Another thought considering places to see in California that perhaps are less known: Joshua Tree National Monument (or is it a national park by now?) It's in the desert east of Los Angeles and probably offers some hikes you might enjoy - and definitely in terrain very different from what you'd find in Europe! The park has a couple camping areas, no hookups but find for a night or two, I would think. A helpful website for checking into any of the national parks/national monuments, etc. is www.nps.gov. You can search for different parks on there, and the site has information about what to do, where to stay, etc.
