Help for dust devils

In the hurry-worry of the urban frenzy, it’s easy to forget the wealth of scenic wonders that lie just outside city limits. Enter desertmud.com, a convenient place to rediscover that bounty.

This active member-maintained site serves as an easy-to-use hub for outdoor activities in California locales. Select hiking and biking categories by region and you’ll find a sortable list of featured routes, plus commentary, photos and degrees of difficulty. You can also get handy details on everything from noisy bike chains to growing pine trees from seed.

-- Michael Koehn