About Us

Planning to take road trip through California?

Let California Road Trip be your guide!

We feature great little weekend getaways, tell you about great places to eat, comfortable places to stay, and where you can spend the day.

Califoria Road Trip is written by Tina Walker and Steve Johnson, two people well versed in taking road trips, traveling off the beaten path, and making the most of their weekend getaways.

With a combined 23 years of publishing experience and owners of Too Much Tina - Media, Marketing, Motivation, Steve and Tina have published over 50 websites on subjects ranging from food, travel, pets, news, family history, and health. Steve brings his internet publishing experience from his own company, Clear Digital Media, Inc., a California based corporation, a company which is a leader in Internet media and marketing. Tina brings her experience from many years in numerous print publications and years of internet publishing.

Our Travelers:

Steve Johnson: A motorcycle rider and weekend hiker for most of his life, Steve loves traveling off the beaten path in search of hidden gems all over the Golden State. Whether its the spooky ghost towns of the deserts, the twisty roads up and down the Sierras, a long, lost cemetery, or the dark, lonely taverns of California's farm towns, he's always busy turning over rocks to discover what cool places only the locals know about.

Tina Walker: A recently remarried empty-nester, Too Much Tina has found herself filled with wanderlust. As Robert Frost penned, "The Road Not Taken" is the road for her. With little interest in chains, unless they serve something unique, Tina longs for the weird and the wild; the untamed California. A former beauty queen with a gift for gab, her high energy, high-spirited personality makes her long for new people, new settings, and new experiences. From high-end shopping to rustic cabins in the woods, Tina appreciates all that California has to offer.

Lauren Jewel: Lauren is a daydreaming twenty-something who loves nothing more than road tripping with her other half and two beloved pups. Together they will drive for an hour, a day, a week, it doesn't matter as long as they end up somewhere amazing. As self proclaimed foodies, they love trying new restaurants, beautiful hikes, hidden hide aways, boutique hotels, and any spontaneous (and dog friendly) fun in between.

Melissa Land: Melissa travels with her husband and 2 young children. As a family, they enjoy visiting museums, exploring parks and gardens, and experiencing culturally diverse exhibitions. They LOVE farmers markets and restaurants that specialize in locally sourced/organic ingredients, and assorted ethnic fare.

Shelli Stovall: Shelli and her husband have 2 preteens and a teenager, a couple of whom you would call "picky eaters". Finding meals that satisfy them all is an adventure in itself! Loving to travel to places that offer educational experiences, fun for all, but most importantly adventure, they have an extreme desire to create an incredibly memorable childhood for her kids. Thrill enthusiasts, they have vowed to conquer every roller coater in California. Loving quiet adventures as well, this family enjoys learning of culture, history, and things yet to come.

Janet Doré:
Janet is a California lifer who left her quiet Northern California nest in 1985, and headed south in search of urban stimulation (and a bit more sun) in San Diego. Her passion for wandering was ignited in Tahiti in 1991, after her tongue met Poisson Cru and she tasted freedom on a French-style (topless) beach. More than 20 years and 14 countries later, Janet is (almost) a regular at a coed naked German sauna and is well honed in seeking out unusual experiences wherever she is in the world. After years of writing to inspire others to journey off-the-beaten-path in her travel blog, “The Wandering Housewife”, she created DateOxygen.com to help couples explore San Diego together. “Not only do you bond more with a place when you dig down deep to find the best of its small local businesses, but your relationship gets a huge boost as well. Love is a verb...you gotta go do it.”