COMING SOON-- WORKSHOPS
What really goes in the blue bin
--and what doesn't
Deepen your outdoor experience
--Use a topo map and compass
COMING SOON-- PHOTO GALLERY
Browse photos of a coming tour
--or of the tour you just took
ARMCHAIR TOUR!
Movie: Cane Toads: An Unnatural History
--A comedic short documentary that examines the disastrous results of interfering with an ecosystem by bringing in non-native species. Farmers in Australia, frustrated with an infestation of beetles, imported cane toads from Hawaii who wound up not eating the beetles, poisoning all their natural predators and multiplying to the point of becoming a larger nuisance than the beetles ever were.
Book: The Life of the Skies
--by Jonathan Rosen
--New York Times book review says: If Peterson and Sibley [birding guide book authors] provided checklists . . . then “The Life of the Skies” is the essay question, the question being: Does bird-watching offer a bird-watcher an avenue toward greater meaning, like prayer or yoga? For his part, Rosen, a novelist and the author of “The Talmud and the Internet,” has a lot of faith in it as a meditative act. “I can’t think of any activity that more fully captures what it means to be human in the modern world than watching birds,” he writes.
Stories of all the great American birders are included, from Thoreau to Teddy Roosevelt to "Kenn Kaufman, the Jack Kerouac of birding, who in the '70s hitchhiked the back roads of America for sightings."
Music: Appalachian Spring
--By Aaron Copland
--The sound of spring fever on the West Coast, not only in Appalachia! Try the recording by Michael Tilson Thomas's S.F. Symphony.
TOUR TIP
The warmer sunshine feels good, but don't pay for it later. Remember your hat or bandana and a lightweight long sleeved shirt. Apply sunscreen effective against both UVA and UVB, and bring a small bottle so you can reapply during rest breaks. The spot most people forget to protect? The top edge of the ears! Ouch!
CUSTOMIZE
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Let us create a tour just for you!
Learn more today.
ECO-HISTORY FACT
The Eco-History facts revealed in our 3/2/08 tour of the Quicksilver Mine in Almaden were so fascinating that folks demanded we offer it again! Do you know how Bay Area people and the environment have always influenced each other... in this case, from the pre-Gold Rush discovery of mercury ore to today?
Learn the surprising facts as we walk through beautiful landscapes, ghost towns with gardens still blooming today, and see a mercury reduction furnace. See the tour description from the first time we offered it!
The tentative date for this second visit is 6/7/08. If you're interested, let us know. Give your email address, and we'll keep you posted. Remember, if you enjoyed the first trip, the wildflowers and weather will be different the second time!
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Big Sur Monterey Hike + Car Camp at CaliforniaNatureTours.com
Big Sur Monterey Hike + Car Camp
Big Sur + Monterey in four fantastic days! Travel through the unchanged wild landscape of the Big Sur back country to historic Mission San Antonio. The dramatic Big Sur Coast is next, with camping and hiking among redwoods at the Big Sur River. Guided hikes and tours, Monterey Bay Aquarium tickets, campsite and park entry fees, and eight meals included.
Big Sur + Monterey Hiking and Car Camping
Big Sur Coast: ocean, rocks, and drama
- Big Sur Coast, Mission San Antonio
- Camping beneath redwoods
- Monterey Bay Aquarium
- Includes meals but not gear
- 7 yrs+, max 4m/6k/day, 4days
- F-M 6/13/08-6/16, 9:30am, $369 USD
- Carpool caravan from San Francisco CA will be arranged
FAQ, Contact David
Big Sur to Monterey Car Camping + Hiking
DAY 1: Big Sur is our destination, but our approach is unconventional: South from Salinas through the vast natural landscapes of the Hunter Liggett Military Reservation, stopping for a picnic lunch at Mission San Antonio, the only California Mission still isolated in a rural setting. Then it's over the rugged Santa Lucia Mountains to our campground.
DAY 2: We travel north along the Big Sur Coast for 40 miles, stopping at state park vantage points for short walks and a picnic lunch at a dramatic overlook. We'll camp at a campground on the Big Sur River, in the shade of giant redwoods.
DAY 3: We hike along the sycamore-shaded Big Sur River to its mouth, and wade across it to a remote, uncrowded beach for a picnic lunch. After lunch, we'll climb a hill for a view of the narrow Big Sur River Canyon and the mountains rising dramatically from the Coast, before heading back to camp.
DAY 4: We drive north to Point Lobos State Reserve for a 2-mile walk along this series of wooded headlands jutting into deep Pacific waters. Then it's on to Monterey for a visit to the world-famous Monterey Bay Aquarium, which has every local ocean creature from sea otters to sea slugs.
Meals: Bring your own picnic lunch for the first day; meals will be provided by California Nature Tours for next three dinners, next three breakfasts, and next two lunches. Buy lunch in Monterey on Day 4. Aquarium tickets are included in trip price.
Carpool caravan from San Francisco, depart 9:30am, location TBD
FAQ, Contact David
DON'T WANT CAR CAMPING AND HIKING IN BIG SUR MONTEREY ON NORTHERN CALIFORNIA COAST?
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I've really enjoyed many of David's hikes!
On Montara Mountain we had a stunning 360 degree panoramic view of the coast.
At Point Reyes we swam in beautiful Bass Lake and saw the sublime Alamere Waterfalls.
David is very knowledgeable about Nature and the History of the Bay Area. He's also very attentive to the hikers.
I'll be back-- again!
Mr. M.C.
San Mateo, CA
Thank you David, for your
hike at China Camp.
It was a beautiful setting and we saw deer at close range.
But what made it especially interesting & memorable was your knowledge of the area.
I'm looking forward to
reading the book!
Thanks again and regards,
Ms. A.V.
Oakland, CA
I'm an inquisitive hiker who often wants to know more than previous guides seem to know...
But sometimes I just
want quiet moments.
Somehow, David does both
things just right!
A tour with David really does have something more.
Ms. C.A.
San Francisco, CA
In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks.
John Muir
The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness.
John Muir
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