Sally O' Neal, Author at Guide Outdoors

Alcatraz Island: An Inescapable Experience

The mystique of its isolated location and its notorious prisoners secured Alcatraz Island’s place in history.

Steps, Sips, Spires, Snacks, and Stories: A Mile-and-a-Half Sampler of San Francisco’s North Beach

On a recent sunny spring day in San Francisco, I enjoyed the following walk through my favorite part of town.

Art Exhibition on Alcatraz is All About Freedom

I went to Alcatraz to see the work of contemporary artist and activist Ai Weiwei.

Horseback Riding in The Irvine Hills, California

Country Trails and Riding School is in Irvine Regional Park, which is situated in the hills of Orange, California.

Gearing up For Gardening Season

When skiing and snowshoeing seasons are ending, I kick off one of my favorite seasons of all: gardening season!

Ancient Forest Loop Trail at Oregon’s Breitenbush Hot Springs

Hiking the Ancient Forest Loop Trail is a perk of staying at the Breitenbush Retreat and Conference Center.

Visting Oregon: Breitenbush Hot Springs And Retreat Center

In the forests of Oregon, a group has created and maintain an off-the-grid community and retreat center.

50,000 Silver Dollars: Old-School Roadside Attraction in Western Montana

It’s a bar! It’s a gift shop! It’s a restaurant! It’s a casino! But most of all, it’s a roadside tourist attraction!

Agony Of De Feet: A Blistered Hiker’s Lament

I grimace, burying my face in a pillow. I am lying face down on the mattress of a double bed in a seedy (oops, “rustic”) cabin somewhere in the Back of Beyond in northern British Columbia, Canada. My bare feet protrude off the edge of the bed. My husband, scissors in hand, is bent over the bloody, blistered, oozing little domes that once were my heels. I try humming a tuneless little melody to drown out the SNICK-SNICK of the blades as he trims shreds of dead skin from the edges of today’s damage. And it all started with mud.