Travel and golf writer Ken Van Vechten was born in Riverside, CA, and after a couple of decades bouncing around across the bottom quarter of the Golden State and various locales in Oregon, he again resides in Riverside. From his first childhood trip up the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway not long after its opening to his most recent round of golf at Desert Willow Golf Club, the Coachella Valley has been like a second home. The one-time newspaper editor and columnist, political hack, and corporate flack is the author of several guidebooks, including Globe Pequot Press’ Las Vegas EAT!, and a contributing editor to the most recent edition of Zagat’s America’s Top Golf Courses. His work appears in the Los Angeles Times, Alaska Airlines Magazine, Westways, and other publications.