Sat. May 17, 2014, 9am-4pm Mines Road is a trip into the forgotten past of old Alameda County. The trip begins at the Concannon vineyards on the outskirts of Livermore, and proceeds for 30 miles, past horse ranches, sycamore-lined creeks, pine/oak woodlands … Continue reading
Fri.-Sun. May 23-25, 2014 Monterey and nearby Big Sur are two of the most spectacular coastlines of California. Monterey Bay, with its unique marine ecology, has a great concentration of wildlife: birds, monarch butterflies, sea mammals and migrating whales. The … Continue reading
Fri.-Sun. June 6-8, 2014 When you visit the Sierras you understand why John Muir devoted his life to them: these great forests, pure rivers, lakes and soaring peaks are a revelation. Our headquarters for this summer weekend getaway will be … Continue reading
Sat. June 14, 9am-12pm This area is one of the most secluded, wild and beautiful of Alameda’s parklands, far from towns and highways. It is bisected by Alameda Creek and surrounded by high crags and hillsides covered with pines and … Continue reading
Sat. June 21, 2014, 9am-4pm Elkhorn Slough, situated south of Santa Cruz, has a fabled reputation as one of the greatest concentrations of marine mammals and birdlife found anywhere on the California coast. This estuarine preserve and the surrounding area … Continue reading
Weds. July 2, 8am-4pm The rugged San Mateo coastline, with the Pacific surf crashing on the beaches between the headlands, is one of the Bay Area’s most beautiful sights. Just south of Half Moon Bay it contains the tiny village … Continue reading
Sat. July 12, 9am-12pm At Las Gallinas, hundreds of acres of grasslands and wetlands (ponds, marshes) surround a small waste-water treatment facility. The marshes recede in all directions for hundreds of yards, and are surrounded by the beautiful hills of … Continue reading
Thurs.-Sun. July 17-20, 2014 A vast and ancient lake on the eastern slope of Yosemite, Mono is famous for its unique tufa formations that rise from its shoreline. Snow-capped Sierra peaks, forests, high desert country and volcanic geology all combine to … Continue reading
Sat. July 26, 9am-4pm Santa Cruz, on the northern end of Monterey Bay, is famed as a friendly college town. But it is also studded with wonderful parks and bordered by rocky shorelines, all with great numbers of birds. Natural … Continue reading
Sat. Aug. 2, 9am-12pm Crab Cove and the Alameda shoreline, with miles of unspoiled beaches, is a magnet for shorebirds, gulls, herons and egrets, terns, grebes and ducks of all kinds. This is a convenient local spot to see legions … Continue reading