When Ericka Chickowski was a kid, her parents told her she had too many recreational interests. Little did they know these would serve her well in her career as a freelance writer. Over the better half of a decade, she has covered everything from river rafting to llama trekking. Ericka's travel stories have appeared in publications such as The Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Alaska Airlines Magazine, and Midwest Airlines Magazine. She is also a respected technology journalist who has garnered awards from the Society of Professional Journalists for column, feature, and humor writing.

Ericka moved to San Diego less by choice than by compulsion. The region captivated her with its perfect synthesis of her two youthful passions: beaches and mountains. As a little one, she toddled on Florida's beaches armored in orange water wings with pail and shovel in hand. Sunny skies were replaced with cloudy ones when she moved to Seattle, but she loved wandering mountain peaks and old-growth forests too much to hold a grudge against the rain.

It took only one visit to San Diego—which has the best of both worlds—to hook Ericka. Within two months she made arrangements, crammed her book collection and computer into a moving truck, and motored down to America's Finest City. Today, she lives in a cottage by the beach with her husband, Paul, and their lovable mutt, Sandy. Since her migration, Ericka has gained an appreciation for fish tacos, unapologetic jaywalkers, and well-inked tattoos.