2013 OCR Travel Archive Stories

With dozens of dive sites a short boat ride away, Kailua-Kona on the Big Island of Hawaii is a great home base for a dive vacation. Several dive shops certified by the Professional Association of Diving Instructors operate in the area, with boats head

First, one daughter popped out of Woolly's Woods, raising her ski poles in celebration. Our younger daughter was hot in pursuit and burst out on a snowy, white canvas under clear, blue skies one recent weekend at Mammoth Mountain. Together, they zipped down to the lift line for the next run before Dad had a chance to snap a photo with hi

Navigating where and when to eat at Mammoth on a holiday weekend can be as tough on the nerves as a black diamond run.On our drive to Mammoth, we were encouraged to make a pit stop along the way in Bishop at Erick Schat's Bakkery. It was obvious that many others were operating under the same instructions from the look of the packed parkin

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE – Redevelopment plans for a popular Lake Tahoe campground and resort dating to the 1930s would eliminate parking along busy U.S. Highway 89 and cut the number of camp sites by nearly one-third, but for the first time offer camping year-round. The U.S. Forest Service released an environmental assessment last week fo

If you play tennis or even just watch tennis and you live in Southern California, then you know that our annual pilgrimage to the desert is nigh. The BNP Paribas Open at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden begins Monday. The question is: What wonders await us? Will we see Rafael Nadal, absent since his knees betrayed him at Wi

Michael A. Barron thinks passenger train service between Las Vegas and Orange County is a no-brainer and presents his own experience last weekend as a case in point. Barron began driving from his Las Vegas home to Orange County at 11:30 a.m. Sunday. He got about as far as Primm, at the Nevada-California state line, when traffic on the I-

Three Orange County hotels made the ranks of the world's top-rated hotels this year, winning five stars from the Forbes Travel Guide. The Montage Laguna Beach was awarded five stars for the first time this year. The Laguna resort joined the St. Regis Monarch Beach Resort and Spa in Dana Point, a seven-time winner, an

Pacific Hospitality Group in Irvine has bought the Bacara Resort & Spa in Santa Barbara, marking the company’s fourth luxury hotel acquisition in the last 15 months, the company announced Monday. The Bacara, which opened in 2000, covers 78 acres of beachfront just north of Santa Barbara. San Diego-based

Passengers on Southwest Airlines will now be able to use Wi-Fi and get access to an expanded selection of movies and television shows on most flights – for a fee.The airline said Wi-Fi will be available for $8 per device for any length trip. Travelers also will be able to watch movies on demand for $5 per movie per device and see ep

John Wayne Airport saw passenger traffic jump 9.7 percent in January, the airport's best beginning to a year since 2008. Airport officials reported that 698,237 passengers went through the gates last month, up from 636,573 a year ago. In January 2008, a little more than 707,000 travelers used the Orange County airport in what mark

The long-awaited museum dedicated to Southern California's most iconic industry – Hollywood – is in production, but you'll have to wait a few years, till 2016. The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures will be dedicated to the history and future of film. Housed in the landmark May Company Wilshire building, it will be part of the neighbo

A dozen teenage boys, nearly all Latino, spent the better part of a recent morning in a darkened room at the Cesar Chavez National Monument in Keene, watching a film starring a man who died before they were born. Nobody said anything. Nobody looked away or nodded off. Nobody got up to leave. Attention from this group from a foster-care c

Believed to symbolize the life of a samurai in Japanese culture, the cherry blossom has long been celebrated. Hanami, a centuries-old practice of holding jubilant picnics and flower-viewing parties during blooming season, lasts from the end of March through early May. Today, the beauty of this vernal icon can be found in gardens across N

Gas prices here and across Southern California have posted one of the steepest one-month jumps on record and now rival the notoriously high prices of Hawaii, according to the Automobile Club of Southern California. An average gallon of regular unleaded was selling for about $4.31 in Orange County on Friday, after more than a month of dai

Endless Summer star Robert August traveled the world scouting out waves, sharing stories of exotic surf breaks with eager surfers back home who hoped to one day hop on a plane and see the foreign waves for themselves. During his travels, the longtime Huntington Beach surfer fell in love with one of the spots he discovered called "Witch's

Orange County's luxury hotels rebounded last year with the average room over $200 costing $295.86 a night – a 7.8 percent increase over 2011, reports PKF Consulting, a hotel research and consulting firm. Although luxury hotels gained the most in 2012, room rates across the county saw a solid recovery, rising 5.4 percent. The averag

When Harry Jackson and Thomas Glenn took over World Travel in Santa Ana, the company had two phone numbers: 2818 and 3956. That was it. Just four digits for each line. The year was 1938 and the city only had about 7,200 telephones, so there was no need for three-digit prefixes or area codes. In those days, a travel agent working on the p

Southwest Airlines and AirTran Airways, which merged more than two years ago, have finally synced their reservations systems so travelers soon will be able to book itineraries on both airlines in a single transaction. Southwest bought AirTran in September 2010 in a $1.4 billion deal, but their reservations systems remained separate. As a

The merger of American Airlines and US Airways sent ripples through the travel industry Thursday, but no immediate changes in local service are expected. John Wayne Airport officials have had no discussions with either airline about possible service or route changes, said Jenny Wedge airport spokeswoman Jenny Wedge. American offe

After days stranded in the Gulf of Mexico in conditions some have described as dismal, most passengers aboard the disabled Carnival Triumph can look forward to an hours-long bus ride Thursday after they reach dry land. The company announced its plan for passengers late Wednesday as the Triumph was being towed to a port in Mobile, Ala., w

American Airlines and US Airways Thursday announced that their boards of directors approved an $11 billion merger deal, creating the world's largest airline. The new company will be based in Dallas-Fort Worth and operate under the name American Airlines. Officials from both airlines said the deal will allow American to emerge fro

Palm Springs is where summer refuses to die – even in the heart of winter. High temperatures in winter months average between 70 and 80 degrees, which is why it's high season. Come back in August, and it will be well over 100 degrees. How to spend your day? Well, do you want to stay in your car or get out on your feet?

ORANGE – More than 1,000 fans of the late Huell Howser traveled from all corners of the state to Chapman University on Friday to remember the legacy of the beloved California icon. "We're not here today to celebrate Huell. That's the last thing he would have wanted," Chapman President Jim Doti said. "We're here to celebrate 'Califo

The 55th annual Grammy Awards will be held today at Staples Center, recognizing outstanding achievement in the music industry. What better time to delve deeper into the history of some of the greats at these museum exhibitions? CALIFORNIA Los Angeles:The Grammy Museum at L.A. Live celebrates the legacies of all forms of re

United Airlines passengers at John Wayne Airport were hardest hit by the massive winter storm in the Northeast today, with five flights cancelled, however, other Orange County travelers with connecting flights across the country also could find themselves stuck. Nationwide, more than 2,800 flights to the Northeast and parts of Canada wer