Bouldering with Whistles (I) and other Tips from Camping Savvy Moms: Courtney Brown, Julie Pearl-Slater and Michelle Silver

Courtney Brown, Julie Pearl-Slater and Michelle Silver are our Wonder Guides for Episode 7 and boy do they know how to camp!  And with kids! When Courtney moved from the ample and beautiful beaches of Orange County, California to Utah she embraced the opportunity to ‘stretch out’ and explore the mountains with her children.  All FIVE of them. When Julie left Chicago for L.A. she had no idea she’d go camping ‘overnight’ let alone take regular camping trips to Joshua […]

Wonder All Around! (Los Angeles)

L.A. is a great big freeway.  NOT!  Yes, there are lots of freeways here with the famous “the” preceding them.  Take the 405 to the 105 to the 5!  But I say get off the freeway and you’ll see all around are huge, magnificent, amazing and diverse areas of flora and fauna! And once you’re there, let’s engage those wonder muscles! L.A. is a great big freeway…NOT! I’ve canoed, kayaked, hiked and otherwise explored much of the Boreal Forest and BWCAW […]

Ladder Hike in Painted Canyon, Mecca Wilderness

This is a thorough video for anyone wanting to explore this magnificent hike.  Just down the road from Palm Springs and Joshua Tree.  A must for everyone who loves to hike! Ted Mattison, also known as Ranger Ted, is a Certified California Naturalist, trained in Wilderness First Aid, and has explored, hiked, canoed and kayaked extensively from his home state of Minnesota to Alaska, Washington and California. He’s a graduate of Oberlin College and a former Social Studies teacher. Ted […]

Family Fun Day Sunday: Dogs Included

Ranger Ted goes outside to look for some family fun and finds a dog surfing contest!  Huntington beach is known as surf city.  And that usually refers to human beings.  Today, another mammal gets a chance! In the video watch as hundreds of enthusiastic surfers encourage their best friends to get into some big waves.   Ted Mattison, also known as Ranger Ted, is a Certified California Naturalist, trained in Wilderness First Aid, and has explored, hiked, canoed and kayaked […]

No Sit Saturday!

We all went outside back in the day.  Where did you go? What did you see today? Ranger Ted saw a falcon:)No Sit Saturday Ted Mattison, also known as Ranger Ted, is a Certified California Naturalist, trained in Wilderness First Aid, and has explored, hiked, canoed and kayaked extensively from his home state of Minnesota to Alaska, Washington and California. He’s a graduate of Oberlin College and a former Social Studies teacher. Ted has been a working actor, director, producer […]