Who Are These Guys?
Some Background About The SoCal Guru

Is the SoCal Vacation Guru real or imagined? He is the alter ego of one mind, brought to visual life by another. First let's meet his illustrator, and then I'll introduce myself.

I am pleased to introduce you to Mr. Steve Bjorkman, artist extraordinaire, who has illustrated for us our charming Guru, his woody and his flying friends.

Steve is perhaps best known by many as the amazing talent who has recently brought to life the crazy imagination of comedian and writer Jeff Foxworthy in three fabulous illustrated books. But Steve has written and/or illustrated dozens of other books, and is involved in a bunch of other creative activities.

Steve is something else! Click on the photo above; see if you agree with me!

Well, the buck stops here. I'm the creator, editor and chief bottle washer. Like Steve, who brings visual life to our Guru, I grew up in southern California; my parents moved out from the Midwest in the early 1950s, when their neighborhood had more orange trees than people. I've done a lot of writing in my years, mostly technical in nature. So writing the SoCal Vacation Guru pages is a nice change for me.

I'm sure I look extremely youthful in the photo, but I've had a lot of years to become familiar with even those parts of SoCal that aren't tourist attractions. I've got friends to help me create what we hope is a unique, and very useful, perspective on what you should know in planning your vacation.

My wife (Mrs. Guru) contributes ideas, perspective and editing expertise, but don't blame here for some of the funky stuff you see on these pages; I can't resist throwing in things from off the wall. My two grown daughters also provide valuable input as the SoCal Guru tells you What the Locals Know and Where the Locals Go.

Let us know how we're doing. As they say, if you see something that needs improvement, tell us. If you love us, tell your friends (and we do take donations) .
J. Michael Key
The real SoCal Vacation Guru

If you're done learning about the Socal Guru, let's go back to the Home Page.