many a time. However, every trip was usually for a birthday or a holiday. I hardly ever had time to actually go out and explore.

Well, a recent change in life events has given me the opportunity to spend some time here and do some proper exploring.

Located about 45 minutes northeast of Medford equidistant southeast to Crater Lake, the Joseph H. Stewart Recreation area is ideal for anyone looking for a quiet place to picnic or ride their boats.

The lake spills into the Rogue River, which trails across the entire state of Oregon until it births into the ocean at Wedderburn.

If you’ve ever wondered about ways to roast your own coffee at home, Dan Gorman and his wife, Donna, of Punto Fino Coffee Company have an awesome class in Fairfax, California that will teach you everything you need to know! Don’t worry, any method of roasting coffee won’t cost you more than $40! Through Dan’s Roast Your Own Coffee AirBNB experience, you can learn all the tricks of the trade.

Trudging through the lists of Monterey Bay eateries is a job within itself, and picking the right food options can make or break a vacation or night out. Most people stick to review sites like TripAdvisor and Yelp to make their assumptions based on customer reviews. However, a mix-and-match of customer voices can make the right choices harder to come by.

Thankfully, people out there like Casey Aguilar of Monterey Bay Food Tours take it upon themselves to show you your options.

Do you want wide, open skies and mountains that put even New Zealand to shame? Move Montana to the top of your must-go places. Why, you may ask? Because it will be one of the most serene experiences you’ll ever have…

Personally, I always thought the only thing good about Idaho was the potatoes. After teaching Josh about the license plate game, however, I noticed something interesting about Idaho's: Beneath the letters and numbers for Idaho’s license plate, it very clearly states, “Famous Potatoes,” just as I thought. Above the letters, however, a little word is painted in cursive about the Idaho identifier: Scenic.

What would you do if ghosts told you to never stop adding on to your house? What if your life depended on following their orders? In the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, Sarah Pardee Winchester faced those very questions. The result of her fear has captured skeptics, believers, and tourists alike in the enigmatic presence that has become the Winchester Mystery House.

Yes, planning a trip is exhausting enough as it is. Yes, the prospect of bringing your fur baby may not seem worth it. It also, however, might be worth a second look. There are plenty of resources online to help you find dog-friendly accommodations, parks, hikes, even restaurants in whatever area you’re in, or wherever you’re going. Stressed out about how to find those locations? I got your back.

I always do my best to encourage people to travel their own countries.That advice, however, marks me a hypocrite.I’ve seen about six states but stepped foot in nine (layover flights and whatnot), but any prospect of seeing all 50 was always low on my bucket list.Until now.