Tag Archives: california

FSM Exclusive: Intro to Pinnacles National Park

Leave a reply

For the wanderers out there considering a visit to Pinnacles National Park, Free Sports Mag takes a quick look at California’s newest park in this exclusive 30-minute video.

But first, some cool background information about Pinnacles directly from the NPS website:

Some 23 million years ago multiple volcanoes erupted, flowed, and slid to form what would become Pinnacles National Park. What remains is a unique landscape. Travelers journey through chaparral, oak woodlands, and canyon bottoms. Hikers enter rare talus caves and emerge to towering rock spires teeming with life: prairie and peregrine falcons, golden eagles, and the inspiring California condor.

The most recent update to Pinnacles is its redesignation from National Monument to National Park when in 2013, Pinnacles became the 59th National Park. It was originally designated as a monument because of its unique geologic features such as rock spires and crags that are remnants of volcanic activity millions of years ago. However, the abundance of cultural and natural resources in the park, including its many federally protected species, made it an appropriate candidate for a National Park. The United States Senate and President Obama passed the bill that redesignated Pinnacles to a National Park which included a 3,000 acre expansion of wilderness to be named the Hain wilderness, in honor of the homesteader Schuyler Hain who worked to protect it in the early 1900s. The redesignation has also increased visitation and tourism to nearby communities.

Click here to see FSM’s quick review of the park and campsite!

Fort Tejon: Get Some Exercise Before Your Final Destination

Leave a reply

California has always had a history of looking after their own. This includes in 1854 when Fort Tejon was established to protect its residents from people looking to do them harm and to crack down on cattle raiding. In 2022, the fort still provides refuge for overheated cars, respite for tired travelers, and tons of cool things to explore.

When driving through the infamous Grapevine on I-5 in southern California, one doesn’t necessarily think to themselves, “Hmm, this seems like a good place to stop.” Nor should they unless they are planning on making a quick stop at Fort Tejon State Historic Park. This hidden gem is located right off the highway and has been a cooling down spot for autos and their radiators struggling to make it through the vine for years. But just behind the wall of trees that line the parking lot lie the remains of a powerful little fort – and a great spot for EXERCISE!

View of Fort Tejon State Park

The beauty of Fort Tejon hits you once you walk past that wall of trees and take a quick turn through a small wooden gate. Multiple structures in various stages of preservation make up the perimeter of Fort Tejon, giving it a weird Melrose Place (the TV show) feel with an open field and a handful of picnic tables acting as the pool/courtyard.

Preserved buildings at Fort Tejon State Historic Park

In addition to taking in some great California history, stopping at Fort Tejon State Park can be good for your health! If you’ve been sitting or driving for a long time, the fields and open areas are a great place to move around to get the blood flowing. Remember that sitting down for too long can be dangerous in certain situations. Road trip veterans may know this but that doesn’t mean rookie mistakes don’t happen once and a while. The Fort offers a safe space for some quick activity and never gets too busy.

Chicken Coop at Fort Tejon

So, when traveling this path, consider visiting Fort Tejon State Historic Park before you reach your next destination for any of the following heart healthy activities:

Individualized Stretch Routine

10 Minute Yoga

Meditation

Easy Hiking / Exploring

Brisk Walking

Running

Sprints

For more info about Fort Tejon State Historic Park, click here.

Pop-Culture Spotlight: Galleta Meadows

Leave a reply

Desert Art, or “Sky Art” as it’s commonly referred to these days, has been gaining popularity in the age of the iPhone. People in the United States (California in particular) have been flocking to remote areas to get some pretty cool pictures of random, rusted metal sculptures.

Some say the crown jewel of Sky Art is found in a hidden spot called Galleta Meadows. The Sky Art here is spread out over 1500 acres of desert. All Sky Art is accessible by vehicle but parking and walking around for a few miles would make the experience more enjoyable. It would definitely make for some flat, easy hiking.

So where is this hidden gem of desert art? Where can you find these large metal sculptures for purposes of some really cool selfies? Let’s just say it’s down south near San Diego, California. If you hit Mexico, you’ve gone too far (but not by much).

Free Sports Magazine recently took a trip to this remote location. While we’re no experts in Sky Art, it was among the best we’ve ever seen. Enjoy the exclusive photos and read more about Galleta Meadows below.

The following info comes directly from the Keeper of the Meadows:

The Under the Sun Foundation is inspired by the work of Dennis Avery, the late landowner of Galleta Meadows in Borrego Springs, and his passion for bringing art to the local community and its visitors. Mr. Avery had 130 large scale, free-standing, metal sculptures produced by artist Ricardo Breceda, and referred to them as Sky Art. Spread over 1500+ acres of undeveloped desert land, these larger than life creations welcome the public to discover and enjoy art outdoors, surrounded by the rich and diverse desert environs of Borrego Springs.

The Under the Sun Foundation seeks to breathe new life and meaning into the existing sculptures…We at the Under the Sun Foundation are excited to see where our evolution might take us. We use Dennis Avery’s work and Borrego Springs as a point of inspiration, and expect to add new geographies, artistic endeavors, and ways to engage with our environment and one another over the coming years.

We invite you to take part in the journey!