CALIFORNIA TOURISM LAUNCHES USER-GENERATED CONTENT ONLINE
California Tourism launched user-generated online content Sept. 15 through a program called California Fives. The program offers California-specific topics that are grouped in fives. (Vacation Agent)         
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CATTLE RANCH GOES HOLLYWOOD
The Los Molinos ranch of Byrd Cattle Company looked like a movie set the late afternoon of Sept. 17. The California Travel & Tourism Commission (CTTC) in Sacramento invited the film crew to visit a real ranch for a barbecue while they were filming the Northern California segment. (Red Bluff Daily News)  
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LAKE COUNTY SEES FUTURE IN WINE
Since the 1840s, people have ventured into Lake County largely to take something out. Early on, it was cattle fattened on lush valley grasses, then quicksilver and borax, butter and cheese, walnuts and pears, largemouth bass and catfish, and cures from simmering mineral springs. Today, add loot from casinos, energy from geothermal pools, photos from birdwatching and, increasingly, wine. (The Sacramento Bee)  
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SEARCHING FOR WAYS TO KEEP PARKS OPEN
Park supporters vowed Tuesday to raise money and organize volunteers to keep California’s state parks open, even offering to take on maintenance and oversight of some parts of the park system. More than 150 people gathered at a public hearing to discuss strategies to avert the threatened closure of 100 California state parks as part of a cost-cutting move. (The Press Democrat)  
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8 DAY TRIP DESTINATIONS NEAR SAN FRANCISCO
San Francisco is one of the best cities there is, but if you venture outside of it, know that the surrounding bay area is also rich with places to stay and things see and do. From bustling urban centers to quaint enclaves to pristine natural settings, Northern California can please even the pickiest of travelers. (Frommer’s)
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LEARNING VACATIONS IN LOS ANGELES
Most people think of learning vacations as studying Spanish in Mexico or volunteering on an archaeological dig in a 3rd world country. Well actually, one of the richest archaeological sites in the world is right here at the La Brea Tar Pits, and they do accept volunteers, but there are a lot more skills you can learn from a trip to LA. (About.com)
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GO NOW: THE LOST COAST
The Lost Coast is hardly lost. Anyone spending more than a week in California usually hears of the rugged coastline that no highway can penetrate. Yet even the most adventurous rarely reach this slice of Middle Earth straddling Mendocino and Humboldt counties. It takes a long drive on the steep, winding roads to get there, and remote trails stretching mile upon mile demand more time than most can afford. (San Francisco Chronicle) 
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OKTOBERFEST OFFERINGS IN VACAVILLE
The German dance group Bayerischer Heimat-und Trachten-verein Golden Gate and music by the Edelweiss Band will be the featured entertainment at the third annual Oktoberfest, 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday at Vacaville's Town Square. German food such as bratwurst, currywurst and schnitzel, beers and wines will be on the menu. (The Sacramento Bee)
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SAN DIEGO STRETCHES SUMMER
This is Southern California, and down San Diego way the warmth of the sun will linger on well into autumn. This is the time when veteran local vacationers head off for the weekend or longer, enjoying mild temperatures at more-than-mild prices. (OC Register)
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COMMENTS UNLIKELY TO SWAY TARP RULES
Though several industry groups last month filed formal comments seeking to modify the U.S. Treasury Department's new rules governing some meeting, event, incentive and travel expenses for companies that received assistance through the Troubled Asset Relief Program, the final rule is unlikely to heed the industry's suggestions. (Successful Meetings)
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THE TRAVEL INDUSTRY’S BRAVE NEW WORLD
In the past, most travelers used hotel Web sites as electronic brochures, typically calling a travel agent or the hotel itself to book a room after doing basic research online. But consumers now make hotel reservations using search engines, online aggregators (which combine information from various sources and make it available in one place to consumers), hotel-chain booking sites and electronic travel services such as Expedia and Orbitz. (Orlando Business Journal)
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OPINION: A FESTERING PROBLEM FOR TRAVELERS
From January through July, more than 770 U.S. commercial airline flights have been stuck on the ground waiting to take off, with passengers confined aboard for more than three hours. As these cases continue to appear in the news, many are concluding that it’s time for Congress to legislate. (Kansas City Star)
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