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Where mines ruled, wines now reign
FAIR PLAY, Calif. -- California has always been something of a mythical destination. As historian Kevin Starr observed, it is a place "at the edge of the American dream" where a person can get a second chance at life in the sun and with the help of nature's abundance. This was never more true than during the Gold Rush. Beginning in 1848, when gold was first discovered in Coloma , in the foothills of the Sierra Nevadas, thousands of adventurers poured into the state hoping to find their El Dorado, or at least some lucrative ore. Gold mining turned out to be difficult, dangerous work and most miners moved on to other pursuits in less than five years. But their effect on the collective psyche and the landscape of California was profound. Many of the mining communities were little more than tent towns where rude shacks were thrown up overnight and torn down a few years later.
Spring is here - and so are RVs
Twenty-five regional dealers are displaying hundreds of recreational vehicles at the 27th annual Spring RV Show today through Sunday at Cal Expo in Sacramento. The show, which kicked off its four-day run Thursday under the direction of Sacramento-based Recreation Enterprises, features Northern California dealers showing off the latest in their RV lineups on more than 1 million square feet of space at 1600 Exposition Blvd. More than 600 RVs are on-site. Products include motor homes, van conversions, travel trailers, fifth wheels, folding/tent trailers, truck campers and "toy haulers" of all stripes. .
As Sharpton slips, he isn't grabbing onto Obama
His recent attacks on presidential candidate Barack Obama and his threat to withhold his support have exposed the trick behind Sharpton's magic act. His audience is leaving the tent, and Sharpton is scrambling for relevancy. Sharpton has been challenging Obama's credentials in the black community and saying Obama is the darling of white leadership, according to Democratic sources. Sharpton told CBS News he's withholding his endorsement until after his National Action Network summit in April. Meanwhile, he's playing hard to get between the Obama and Hillary Clinton camps, even declining to return calls from Obama's campaign. Now, it's fair to ask, what is Sharpton really up to? What is his real objection to Obama? That Obama has white supporters? That Obama has become the first serious black presidential candidate in U.S.
Eureka E! Powered Tent: You Might As Well Stay Home
If you're going to go camping, go camping. Don't use it as an excuse to play Xbox in the woods. This Eureka E! Powered Tent misses the point completely. Would it be kind of convenient to have outlets in your tent so you could plug in stuff like a hairdryer or your Blackberry? Sure. Would you be totally lame to do so? Yes. Go camping to take a break from your tech obsession, people, not to challenge yourself to keep connected in the middle of nowhere. –Adam Frucci Product Page [via Uberreview] .
Stomp around with Bonepony
That's the catch phrase Nashville's Bonepony uses to describe what it does, and you'd be hard-pressed to find someone who has seen the band who didn't agree. The four-man band has been making people feel good inside for years, crisscrossing the nation, stopping in big cities and tiny towns to bring its unique brand of "stomp rock" to audiences with all the fervor of a traveling tent revival mixed with arena-rock spectacle. Bonepony performs Saturday night at Crossroads. "We play our hearts out," says Bonepony front man and founding member Scott Johnson. "I don't know any other way to play these songs." The band - Johnson, Nicolas Nguyen and Kenny Wright - tours year-round and has developed a large and devoted following. Bonepony has warmed the stage for acts such as Bob Seger, Santana and ZZ Top and played countless open-air festivals such as Farm Aid and the Telluride Bluegrass Festival.
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