Your 6 secret spots of the West
Beachgoers stroll past the triangle-shaped Dorymans Oceanfront Inn in Newport Beach. Doryman’s, 100 steps from Newport Pier, is a vintage hotel in a setting better known for in-line skates and surfboards. On the hotels first floor is the restaurant 21 Oceanfront. (Lori Shepler / Los Angeles Times)
Once a bunkhouse for commercial fishermen, the Doryman today is an elegant B&B. Given the glamorous surroundings, you might think the front desk would be cautious about guests parading through the lobby after a day on the beach. Not the case here. (Lori Shepler / Los Angeles Times)
Theres nothing subtle about the Victorian furnishings one guest called the look early bordello. There are mirrors, heavy frames and patterns everywhere. (Lori Shepler / Los Angeles Times)
El Morro National Monument, a sandstone landmark in western
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Ranger Aleksu Hillerstrom is shown next to a tinaja, or natural depression in the sandstone that holds rain during the summer monsoons and snowmelt during the winter. (Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times)
The Atsinna Pueblo, a complex of an estimated 875 rooms, once held about 1,000 residents in the 13th and 14th centuries. (Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times)
The flowery script of E. Pen. Long of Baltimore, an 1859 visitor, stands out in the stone. (Christopher Reynolds / Los Angeles Times)
At dusk, the Hacienda presents a bucolic image of Old
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The church at Mission San Antonio de Padua features a vaulted ceiling. San Antonio, the third of 21
The mission, which was founded in 1771, retains its original 1813 burned-brick facade and bronze bell. Visitors who enjoy solitude can spend the night in one of the erstwhile monks rooms at San Antonio, formerly a Franciscan training center. (Jane Engle / Los Angeles Times)
Cats and uniforms: common sights at the mission, which is on the grounds of Ft. Hunter Liggett. Wander the surroundings for a mini-course in mission life. Among the remains are an 1820s well, an aqueduct, a mill house and foundations of soldiers quarters. Be sure to visit the missions museum too. (Jane Engle / Los Angeles Times)
The guest quarters at the mission are on the spartan side. More like a cell, one visitors room featured twin beds, a sink, crucifix and little else; toilets and showers were down the hall. Theres also no food service. But staff writer Jane Engle says drifting to sleep here amid silence, except for a cricket chorus, is like disappearing into a dream of Old
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One of many rabbits that make up a good part of the shelter’s population. Nearly 75% of the sanctuary animals are adopted into homes. (Hugo Martín / Los Angeles Times)
A peacock perches in a shelter. One of the big drawbacks about the location is the heat in the summer. Each animal enclosure has a small door that leads to a separate air-conditioned room. (Hugo Martín / Los Angeles Times)
A vibrant assortment of wildlife includes turkey vultures, deer, wild turkeys, egrets and herons. (Hugo Martín / Los Angeles Times)
The Jesse Ross Cabin, built in the 1860s, is one of the historic stops on the Sierra Vista Scenic Byway, south of Yosemite National Park. The cabin was moved to this site, a sweet spot of forest land, and still has about 75% of its original materials. A nearby trail leads deeper into the woods. (Mary Forgione/Los Angeles Times)
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A five-mile detour leads to the Exact Geographical Center of California. The metal marker sits on Italian Bar Road amid dusty chaparral on the way to Redinger Lake. The site is also near Spicket’s Ranch, a kitschy roadside attraction. (Mary Forgione / Los Angeles Times)
Flags and a sign at the town of North Fork welcome visitors to the Exact Center of California, a good place to start your scenic, daylong drive. (Mary Forgione / Los Angeles Times)
