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
Not sure which tour is right for you? Special event coming up? A topic you're especially interested in?
Let us create a tour just for you!
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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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Sonoma Napa Wine and History Tour and Walkat CaliforniaNatureTours.com
Sonoma Napa Wine History Van Tour and Walk
Sonoma Napa wine history began at Sonoma's historic Bartholomew Park Winery, founded in 1857. Tour Sonoma organic wineries, Sonoma history sites, an oak woodland, and Sonoma vineyards at novelist Jack London's Beauty Ranch.
Sonoma Napa Wine and History
- Sonoma Napa wine's birthplace
- Sonoma wineries, Sonoma Mission
- Jack London's home and vineyards
- 7yrs+, 2m/3k walk, 8hrs
- Fri 8/15/08, 9am, $99 USD
- Other dates by request all summer
- Pickup from, return to San Francisco
FAQ, Contact David
Sonoma History -- More Than Just Wine
Sonoma is the destination of this private organic winery tour. We'll cross the Golden Gate Bridge, heading north through Marin to Sonoma, where Sonoma's Viansa Winery has a great view of the Sonoma Valley. Then on to the historic Bartholomew Park Winery for a short nature and history walk, then wine tasting (tasting fee included). Next, we'll tour the historic Sonoma Mission and soldiers' barracks, relics of Sonoma's earliest years under Mexican rule. From there we'll drive up the Sonoma Valley to Glen Ellen for a picnic lunch and a tour of the state park that preserves the home and vineyards of turn-of-the-(19th)century novelist Jack London, author of "Call of the Wild." We'll tour his home, furnished and filled with books as if he had never left. Here he wrote many books, including "The Valley of the Moon," in which a character based on himself falls in love with the incomparable beauty of Sonoma Valley. We'll end the day with another wine-tasting at a nearby winery that uses organically grown grapes.
Starts from San Francisco, pickup time at your location TBD, first pickup at 9am.
FAQ, Contact David
DON'T WANT SONOMA NAPA WINE COUNTRY PRIVATE WALKING TOUR?
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California State Parks Saved!
Gov. Schwarzenegger scuttled his plan to close 48 of them! Call the Governor to thank him at (916) 445-2841.
Learn more
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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