SeeCalifornia.com

Are you having fun this summer? Why not? There are all kinds of ways to start your engine, especially when you ditch the car and take to the beach, the sky or pavement for a joy ride. Maybe you’ll just stick with riding your bike but there are a lot of other things you can ride to put some sizzle in your 4th of July sparkler.

Here are some Joy Rides in California:

• All Terrain Vehicles (ATV) – Here’s a list of  parks & places where you can ride these off-road, motorized machines.
• Surreys – Every tourist-friendly destination rents them. We’ve seen them at Southern California beaches, Solvang, Carmel and Monterey, to name a few places.
• Zip lines – Zips, zip lines or ziplines  (depending on how you spell it)  are everywhere from the mountain resorts to Catalina Island. Zip line rides are all the rage.
• Kart racing – Oxnard, California is a great pit stop if you want a great joy ride at Jim Hall’s Kart Racing (jhrkartracing.com). It’s an adrenaline rush in the wheel-to-wheel racing condensed into 160-lb. hyper-performing karts. No wings. No suspension. Nothing but pure thrill.
• Hang & paragliding – Throughout California you’ll find rentals and lessons, especially along the coast. La Jolla even has the Torrey Pines Gliderport where lessons and tandem rides with an instructor are offered.
• Hot Air Balloon Rides – You’ll find the rides slightly inland from the coast. The balloons require special air conditions for riding. What a (hot air) blast!