Clear your calendar for the first weekend of June and get ready to spend an action-packed weekend getaway filled with non-stop music, premium wines, hand-crafted beers, and family-friendly activities at the 32nd Annual Walnut Creek Chamber Art & Wine Festival—one of the top community festivals in the nation. 

On Saturday & Sunday, June 1 & 2, Heather Farm Park in Walnut Creek will sizzle with the sights, sounds, and flavors of the best Bay Area artisans, musicians, winemakers, festival foods, and the zany Grape Stomp Competition, kicking off summer fun under Walnut Creek’s sunny skies. More than 90,000 attendees are expected over the weekend, and admission is FREE!

Thirty years ago, Walnut Creek’s Art & Wine Festival was so small it was held in the baseball diamond in Civic Park. There were a small number of wine and beer booths and a smattering of food booths. Artists sold their wonderful wares and a few bands entertained the spectators. But such a fun time was had by all that, thirty years later, the Walnut Creek Chamber Art & Wine Festival has grown into a major community event attracting up to 100,000 people from the entire Bay Area and has been voted the East Bay’s Best Outdoor Festival by the Contra Costa Times.

AWARD-WINNING WINES & SPECIALTY BEERS!

Located throughout the Art & Wine Festival is a sensational mix of unique wines specially selected for wine lovers. From hard to find boutiques to classics from Napa Valley, over 50 wine labels will be on display. Try zinfandels, pinot grigio, shiraz, chardonnays, cabernets, meritage, pinot noir, viognier, or sparkling wines as you stroll through beautiful Heather Farm Park. And beer enthusiasts will love the incredible lineup of specialty brews at the festival’s Micro-Beer Garden. 

Premium Wines

Rare wines will be showcased in the Premium Wine Tent along with a remarkable grouping of wines that have earned 90 points or more, all available for tasting. Nowhere can you see more, taste more or enjoy more than at the Walnut Creek Chamber Art & Wine Festival!

Souvenir wine and beer tasting glasses can be purchased with tasting tickets along the main midway and around the festival grounds.

FESTIVAL FOOD!

The festival’s numerous food vendors are guaranteed to offer something for every palate. From falafels to red beans and rice, food booths will be offering traditional fare from Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and the Americas. And, of course, no festival would be complete without roasted corn-on-the-cob, fresh squeezed lemonade, and all the kettle korn and corndogs you can eat.

MUSIC & ENTERTAINMENT!

Art & Wine 2013 will feature top-quality, non-stop local and Bay Area music and entertainment for the entire family. Appearing atop two fully-equipped sound stages are the bands Spinout, Cold Blood, Public Eye, and Finding Stella on Saturday, and the Walnut Creek Civic Arts Jazz Band, MoonAlice, Push, and Lumeryard on Sunday.

The festival will also feature thousands of distinctive hand-made crafts and works of art from more than 200 artisans, and the wildly popular Grape Stomp Competition (first uncorked in 1981), which gets underway daily and invites the audience to participate.

FUN FOR EVERYONE in the CHILDREN’S AREA!

The party is in full swing at Art & Wine Festival’s newly expanded Children’s Area. Kids of all ages can enjoy classic and always popular inflatable jumpies and obstacle courses, giant slide, and 25-foot rock climbing wall, and several great new attractions that are sure to be big hits.

Also returning this year is the Pet Rest Spot, allowing your pet to spend time in the shade, get a drink of water, and plastic bags for cleaning-up after your pooch (all dogs must be on a leash).

FESTIVAL LODGING

Looking for a place to stay while attending the festival? Click on the links below for special offers from these participating Walnut Creek hotels:

Marriott Walnut Creek

Holiday Inn Express Walnut Creek

Motel 6 Walnut Creek

Diablo Mountain Inn Walnut Creek

THE FINE PRINT

The Walnut Creek Chamber Art & Wine Festival runs Saturday, June 1, from 11am to 7pm, and Sunday, June 2, from 11am to 6pm. Festival admission is free.

• Bicycle parking is available in a designated Bike Parking Lot.
• Free shuttle buses, available at park & ride locations originating at nearby Shadelands Business Park, run continuously.
• Paid parking is available for an $8 vehicle fee.
• For walkers, hikers, and cyclists, Heather Farm Park connects to the Iron Horse Trail.

Heather Farm Park is located at San Carlos Drive and Ygnacio Valley Road in Walnut Creek. This community jewel boasts 102 lush acres of nature ponds, picnic areas, children’s playgrounds, and foot and bike paths with connections to the Iron Horse Trail.

For a Google map with directions to Heather Farm Park click here. To visit the Art & Wine Festival’s Facebook page, click here.

For complete Walnut Creek Chamber of Commerce Art & Wine Festival information, log onto www.artwinefestivalwc.com. And for information about lodging, activities, restaurants, shopping, and more in Walnut Creek, log onto the Walnut Creek Convention & Visitors Bureau website at gowalnutcreek.com or call 925/934-2007.

- By Matthew Richard Poole

This is the summer that you’re going to do that road trip you’ve always wanted to do. The one to California’s north coast so you can finally see the world’s tallest trees, take a scenic drive along the Avenue of Giants, and explore The Lost Coast. I’ve been taking summer road trips to Humboldt County since I was a kid, and I haven’t even begun to experience everything this land of superlatives has to offer. It’s one of the best family road trips in the nation—a perfect combo of natural beauty, outdoor recreation, and American kitch. Keep reading and you’ll see what I mean. 

Humboldt County’s Redwood National Park: Home of the Tallest Trees on Earth

It’s difficult to explain the feeling you get walking through the misty old-growth forests of Redwood National Park without citing Alice in Wonderland. Like a verdant jungle, the coastal redwoods of Humboldt County are a multistoried affair, and its trees—the tallest living things in the world—are just the top layer. Everything here seems immense and mysterious, as if from a prehistoric age: giant mushrooms and colorful mosses saturate the ground, 10-foot-tall ferns line the creeks, the ground is soft and eerily springy, and the smells are rich and musty. It’s so outsized and primeval you half expect to turn the corner and see a dinosaur munching on giant huckleberry bushes. 

I’ll admit, getting here isn’t easy. Air service is limited, and the drive from San Francisco will take at least five hours. But I promise you it’s well worth the drive—once you step out of your car and into these ancient forests, you will be awestruck at the size and grandeur of these mighty redwoods. The statistics are almost incomprehensible: trees as tall as a 35-story skyscraper, with trunks more than 20 feet thick and life spans of up to 2,000 years. And chances are good you’ll marvel in the solitude as well, as this is one of the least-visited parks in California due to its isolated location. 

It’s also one of the most accessible parks in America, providing beautiful scenic byways and wheelchair-accessible trails for elderly and disabled visitors. Most of the park’s highlights are right off the road, access is open and free year-round, and parking is never a problem. But my favorite places to see involve a bit of hiking, such as the trail through Fern Canyon and the descent into Tall Trees Grove. You’ll also encounter numerous wildlife such as Roosevelt elk, bald eagles, river otters, black bears, and even gray whales migrating along the spectacularly rugged coast.

Park Highlights:

TALL TREES TRAIL  A short hike leads to one of the world’s tallest trees—365 feet tall, 14 feet in diameter, and more than 600 years old. It was once touted as the world’s tallest tree, but new record-holders keep popping up nearby, and this proud giant has lost a couple of feet to time. It’s still worth it to see this contender, particularly in the fall when the giant maples’ blazing orange and yellow leaves—the size of dinner plates—provide spectacular contrast to the mossy forest floor. Bring a blanket and picnic basket because you’ll want to spend all day here exploring the grove, relaxing under the sun-streaked canopy, and watching river otters play in the emerald-green river (I do it every year). 

FERN CANYON TRAIL  This incredibly scenic trail is the most popular destination in the parks. Flat and relatively short, the winding trail leads deep to a lush grotto of ferns—lady, deer, chain, sword, five-finger, and maidenhair—clinging to 30-foot-high vertical walls divided by a brook (bring the camera for this one). It’s only about a 1.5-mile walk, but be prepared to scramble across the creek several times on your way via small footbridges. Visit the canyon in the morning, then spend the day relaxing on Gold Bluffs Beach (bring drinks and a sandwich). 

PRAIRIE CREEK REDWOOD STATE PARK  A trip to the redwood forest wouldn’t be complete without visiting the locals: 200- to 300-strong herd of Roosevelt elk that inhabit the appropriately named Elk Prairie at Prairie Creek Redwood State Park. These beasts can weigh 1,000 pounds, and the bulls carry huge antlers from spring to fall. You can also spot the elk at the park’s Gold Bluffs Beach—it’s a rush to come upon them out of the fog or after a turn in the trail. For added excitement visit during the fall rutting season, when the bulls claim their harem of cows by charging at anything that stands in their way. Nearly a hundred black bears also call the park home but they’re seldom seen.

Humboldt County’s Avenue Of The Giants

If you live in Northern California, have young kids, and haven’t taken them to see the Avenue of the Giants yet, well, it’s time. This 31-mile section of Old Highway 101—which runs parallel to Highway 101 between the towns of Phillipsville and Pepperwood—winds through the world’s largest concentration of coastal redwoods. The best natural attraction along the Avenue is Founders Grove. Be sure to stop here to take the half-mile, self-guided loop trail that passes by the Dyerville Giant, which, before it fell in 1991, was considered the “champion” coastal redwood at 364 feet tall, 53 feet in circumference, and weighing in at nearly a million pounds. That’s one big tree. 

And how can you not love all those hokey tourist attractions scattered along the route, such as the Chimney Tree, the Shrine Drive-Thru Tree, the One-Log House, and the Eternal Tree House? Somewhere in my garage I still have Super 8 film of the trips we took here in the early ‘70s—I just can’t get myself to toss it out. Trust me, this classic California road trip creates priceless memories for kids, so be sure to bring the video camera.

The Best of Small-Town America: Arcata, Eureka, Ferndale & Trinidad

If you’re losing faith in America, it’s almost a sure bet that you can restore it by spending a few days in Humboldt County, starting with Arcata, my favorite small town in California. Arcata has it all: its own redwood forest and bird sanctuary, a beautiful town square, great restaurants, and even its own minor-league baseball team, which draws the entire town together on many a summer afternoon. Sort of a cross between Mayberry and Berkeley, it has an undeniable small-town flavor, yet it possesses that intellectual and environmentally conscious esprit de corps so characteristic of university towns (Arcata is the home of Humboldt State University). 

For those who can’t survive without good restaurants, interesting boutiques, and a few bookstores to browse, Eureka, the largest town in northwestern California (population 27,000), has all those hallmarks of civilization in and around its picturesque Old Town. Located on historic Humboldt Bay, it also has a number of superb bed-and-breakfast inns, making it a great launching point for exploring Redwood National Park. 

The heart of Eureka, Old Town, is a 13-block stretch of shops, restaurants, and hotels, most of them housed in painstakingly preserved Victorian structures. One of Old Town’s highlights is the Clarke Memorial Museum, which has a new exhibit on the history of electrical generation in Humboldt County, with demo fuel rods and a life-size control room with bells, whistles, and flashing lights, all controlled by dials and knobs and levers (kids love this exhibit—click here to see). And if you need a good book at a great price, stop by the Booklegger, a wonderful bookstore in Old Town with thousands of used books. 

A must-see in Eureka is the multigabled-and-turreted Carson Mansion on the corner of 2nd and M streets. Built of redwood in 1886 for lumber baron William Carson, it’s one of the nation’s finest Victorian architectural masterpieces. Before you leave Eureka, be sure to take a bay cruise on skipper Leroy Zerlang’s Madaket, the oldest passenger vessel on the Pacific Coast. The 75-minute narrated tour—a surprisingly interesting and amusing perspective on the history of Humboldt Bay—departs daily from the foot of C Street in Eureka and gets progressively better after your second or third cocktail. Afterward, stroll over to the Lost Coast Brewery for a fresh pint of Alleycat Amber Ale and an order of buffalo wings. 

Just 16 miles south of Eureka, the entire village of Ferndale has been designated both a National and State Historical Landmark for its well-preserved Victorian architecture. Even if Ferndale isn’t on your itinerary, it’s worth taking a detour off Highway 101 to stroll for an hour or two down the colorful Main Street, browsing through the art galleries, gift shops, and cafés strangely reminiscent of Disneyland’s “old town.” Ferndale, however, is for real and hasn’t changed much since it was the agricultural center of Northern California in the late 1800s. It’s like a trip back in time. 

In the early 1850s Trinidad was a booming supply town with a population of 3,000; now it’s one of the smallest incorporated cities in California, encompassing a little rocky bluff that a handful of anglers, artists, retirees, and shopkeepers call home. A sort of Mendocino-in-miniature, cute-as-a-button Trinidad is known mainly as a sportfishing town: trawlers and skiffs sit patiently in the bay, awaiting their owners or tourists eager to spend an afternoon salmon fishing. Scenery and silence, however, are the town’s most desirable commodities; if all you’re after is a little R & R on the coast, Trinidad is among the most peaceful and beautiful areas you’ll find in California.

SAMOA COOKHOUSE: A MEAL FIT FOR A LOGGER

Visiting the Eureka area without a stop at the Samoa Cookhouse is like visiting Paris without seeing the Eiffel Tower. This venerable dining spot is the last surviving cook house in the West (it’s been in operation for more than a century) and a Humboldt County institution, where guests are served lumber-camp-style in an enormous barnlike building at long tables covered with checkered cloths. Few decisions are required–just sit down, and the food will come until you say uncle. Breakfast typically features sausages, biscuits, scrambled eggs, potatoes, and French toast or pancakes. Lunch and dinner include potatoes and the meat-of-the-day, which might be ham, fried chicken, pork chops, roast beef, barbecued chicken, or fish. Mind you, the food isn’t fancy, but there’s plenty of it, including the delicious bread, which is baked on the premises. And just when you think you’re about to burst, along comes the fresh-baked pie. After your meal, spend a few minutes waddling through the adjoining logging museum. It’s open for breakfast and dinner every day, and lunch Monday through Saturday. From Hwy 101 take the Samoa exit (R St) in downtown Eureka, cross the Samoa Bridge, turn left on Samoa Rd, then left on Cookhouse Rd. 707/442-1659; www.samoacookhouse.net

Humboldt County’s Lost Coast: The Scenic Road to Nowhere

The Lost Coast is proof that if you don’t build it, they won’t come. What wasn’t built along 90 miles of pristine California coastline along the southern coast of Humboldt County was a road: The topography of this brutally rugged region—steep mountain ranges abutting rocky shore—wouldn’t allow it, forcing the builders of Highway 1 to make a detour far inland. 

The result of this absence of asphalt is the last untamed and undeveloped stretch of coastline in California, a place so devoid of urbanization that more cows repose on its beaches than people (seriously). In fact, you can spend days roaming the coastal range and without seeing a soul, making the Lost Coast the sine qua non of “get-away-from-it-all” experiences. 

Despite the absence of a coastal road (aside from a brief stretch along the northern region), the Lost Coast makes for a fantastic road trip. Of the three entrance points into the region—Garberville, Humboldt Redwoods State Park, and Ferndale—the most scenic route is through the State Park. Take the Humboldt Redwoods State Park turnoff on Highway 101 and follow the Mattole Road all the way to Ferndale and back onto Highway 101. 

The 3- to 4-hour, 75-mile drive is incredible, transporting you through lush redwood forests, across golden meadows, and past miles of deserted beaches (well, if you don’t count the cows). Be sure to start with a full tank, keep a map, binoculars and camera handy, pack a lunch, and bring a jacket if you plan to venture anywhere on foot—the ubiquitous afternoon fog is a real bone-chiller. For everything you need to know about visiting The Lost Coast, click here. 

What I’ve included in this article is only a fraction of all the things there are to see and do in Humboldt County. Along with more than 40 parks, forests, reserves, and recreation areas (which together preserve half the world’s old growth giants), Humboldt County also offers camping, biking, bird watching, beachcombing, horseback riding, fishing, kayaking, canopy tours, and more. For details about all these activities and many more—including lodging, dining, and events—log onto the Humboldt County Convention & Visitors Bureau website at www.redwoods.info.

 - By Matthew Richard Poole

Backpacking in Yosemite

When I was a kid, my mom would always send me off on a week-long guided backpacking trip during the summer just to get me out of the house, and now I’m addicted to it. It’s the perfect combination of aerobic exercise, spiritual cleansing, confidence building, and appreciating our natural surroundings. If you’ve never done it before, I implore you to set aside a week this summer for a backpacking trip through the Sierra Nevada—it’ll be one of the most rewarding things you do this year.

If you have zero backpacking experience and equipment (or don’t have time to plan it), I have a suggestion: Give my friend Ian Elman a call. He runs an outdoor guiding company Southern Yosemite Mountain Guides, and his staff are among the top outdoor guides in the nation and are masters at providing a fun, thrilling, and safe experience for all their clients (I highly recommend their 8-day Yosemite Grand Traverse if you really want to see it all). Not only will a trip with SYMG be the highlight of your summer, you’ll enjoy spending time with Ian and his crew so much you’ll want to come back for more adventures every year. Give them a call 800/231-4575. And if you’re looking for great deals on Yosemite lodging, click here.

Hiking Lassen Volcanic National Park

You don’t have to fly to Hawaii to take a hike on a volcano. Lassen Peak, the highlight of Lassen Volcanic National Park is the largest plug dome volcano in the world. Although dormant, 10,457-foot Lassen Peak is still very much alive—the area still boils with a ferocious intensity: Hot springs, stinky fumaroles, geysers, and mud pots are all indicators that Lassen hasn’t had its last word.

It always amazes me how few Northern Californians have visited this amazing state park, which offer 150 miles of wonderful hiking trails. The most popular hike is the Lassen Peak Trail, a 2.5-mile climb from the Park Road to the top of the peak (you’ll get a view of the surrounding wilderness that’s worth every step of the way). On clear days, you can see south all the way to Sutter Buttes near Yuba City and north into the Cascades. Believe me, you’ll love this place and have most it to yourself. And if you need a place to stay near Lassen, LocalGetaways is offering some great deals on local hotels.

Exploring Pinnacles National Park

The 24,000-acre Pinnacles National Park is one of the Bay Area’s best weekend hiking destinations, and I’m betting you never even heard of it. Located southeast of Salinas, Pinnacles consists of hundreds of towering crags, spires, ramparts, and hoodoos—the eroded remains of a volcano formed 23 million years ago. Pinnacles is also haven for bird-watchers, home to six endangered California condors and one of California’s largest breeding populations of raptors (bring binoculars). You could spend days here, but it’s possible to cover the most interesting features in a weekend. Great camping as well. Great camping as well, but if you prefer a hotel, click here for great deals on local hotels.

Surfing Lessons in Santa Cruz

No, I’m not crazy. You can do this. I’m living proof. I had never surfed in my life until I took a surfing class in Santa Cruz and within an hour I was standing up and surfing! It’s an amazing adrenaline rush, getting pushed by the wave as you stand on your longboard while the surfing instructor cheers you on.

Santa Cruz has the best longboarding waves in Nor Cal—small, safe, easy, and fun—and the friendly folks at Santa Cruz’s Club-Ed Surf School will show you a great time, teaching you how to paddle, read the waves, and stand up. It’s a fantastic way to stay in shape and an incredibly rewarding accomplishment. C’mon, give it a try this summer, and be sure to stay at my favorite hotel in Santa Cruz, the Beach Street Inn and Suites. 

Climbing Mt. Shasta

Again, I’m not crazy. You can do this as well. It’ll probably be one of the most challenging hikes in your life, but the reward—summiting the mighty Mt. Shasta—is a moment you will never forget, and the views are mind-blowing. Mount Shasta attracts thousands of hikers from around the world each year, from timid first-timers (like my mom) to serious mountaineers who search for the most difficult paths up.

The hike isn’t technically difficult, but it’s a demanding ascent that takes about 8 hours of continuous exertion, particularly when the snow softens up. All the requisite equipment can be rented in town at the Fifth Season mountaineering store, and if you’d rather hire a guide, contact Shasta Mountain Guides. Tip: For great tips on climbing Mt. Shasta, Google “So you want to climb Mt. Shasta.” And for great deals on Mt. Shasta hotels, click here.

Summiting Mount Whitney

At 14,505 feet, Mount Whitney is the highest summit in the Lower 48 states. Along with the General Sherman Tree (the largest tree in the world), it’s one of the highlights of Sequoia National Park, a land of alpine lakes, deep canyons, and towering granite peaks.

Unlike Mount Shasta, it doesn’t take any special equipment to summit Mount Whitney, just lots of stamina (in fact, almost half the people who attempt the 22 mile-round-trip don’t reach the summit). Weather, altitude, and fatigue can stop even the most prepared hiking party, but the reward for summiting is a view you’ll never forget. Looking for affordable lodging near Mount Whitney? Click here.

Paddling on the Gualala River

Now here’s a recreational getaway idea you probably haven’t considered: Driving up the coast to Gualala (about a 3 hour drive from San Francisco), renting a canoe or kayak, and paddling the gorgeous Gualala River. Imagine silently gliding through thousands of acres of private forest filled with wildlife, including osprey, herons, egrets, and river otters.

You can picnic on the sandy banks of the river and swim in the crystal clear water, which is about 70-74 degrees in summer. It’s a heavenly setting for safe, self-guided outdoor adventure for the whole family. Believe me, this is a getaway you will take year after year. You can rent canoes and kayaks in the town of Gualala at Adventure Rents (888/881-4386). And for great hotel deals in Gualala, click here. 

And if you have your own tips and recommendations on great outdoor getaways throughout Northern California that you’d like to share, feel free to add your own comments to our blog below. We’d love to hear from you.

And for more insider tips on California activities and tours, California vacation spots, California tourist attractions, California vacation packages, and California inns, B&Bs, lodges, hotels, and restaurants, explore LocalGetaways.com, where you’ll always find best California travel deals.

- By Matthew Richard Poole

They call it Death Valley for a reason.

Which, of course, is all the more reason to come and see it for yourself, simply because there is no other place like it on the planet: a haunting, primordial enigma that is both fascinating to behold and troubling to the soul—a geologic car wreck if you may. But describing the surreal beauty of a desert is like talking dirty on the phone; you get the picture, but it’s never as good as the real thing. For that, you must come.

Sands Remorse

Death Valley earned its cheerful moniker from ill-fated 49ers who, in search for California gold, were forced to cross California’s Mojave Desert to avoid Sierra Nevada snowstorms to the north. The unlucky souls who didn’t make it must have turned in their sandy graves when, in 1933, President Herbert Hoover designated Death Valley a national monument (“They made this place a park?”).

The result was a gold mine of a different sort: tourism. In fact, Death Valley is one of the largest and most heavily visited National Parks in the United States. Perhaps it’s our love affair with the wild west that explains the droves of curious Georges who arrive from around the world in their wide-brimmed hats, dark glasses, and tennis shoes.

Whatever the reason, during the summer months—when temperatures commonly reach and exceed 120 degrees Fahrenheit—foreigners outnumber Yanks four to one (oddly enough, German tourists relish our near-mythical heat waves). From October through May, however, the weather is far more agreeable, making Death Valley the ideal off-summer destination.

Just Deserts

Visiting a desert begs the obvious question, “But, what do you do there?” In Death Valley, at least, you’re spoiled for choices. In fact, there are so many fascinated sights to see that it’s a good idea to first visit the Furnace Creek Visitor Center (Furnace Creek is the hub of Death Valley National Park), watch the hourly slide show on Death Valley’s attractions, and form a game plan of the places you have time to see while you’re there. And be sure to check out the free mineral and mining museum while you’re here—you’d be amazed at the utility of borax.

Top on your touring list should be Badwater, a foul-tasting but non-poisonous spring-fed pond oozing with sulphates, chloride, and various tiny critters you wouldn’t want to swallow. Just beyond Badwater is a huge, shimmering lakebed of moist white minerals that is the lowest spot in the Western Hemisphere, 279 feet below sea level.

Other highlights include Artists Palette, an eroded hillside colored with a mosaic of greens, reds, pink and blue hues (very trippy); Dante’s View, an incredible scenic overlook of valley floor some 5,475 feet below; Sand Dunes, fifteen square miles of picturesque wind-blown dunes of golden sand (best seen at sunset); and the Salt Creek Interpretive Trail, home of the Salt Creek pupfish. Found nowhere else on earth, this unique and ancient genera of salt water fish lives in the briny marshes of Salt Creek (from the boardwalk you can see nearly a million of the hardy little buggers squirming around).

Weird & Wonderful

Equally as mystifying as the natural attractions are the manmade curiosities scattered throughout Death Valley. Foremost is Scotty’s Castle, the former desert retreat of an eccentric Chicago millionaire that is, oddly enough, Death Valley’s most popular attraction. Built in the 1920s, the ornate mansion is the last thing you would expect to find in the desert. Daily tours, led by rangers dressed in period garb, are surprisingly entertaining, particularly the oddball stories about the millionaire and his sidekick, “Death Valley” Scotty, who oversaw the construction and claimed the house as his own.

The Harmony Borax Works, located a few miles from Furnace Creek, is also worth a look. In the late 1800s millions of pounds of borax were mined from the valley floor and hauled—via huge wagons pulled by 20-mule teams—nearly 200 miles to the rail station at Mojave. A short trail lined with interpretive signs leads past the ruins of a dilapidated borax refinery.

Far more recent man-made additions to Death Valley are the region’s only lodgings: the Furnace Creek Inn, a posh resort overlooking the valley; Furnace Creek Ranch, where the poorer people stay; two outlying low-budget resorts, the Stovepipe Wells Village, and Panamint Springs Resort, and ten campgrounds (see “Death Valley Lodging” below). Otherwise, Death Valley is, well, deserted.

Death Valley Visitor Info

The Furnace Creek Visitor Center & Museum is chock full of information and exhibits about the surrounding valley, and houses a small bookstore as well. This is also where you can obtain information about ranger guided hikes, talks, and evening programs, offering during the peak season November through April. Pick up a weekly schedule of programs at the visitor center. It’s located in Furnace Creek and is open daily from 8am to 5pm (although it was closed for “rehabilitation” when I was there in October). For more information call 760/786-3200 or visit their website at www.nps.gov/deva/planyourvisit.

Death Valley Lodging

The Inn at Furnace Creek

A literal oasis in the desert, the 66-room, four-story Inn at Furnace Creek is more Palm Springs than Death Valley. A multitude of palm trees, lush lawns and ponds surround the opulent estate, where well-heeled guests play tennis and golf, ride horseback through the surrounding desert, or lounge by the heated spring-fed pool. Plush guest rooms are loaded with every conceivable amenity. Be sure to reserve a room months in advance; the hotel is usually filled year-round.

Panamint Springs Resort

Located on the western boundary of Death Valley is Panamint Springs, a small, privately owned resort about 45 miles west of Furnace Creek. If you’re not wealthy enough to afford the Furnace Creek Inn, this should be your first choice for lodging. It offers 14 rustic motel units—all equipped with standard furnishings, including the requisite A/C—that form a half moon around the lodge and restaurant. There’s also a campground with hot showers, as well as full hook-ups for RVs. Both the staff and guests tend to be the fun-loving low-maintenance types, particularly in the evening when the beers start flowing (okay, early afternoon). 775/482-7680

The Ranch at Furnace Creek

Everyone who can afford the Furnace Creek Inn and doesn’t know about Panamint Springs Resort stays here. It offers over two hundred motel-like units equipped with a telephone, television, and air-conditioning. Smoking and non-Smoking rooms available as well. On the grounds are a spring-fed pool, golf course, lighted tennis courts, three restaurants, a saloon, and a general store. The caveat, however, is that the place is huge and always packed, which completely spoils the get-away-from-it-all experience one hopes to find in the desert.

Stovepipe Wells Village

Stovepipe Wells, located about 20 miles northwest of Furnace Creek, is similar to Furnace Creek Ranch, but on a smaller and slightly cheaper scale. The 83 motel rooms are rather plain—as is the adjacent pool, gift shop, general store, restaurant and saloon—but it your looking to save a little money and don’t really care where you sleep (as long as the air conditioning works), the Stovepipe will suffice.

If all of the lodgings above are booked, then I recommend staying in nearby Lone Pine, which has several inexpensive lodgings. Click here to see the LocalGetaways deals in and around Lone Pine.

Death Valley Camping

Death Valley has ten campgrounds, four that are open year-round, two that accepts RVs, and only one that takes reservations year-round (see Panamint Springs Resort above). All have toilets and most have drinking water and fire pits or grills. In the summer it’s a good idea to arrive early to guarantee a spot (most are on a first-come, first-get basis), though with more than 1,500 campsites available you’re bound to find a vacancy. Campground fees range from free to $18 per night. First log on to the Death Valley National Park website at http://www.nps.gov/deva/planyourvisit/camping.htm to pick a campground, then log onto http://www.recreation.gov/ to reserve it. And peg that tent down well—wind storms whip up quickly out there.

Death Valley Dining

Wrangler Steakhouse, 49er Cafe & Corkscrew Saloon

Can you say “captive audience?” Like most National Parks, concessionaires run the show, which means you eat what they serve or you don’t eat. Though the Wrangler Steakhouse wouldn’t make it outside of Death Valley, it’s popular with families for its all-you-can-eat breakfast and lunch buffets (offered at very specific times at inflated rates), where mounds of ribs, chicken, baked potatoes, and the usual hearty American fare are dished out. After buffet hours, the restaurant reverts to standard table dinner service (no reservations taken). Adjacent to the Wrangler is the even more casual 49er Cafe that’s open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and the Corkscrew Saloon, which serves pizza, hot dogs and buffalo wings along with cocktail, beer, and wine. 760/786-2345

The Inn at Furnace Creek Dining Room

Fine dining in Death Valley is a bit of an oxymoron, but there it is: the formal dining room at the Inn at Furnace Creek where tank tops are verboten and daily Afternoon Tea is served with delicate pastries. It’s the standard overpriced continental fare: grilled salmon, filet mignon, sauteed chicken breast and such, served in a quiet and very air conditioned setting with desert views. If you really feel like splurging, opt for the blowout Sunday brunch. 760/786-3385

Panamint Springs Resort Restaurant

This is the only restaurant that isn’t run by a concessionaire, which automatically makes the most recommended (as are the hotel rooms). It’s a bit overpriced as well, but the setting—a huge wraparound porch overlooking the surrounding mountain ranges—is worth the few extra dollars. Entrees range from big plates of spaghetti and lasagna to steak (cooked as rare as you like it), chicken, and hamburgers. The food isn’t exactly memorable, mind you, but it gets the job done, as do the great beers on tap served in enormous mugs. 775/482-7680

- By Matthew Richard Poole

Picture it. You, standing in the Sonoma sunshine, looking fabulous in your Ralph Lauren sundress and wide-brimmed hat, holding a glass of Le Crema Pinot Noir while chatting with the producer of Adam and Dog about how he should have won the Oscar for Best Animated Short Film, not the silly cartoon about a paper airplane. And, why yes, I will have another of those savory little artichoke tartlets. This is just one of four fabulous reasons to open your day-planner and sign yourself up for a weekend getaway to Sonoma County’s Wine Country. Keep reading and you’ll see what I mean.

Sonoma International Film Festival, April 10-14

If you enjoy films, then why not attend the 16th Annual Sonoma International Film Festival? It’s one of the nation’s top 10 destination film festivals, and it’s a lot easier to get to than Sundance’s Park City. The festival was founded in 1997, and has since become a mecca for lovers of film, food, wine, and music, as well as an annual gathering place for film industry insiders, filmmakers, critics, and celebs (Susan Sarandon, John Lasseter, Michael Keaton, Bruce Willis, and Lauren Hutton are all past attendees and discussion panel participants).

The Film Festival takes place over five days in mid-April in the town of Sonoma, with its bucolic town square as the epicenter and eight film venues within an easy stroll. Which means once you park your car you can leave it there, and spend a most pleasant day watching your favorite indies from more than 100 new independent films from around the world, then partaking in the question-and-answer session with filmmakers, actors, and producers after the screenings.

The festival starts on Wednesday, April 10, at 5 p.m., and culminates on Sunday, April 14, at midnight. Tickets range from $60 for a one-day pass to $820 for the “total festival experience.” For general Festival information and to purchase passes, log onto sonomafilmfest.org, send an email to info@sonomafilmfest.org, or call 707/933-2600.

Bodega Bay Fisherman’s Festival, April 27-28

The Bodega Bay community will celebrate its 40th Annual Fisherman’s Festival packed with music, food, and entertainment from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. A favorite attraction is the wine tasting booth, featuring more than 25 Sonoma County wines. Food booths have something for every palate, from lamb or oyster barbecue to local fish and chips.

Live music and entertainers perform on the band stage all day, and artisans and vendors from all over California and beyond offer a wide selection of arts and crafts. The festival is a great venue for kids as well, with a play area for face painting, spin paintings, games, a touch tank tide pool, pony rides and llamas (and guest pets) on parade. For more info, visit www.bbfishfest.org.

Passport to Dry Creek Valley, April 27-28

Passport to Dry Creek Valley was introduced in 1990 by the Winegrowers of Dry Creek Valley as a time every year when the winegrowing community could come together to celebrate the generations of farmers, vintners and families that are the roots of the Dry Creek Valley wine region. Over the 24 years since, the event has become a beloved tradition among wine lovers who enjoy a world-class tasting experience with a festive twist, all within the idyllic Dry Creek Valley.

Over one weekend, Passport guests are welcomed into 50-plus wineries throughout Dry Creek Valley, each offering a unique pairing of premium wine, gourmet food, and entertainment. Take a vineyard tour for a grape-to-glass look at Dry Creek Valley wine. Sample exclusive vintages, rarely available to taste. Meet winemakers and grape growers. Savor exquisite food and wine pairings from acclaimed chefs. Please note that Passport tickets are sold first-come first-served and often sell out. For more info log onto www.wdcv.com or call 707/433-3031.

Taste Alexander Valley, May 18-19

Located at the northern end of Sonoma County, Alexander Valley is best known for its world-famous Cabernet Sauvignon grapes that thrive from the valley floor all the way up the rolling hillsides and mountain ridges. On Saturday and Sunday, May 18-19, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., more than 30 wineries will host their own special wine and food parties via their annual Taste Alexander Valley event, offering wine and food pairings, live entertainment and special weekend wine discounts. One ticket gets you access to all the parties. Come and experience the best of the casually elegant Wine Country lifestyle that makes the Alexander Valley a premier international tourist destination. For more info log onto www.tastealexandervalley.org or call 888/289-4637.

The events listed above are just a fraction of the fun, romantic, and family-friendly things to do in Sonoma County. For a free visitors guide or information on hotels, wineries, events, spas, attractions, and dining in Sonoma County, visit SonomaCounty.com or call 800/576-6662.

And for a limited time, Sonoma County Tourism is offering Sonoma Sneakaway—an entire website full of special deals to Sonoma Wine Country, such as free wine tasting passes, a second night’s lodging for free, 15% off vacation rentals, and much more. Check it out at SonomaSneakaway.com.

- By Matthew Richard Poole

We’ve all been there:

The 34th Annual Wine Road Barrel Tasting

At the top of my list of favorite annual events that I always attend in Northern California is the Wine Road Barrel Tasting Weekend in Sonoma County. Whoever came up with this idea is a genius: Each year in early March more than 100 wineries in Russian River, Dry Creek, and Alexander Valleys—including La Crema, Rodney Strong, Korbel, A. Rafanelli, Simi, and dozens more—open the doors to their wine cellars and allow the public to sample their wares straight from the barrel. In addition, participants have an extremely rare opportunity to purchase wine “futures”, where you can buy the wine your tasting from the barrel today before it’s bottled next year.

Now, normally only professional wine buyers are allowed to buy wine futures, but as a participant in the Wine Road Barrel Tasting, YOU get to decide which wine you think will age the best in the barrel, then arrange to have your wine shipped to you when it’s ready (or better yet, come back to the winery next year and pick it up yourself). Many of the participating wineries offer only a limited production, so this is your best chance to lock up some of your favorite wines. The wineries even encourage you to pack a picnic—all the right stuff for a romantic weekend adventure.

The Barrel Tasting event will be held over two weekends, March 1-3 and March 8-10, from 11am to 4pm. Tickets sell fast, so don’t wait. For more information and to purchase tickets log onto www.wineroad.com.

7th Annual Artisan Cheese Festival

If you love cheese—and if you don’t there’s something wrong with you—you’re going to want to put this event on your calendar as well: the 7th Annual Artisan Cheese Festival, held Friday through Sunday, March 22-24, in the charming and hip (yes, hip) town of Petaluma. More than 8,000 attendees gather at the Sheraton Sonoma County-Petaluma parking lot to meet more than a dozen international award-winning cheesemakers and learn how to how to taste, buy, serve, and enjoy some of the best artisan cheeses in the country.

You’ll also get to sample locally made jams, jellies, breads, beer from as many as 65 artisan producers and discover the many charms of this pastoral town that is only 32 miles north of San Francisco. The educational seminars, cooking classes, wine pairings, and tastings are led by cheesemakers, chefs, and fromagiers (I didn’t even know that was a word) from across the country, and virtually every session involves tastings and/or pairings of artisan cheeses.

Only a limited number of tickets to the festival are available, so I highly recommend buying them far in advance (like, today) online at www.artisancheesefestival.com. Ticket prices range from $35 for the Inaugural Meet the Cheesemakers and Their Cheeses on Friday at 5pm, to $195 for the All Day Saturday Cheese Lovers Package that includes a morning seminar, lunch, and afternoon seminar (excluding cheesemaking session), plus the Grand Cheese Tasting and Best In Cheese competition (serious chee$e for serious cheeseheads).

4th Annual Sonoma County Restaurant Week

If you like great food at bargain prices, you’re going to love Sonoma County Restaurant Week. Starting on Monday, March 18th and running through Sunday, March 24th, more than 100 of Sonoma County’s restaurants are participating in a seven-day celebration of the county’s finest foods. Each restaurant will be offering a three-course dinner menus at a fixed price of $19, $29, or $39 (or all three depending on the restaurant), which allows you the opportunity to sample some of Sonoma’s finest farm-fresh cuisine at a very steep discount.

And whoever built the website for Restaurant Week did a brilliant job, because it allows you to armchair travel through dozens of Sonoma County restaurants and pick the location and price-point you’re looking for. It’s a fantastic opportunity to learn about new restaurants, and yet you can spend as little as $19 on a 3-course meal (tax, tip, and wine aren’t included of course). Some of my favorite Sonoma County restaurants are participating, such as Zazu, John Ash & Co., HopMonk Tavern, and Della Santina’s, and there are about 80 more that I’ve always wanted to check out.

So grab a notebook and a pen, log onto www.sonomacountyrestaurantweek.org, and start planning your culinary getaway to Sonoma County. No tickets or passes required, but reservations are strongly recommended.

66th Annual Apple Blossom Festival And Parade

C’mon, ya gotta love a small town parade. Flower-adorned floats, high-stepping horses, dachshunds in costume, and school bands marching proudly down Main Street. If you haven’t already experienced Sebastopol’s Apple Blossom Festival and Parade then you need to put this on your calendar as well—it’s a rare opportunity to experience some old-school Americana while enjoying a glass of pinot and a corndog.

The event kicks off with the parade, which starts at 10am on Saturday morning, April 20th, then the festivities continue at Ives Park with live music, wine tasting, children’s activities, crafts, and all the apple pie you can eat. Festival hours are Saturday from 10am-6pm and Sunday from 10am-5pm. For more info log onto www.sebastopol.org.

The events listed above are just a fraction of the fun, romantic, and family-friendly things to do in Sonoma County. For a free visitors guide or information on hotels, wineries, events, spas, attractions, and dining in Sonoma County, visit SonomaCounty.com or call 800/576-6662.

And for a limited time, Sonoma County Tourism is offering Sonoma Sneakaway—an entire website full of special deals to Sonoma Wine Country, such as free wine tasting passes, a second night’s lodging for free, 15% off vacation rentals, and much more. Check it out at SonomaSneakaway.com.

– By Matthew Richard Poole

Tuesday Report: SPECTACULAR!! ORCAS-”KILLER WHALES!!”THE MIGHTY GIANTS “BLUE WHALES!!” HUMPBACK WHALES!! BEAUTIFUL WEATHER!!

Monterey Bay Whale Watching

The placid waters of Monterey Bay offer fantastic whale watching opportunities—I’ve spotted whales while lounging on a hotel’s rooftop hot tub (hey, somebody had to review that hot tub). Why? Because right off the coast of Monterey is an oceanic phenomenon: The Monterey Canyon—the largest and deepest submarine canyon off the Pacific coast of North America, reaching depths of up to two miles.

Because of upwelling that occurs, creatures from the deep are constantly emerging to the surface, which in turn attracts hungry dolphins, whales, orcas, sea otters, and huge flocks of birds. As a scuba instructor I’ve seen a lot of marine life, but nothing compares to the hundreds of truly bizarre deep-water creatures I’ve spotted swimming around Monterey Bay. You don’t even need a scuba license to spot them—just rent a sea kayak and look down.

But you’ll have much better odds of spotting these deep-water denizens during a whale watching cruise, and the top outfit in Monterey is Princess Monterey Whale Watching, which runs daily 2-1/2 to 3 hour narrated trips from their departure point at the end of Old Fisherman’s Wharf No. 1. They’ve been in the whale watching business for more than 30 years and run a smooth operation. And when combined with a trip to the famous Monterey Bay Aquarium you’re guaranteed to have an aquatically enlightening getaway.

Tip: If you’re looking for a place to stay in or near Monterey, the Carmel Mission Inn, Monte Verde Inn, and Lone Oak Lodge are all offering exceptional deals that you can only book via LocalGetaways.com.

Farallon Islands Whale Watching

The Farallon Islands, just 27 miles off San Francisco, lie amid the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary, a food-rich marine ecosystem which attracts whales, dolphins, seals, and seabirds each summer and fall. Researchers have catalogued hundreds of individual humpbacks and blue whales as seasonal feeding residents. From May through November, it’s possible to view up to 23 species of marine mammals, including 18 species of whales and dolphins.

But there’s only one way to get a good look at these gentle giants: sign up for a whale watching cruise with Oceanic Society Expeditions, which runs 8-hour tours that depart from Sausalito’s Clipper Yacht Harbor and the San Francisco Yacht Harbor near Marina Green Park. Weather permitting, the 56-foot Salty Lady will head underneath the Golden Gate Bridge and out to the Continental Shelf to search for deep-water whales. Expert naturalists are on board to tell you everything you’ve ever wanted to know about whales, dolphins, and seabirds.

These full-day whale watching cruises depart from Sausalito at 7:30am and from San Francisco at 8:30am on Saturdays and Sundays from mid-May through November (free parking from both departure points). Bring lunch, beverages, sea-sickness pills, and warm, layered clothing with water-proof outerwear for sea spray. The age minimum is 10, and an adult must accompany youths under 15.

As a pleasant bonus to your trip, all Farallon Islands whale watching participants receive a free DVD: Farallon Islands: Past, Present and Future, which offers a virtual walking tour of the islands, introducing the viewer to the islands’ researchers, refuge staff, and former residents as they provide first-hand insights about the wildlife, history, and current conservation efforts (the DVD is handed out aboard the boat).

These trips leave very early, so if you’re looking for a great rate on a place to stay that’s within easy driving distance of Sausalito, I highly recommend the Cavallo Point Lodge in Sausalito.

Tip: Don’t forget to bring binoculars, and if you’re prone to sea-sickness, the best over-the-counter medication to take is Bonine—it works amazing well.

If you have your own tips and recommendations on your favorite whale watching getaways in Northern California that you’d like to share, feel free to add your own comments to our blog below. We’d love to hear from you.

And for more insider tips on California activities and tours, California vacation spots, California tourist attractions, California vacation packages, and California inns, B&Bs, lodges, hotels, and restaurants, explore LocalGetaways.com, where you’ll always find best California travel deals.

BODEGA BAY LODGE & SPA

The Bodega Bay Lodge is one of North Coast’s top spa retreats, where every room is replete with plush furnishings, a fireplace, and a private balcony with sweeping views of the bay and bird-filled marshes. Guests have complimentary access to a fitness center and sauna, heated pool above the bay, and a full-service ocean-view spa offering an array of massages and body/facial treatments. Even the lodge’s Duck Club Restaurant enjoys a reputation as Bodega Bay’s finest, with picture windows offering a romantic setting. And it’s only a few hour’s drive from San Francisco.

MONTEREY PLAZA HOTEL & SPA

One of the finest hotels in town, the Mediterranean-style Monterey Plaza Hotel & Spa is a pleasure to behold, with public areas elegantly decorated with marble, Brazilian teak, and attractive artwork, while the guestroom décor is reminiscent of 19th-century Biedermeier, with Italian marble bathrooms and balconies overlooking the water (sea otters included in the view). But it’s the hotel’s 11,000-square-foot Vista Blue Spa with its outdoor sun deck, bay-view whirlpool tubs, customized spa packages, and gorgeous views of Monterey Bay that makes the stay here worth every penny.

CAVALLO POINT LODGE, SAUSALITO

The best new spa in the Bay Area is the beautiful Healing Arts Center & Spa at Cavallo Point Lodge, situated in a serene park-like setting just north of the Golden Gate Bridge. The Lodge opened its doors in the summer of 2008 to much national acclaim and anticipation after nearly a decade in the making (the guestrooms are gorgeous). The lodge also offers an interesting mix of classes and activities, from cooking school to sunrise yoga sessions. Their Signature Massage, and blend of several massage techniques, is 90 minutes of bliss.

SWEETWATER SPA & INN, MENDOCINO

The Sweetwater Spa & Inn, located in the heart of Mendocino, offers the finest massage staff on the Mendocino coast. Along with a wide array of romantic lodgings to choose from—private fireplace cottages, historical water tower suites, ocean view luxury suites—the inn also houses a hot tub & sauna spa called Sweetwater Gardens, which offers private saunas and hot-tub soaks by the hour, as well as Swedish and deep-tissue massage therapy. The Sweetwater is also one of the most pet-friendly lodgings on the North Coast.

ELK COVE INN & SPA, ELK

It’s hard to imagine a more idyllic and romantic coastal retreat than the Elk Cove Inn. Situated on 1.5 acres of quiet and secluded oceanside property about 15 miles south of Mendocino, the 15-room inn offers a variety of romantic cottages and luxury suites. But you’ll be spending most of your time luxuriating at the inn’s European-style day spa, which offers an array of therapeutic treatments such as their “Couples Renewal,” where you and your lover “renew and reconnect” with a 1-hour massage together, then enjoy a private aromatherapy steam shower and sauna.

RITZ-CARLTON HALF MOON BAY RESORT & SPA

Set atop an ocean bluff and looking every bit like the grand seaside lodges of the 19th century is the spectacular Ritz-Carlton Half Moon Bay. It’s a popular weekend retreat for the Bay Area well-to-do, who come for treatments at the resort’s 16,000-square-foot Spa and Fitness Center, then try to squeeze in 36 holes on two of the finest coastal golf courses in the state. After a day of treatments, it’s de rigueur to go for a walk along the coastal path at sunset and soak in the beautiful views.

CASA PALMERO RESORT & SPA, PEBBLE BEACH

The Casa Palmero is a small, ultra-luxury resort on the first tee of the Pebble Beach Golf Links. And yes, it’s very expensive. Fashioned after a European villa with every modern comfort and a staff to anticipate your every wish, it has 24 cottages and suites with amenities that include wood-burning fireplaces and soaking tubs that open to the main room. The Spa at Pebble Beach is right next door, offering “Post-Golf Therapy,” couples massage, and even acupuncture.

VENTANA INN AND SPA

Luxuriously rustic and utterly romantic, the Ventana Inn and Spa has been a popular wilderness outpost for more than 30 years, and with good reason. Perched on 243 mountainous oceanfront acres, Ventana has an understated elegance that has attracted famous guests such as Barbra Streisand, Goldie Hawn, and Francis Ford Coppola since opening in 1975. The inn’s full-service Allegria Spa offers a variety of massages—try the Organic Seaweed Muslin Wrap—in the privacy of your room, on your deck, or at the spa. This is one of the best spa retreats in the region, if not California.

If you have your own favorite small spa getaways that you’d like to share, feel free to add your own comments to our blog below. We’d love to hear from you.

And for more insider tips on California activities and tours, California vacation spots, California tourist attractions, California vacation packages, and California inns, B&Bs, lodges, hotels, and restaurants, explore LocalGetaways.com, where you’ll always find best California travel deals.

– By Matthew Richard Poole

“Good-bye God, I’m going to Bodie,” wrote a little girl whose family was moving to the most infamous Gold Rush boomtown in California. And if you think that’s creepy, what until you see what’s left of Bodie, one of the most authentic ghost towns in the entire West. Located about 20 miles northeast of Yosemite National Park, a road trip to see the legendary Bodie Ghost Town is the perfect excuse for taking a weekend getaway to the Eastern Sierra, which is ablaze with fall colors right now.

ARRESTED DECAY

Located in California’s high desert country, Bodie had a population of about 8,000 brave souls in 1879 and a lurid history of stagecoach holdups, robberies, killings, gambling, prostitution, saloons, and dance halls. During one brief lull in the action, the local newspaper commented that “Bodie is becoming a summer resort—no one killed here last week.”

During its heyday the town bustled with horse-drawn wagons filled with lumber, and daily stage coaches carrying bars of gold bullion guarded by men with sawed-off shotguns. Some $32 million in gold was mined in Bodie’s hills during the area’s short but intense zenith.

After the mines played out, the town went into decline, and by 1882 most of the townsfolk had moved on, seemingly overnight. The State of California took over the town in 1962 to make it a State Historic Park, and today Bodie is one of the best-preserved ghost towns in America, designated a National Historic Site that is maintained in a state of “arrested decay,” which means the remaining buildings are preserved but not rebuilt or changed in any way.

GHOST STORIES

As you wander down Bodie’s dusty streets, what you see is so eerily authentic and strange—pants still hanging next to a steamer trunk, dusty schoolbooks tossed on desks, stores stocked with original canned goods—that ghost stories naturally abound. Even math problems can still be seen on the slate chalkboards in the rickety schoolhouse.

Some say a little girl, buried in the cemetery and known as “the Angel of Bodie,” has been heard calling for her daddy and plays with the occasional unsuspecting visitor’s child. Park aides tossing rocks down a mine shaft claim to have heard a calm voice saying “Hey, you,” coming from within the blocked-up, caved-in mine. Another park employee opened a house that had been locked up for the winter and smelled fresh-cooked Italian food.

THE DIRT ON BODIE

In addition to its ghostly inhabitants, Bodie is open to visitors year-round. At 9,000 feet, Bodie gets chilly even in summer, so bring a jacket. Mark Twain once said that the breaking up of one winter and the beginning of the next were the only seasons he could distinguish in Bodie. The Carson Tribune observed, “The weather is so cold in Bodie that four pairs of blankets and three in a bed is not sufficient to promote warmth.” There are no food, drink (other than water), or tourist accommodations in the park—just the pure remains of the wild, wild West.

Getting to Bodie is no cakewalk. From US 395, 7 miles south of Bridgeport, you take State Route 270 and go 10 miles to the end of a paved road and continue another 3 more miles on a bumpy dirt road (make sure you start with a full tank of gas). Call ahead (760/647-6445) for road and weather conditions. Admission is $7 per person 17 and older, $5 for kids ages 6 to 16, and free for 5 and under. Only cash or personal/travelers checks are accepted at park entrance station. To learn more about this history of this man-made wonder, visit www.bodie.com.

MONO LAKE

Since you’re already in the area, you’ll definitely want to spend part of day exploring Mono Lake (pronounced MOW-no). Set at the eastern foot of the Sierra Nevada and ringed with fragile limestone tufa spires, this hauntingly beautiful 60-square-mile desert salt lake is a stopover for millions of migratory birds that arrive yearly to feed on the lake’s trillions of brine shrimp and alkali flies (mono means “flies” in the language of the Yokuts, the Native Americans who live just south of this region).

While numerous streams empty into Mono Lake, there’s no outlet. Instead, the lake water evaporates, leaving behind minerals washed down from the surrounding mountains. The result is an alkaline and saline content that is too high for fish (3 times saltier than the sea, and 1000 times more alkaline) but ideal for shrimp, flies, and human swimmers.

Right off Highway 395 is the Mono Basin Scenic Area Visitors Center, a modern, high-tech edifice that would make any taxpayer proud. The center offers scheduled walks and talks, and it has an outstanding environmental and historical display with hands-on exhibits that will entertain the kids. After touring the visitors center, head for The South Tufa Area at the southern end of the lake and get a closer look at the tufa formations and briny water.

For the best deals on lodging in the Bodie region, check out our LocalGetaways hotel deals in nearby Bridgeport by clicking here.

If you have your own tips and recommendations on your favorite wine tasting getaways in California that you’d like to share, feel free to add your own comments to our blog below. We’d love to hear from you.

And for more insider tips on California activities and tours, California vacation spots, California tourist attractions, California vacation packages, and California inns, B&Bs, lodges, hotels, and restaurants, explore LocalGetaways.com, where you’ll always find best California travel deals.

– By Matthew Richard Poole

I’m always amazed at how few Californians have spent time exploring the Sonoma Coast, or even knew that Sonoma County has 76 miles of gorgeous, pristine coastline. If you’re one of those people, then it’s high time you spent a long weekend exploring one of the prettiest regions of the state, brimming with golden beaches, wine tasting, romantic lodgings, hiking trails, horseback riding, and fantastic coastal cafes, crab shacks, and restaurants. I’ve been writing about this region for more than 20 years, and if I took four days explore the best of Sonoma County’s coastline, this would be my dream itinerary…

DAY 1: Shopping, Seafood & Spa Treatments

Before you depart, book two nights at the Bodega Bay Lodge. Set on a hilltop overlooking the Pacific, it’s by far Bodega Bay’s best hotel. Schedule spa services for the afternoon, and dinner reservations at the lodge’s Duck Club Restaurant for the first night. If you arrive before your room is ready, check your bags at the front desk and drive a few minutes north to the Island Style Deli at Lucas Wharf for a quick lunch of some of the best fish-n-chips I’ve ever had, made from caught-that-day fish brought in straight from the wharf (don’t forget the vinegar).

After lunch, spend some time exploring the town of Bodega Bay. Two recommended stops are Candy & Kites (Bodega Bay’s flat beaches such as Doran and Salmon Creek are perfect for kite flying) and the Bodega Bay Surf Shack, which offers surfing lessons and rents surfboards, body boards, kayaks, and bicycles.

Next, drive around the bay to Bodega Head, the small peninsula that shelters Bodega Bay. From downtown Bodega Bay, turn west on Eastshore Road, then turn right at the stop sign onto Bay Flat Road and follow it a few miles to the very end. There are two easy hiking trails that follow high atop the ocean bluff, allowing you to combine both a seaside stroll and whale watching outing (in season). Also nearby is the Bodega Marine Laboratory, which offers docent-led tours of its marine aquarium displays on Fridays between 2 and 4 pm—call 707/875-2211 for tour info.

On the way back from Bodega Head, pull over at the Spud Point Crab Company, a tiny take-out shop at 1860 Westshore Road. I’m going to start an argument here and claim that they make the best clam chowder in California (and people, I’ve tasted a lot of clam chowder). Everything’s made on-premises here, including their smoked salmon and crab cakes.

By now it’s time to check into the Bodega Bay Lodge, get your spa treatments (so nice), relax on your ocean-view deck or patio with a glass of wine, then enjoy a leisurely dinner at the Duck Club.

DAY 2: A Day at the Beach

The problem is choosing one. Sonoma Coast State Beaches offers 16 miles of pristine beaches and one heck of a gorgeous drive along Highway 1. While all the beaches are pretty much the same—divine—the safest for kids and swimming is Doran Park Beach, located just south of Bodega Bay. But if all you want to do is get some sun on the sand, deciding which of the 14 beaches along Highway 1 looks the best will drive you nuts; just pick one and park. (Tip: You can stock up on sandwiches and drinks for your day at the beach at the Island Style Deli.)

Another option is driving up the coast to Gualala, renting a canoe or kayak, and paddling the gorgeous Gualala River. Spending the day silently gliding through thousands of acres of private forest filled with wildlife, including osprey, herons, egrets, and river otters is my kind of day. It’s a heavenly setting for safe, self-guided outdoor adventure. You can rent canoes and kayaks in the town of Gualala at Adventure Rents.

For dinner on Day 2 you’ll want to dine at River’s End in Jenner, a romantic seaside restaurant setting with big windows overlooking the coast and sunset views to swoon over. It’s owned and operated by Bert Rangel, whose passion for local Sonoma products—wild halibut, seared duck, Dungeness crab—is only equaled by his desire to make sure all of his guests are having a wonderful dining experience (you’ll love this guy).

After dinner, it’s back to the Bodega Bay Lodge for more fireside wine and romance.

DAY 3: Banana Waffles & Horseback Riding

Instead of breakfast at the lodge, drive north on Highway 1 to the Cape Fear Café. One of my top dining secrets in California, Cape Fear Café is in a town you’ve never heard of—Duncans Mills, located a few miles inland from Highway 1 near Jenner. I discovered the Cape Fear Cafe about 10 years ago and having been making regular day-trips there just for breakfast—it’s that good (their  Savannah Banana Waffle with toasted pecans, maple syrup, and molasses butter will slay you). The cafe is open for lunch, dinner, and brunch as well.

After breakfast, it’s time for some horseback riding. Have you always dreamed of riding naked on the back of a wild white stallion, crashing through waves burned orange by the glimmering sunset? Well, keep dreaming, because the guides at Wildfire Stables won’t let you. You can, however, amble your horsey along the beach. Another recommended outfit is Horse N Around Trail Rides, which offers guided ocean-view rides at the 378-acre Chanslor Ranch in Bodega Bay.

After your ride, it’s time to check into Timber Cove Inn, which offers views that rival Big Sur (the views here are so phenomenal that it was one of Ansel Adams’ favorite places to photograph). After unpacking, take a walk on the seaside bluff, then have a few glasses of wine on the patio before dinner. Then it’s back to your guestroom for a dip in the spa tub—and more wine. Be sure to make reservations far in advance.

DAY 4: I WANT MORE!

Time to go home. But first, I highly recommend you spend a few hours exploring Salt Point State Park, located on the coast about 18 north of Jenner along Highway 1. This 3,500-acre expanse encompasses 14 miles of coastal trails, dozens of tide pools, and the 317-acre Kruse Rhododendron Preserve, a forested grove of wild pink and purple flowers that grow up to 18 feet tall. There’s all kinds of things to do at Salt Point, from hiking through coastal woodlands’ wildflower-filled meadows to poking around the park for wild berries. Simply pull the car over anywhere along the highway and start walking.

Another great hiking opportunity is at Armstrong Redwood State Reserve near Guerneville, a serene 805-acre grove of majestic redwoods—some more than 1400 years old—with numerous hiking trails (think Muir Woods without the crowds). You can even schedule a docent-led nature and wildlife hiking tour through the forest with Stewards of the Coast and Redwood.

On the way back home be sure to stop in at Wild Flour Bread in Freestone. It’s love at first smell when you enter this quirky little bakery that, despite its modest size, has been churning out beautiful loaves of hard crust breads from its burly brick oven for more than a dozen years (the double-chocolate scones are deadly). You can’t help but waddle back to your car with a big bag of warm baguettes.

For website links to all of the places mentioned above, log onto LocalGetaways.com. And for more information about fun and romantic getaways throughout Sonoma County—including restaurants, lodging, shopping, wineries, and vacation packages—log on to SonomaCounty.com.

– By Matthew Richard Poole