Tundra Swan at Abbott's Lagoon?

While hiking on Saturday, October 29 near Abbott's Lagoon, Dick Jordan's wife, Cindy, encountered a group of birders looking for a swan.  Later in the afternoon, she spotted a large white bird flying overhead near the footbridge at the outlet of the lagoon.  The bird may have been a tundra swan --- a possible sighting of one at Drakes Bay was reported last Saturday.

Latest Hike Photos Now Online!

Photos taken by Theresa Fisher during our October 25 Bootjack to Mountain Theater hike are now online!

View them on the Meandering blog or click here for the on-line album.

East Peak Mt. Tam Hike (11/1) Preview

This week we once again hike in Mount Tamalpais State Park.

This lovely loop takes up be California torreya trees with their nutmeg-like nuts, past scenic Inspiration Point, to beautiful Colier Spring where we lunch under the redwoods. We'll take Northside Trail to International Trail after lunch.

Directions to trailhead:  Take the Stinson Beach/Highway 1 exit off Highway 101. Go west through Tam Valley and up onto the ridge.

Turn right onto Panoramic Highway and follow signs to Mt. Tamalpais. Keep going up the mountain, and when you get to Pantoll at the crest of Panoramic Highway (beyond Bootjack, where our hike to the Mountain Theater began), turn to the right and head uphill.  When you top out on this road, turn right and keep going until the road ends at the East Peak parking lot. (Parking costs $8/day unless you have a park pass). Click here for a map of Mt. Tam that you can view and print out).

1 hour from College of Marin.  Carpoolers can meet at the Greenbrae Parking & Ride lot at 8:55 am. Restrooms at trailhead.

Weather forecast: As of Saturday, October 29, the National Weather forecast for the hike was mostly sunny with a high near 73.  (Click here for an updated forecast).

More on this hike:  Hike B21 (Northside - Colier – Lakeview Trails) in the Martins’ book, Hiking Marin, shows the trails we’ll be taking.  You can also view and the trails on page five of the Mount Tamalpais State Park brochure.

Latest Hike Photos Now Online!

Photos taken by Theresa Fisher during our October 18 Tennessee Valley hike are now online!

View them on the Meandering blog or click here for the on-line album.

Fall 2 Hike List

In case you didn't get Wendy's e-mail, here is a list of all of the upcoming "Fall 2" hikes.

This list is also on the "Upcoming Hikes" page of the Meandering blog.

• October 25 - Bootjack to Mountain Theater, Mount Tam
• November 1 - East Peak, Mount Tam State Park
• November 8 - Dipsea to Ben Johnson, Muir Woods
• November 15 - Samuel P. Taylor State Park
• November 22 - Sky Oaks, MMWD
• November 29 - Bahia Open Space, Novato
• December 6 - Lake Lagunitas "Final Exam", MMWD

Click here to view and print a complete list of Fall 2 Tuesday Hikes

Bootjack to Mountain Theater Hike (10/25) Preview

A mostly shady trail takes us up to the Mountain Theater where you’ll learn the history of its construction and the tradition of drama* on the Mountain.  Lunch at the historic West Point Inn."

(*The Mountain Theater - a.k.a. The Cushing Memorial Theater- in Mount Tamalpais State Park was constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s. The natural-stone amphitheater seats 3,750 people and features the Mountain Play each spring, produced every year since 1913).  (Click here for a recap of our February 9, 2010 hike).
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Directions to Trailhead:  Take the Stinson Beach/Highway 1 exit off Highway 101. Go west through Tam Valley and up onto the ridge. Turn right onto Panoramic Highway and follow signs to Mt. Tamalpais.  Bootjack is about 2 miles past Mountain Home.

As you drive up the mountain, look for the Bootjack picnic area and parking lot ($8/car if you don't have a state park pass) on your right --- if you get to Pantoll at the crest of Panoramic Highway, you've gone too far and need to turn around and drive back down the mountain. (Click here for a map of Mt. Tam that you can view and print out).

Restrooms at trailhead and lunch stop. Driving time from College of Marin: 55 minutes.  Carpoolers meet at Greenbrae Park & Ride Lot at 9:00 a.m.

Weather forecast:  As of Saturday, October 22, the National Weather Service forecast for the hike was mostly sunny, with a high near 67.  (Click here for an updated forecast).

More on this hike:  Hike "B12 Bootjack - Rock Springs Trails" in the Martins' book, Hiking Marin, shows the trails in this area although we could take a slightly different route.  (Click here to view a copy of the Mount Tamalpais State Park brochure; the park map on page 6 shows the trails).

Soup and Wine du Jour

If you liked the Blood Mary Soup that Dick Jordan made for today's "Final Exam" luncheon, click here to view and download the recipe.

Dick used heirloom tomatoes (fairly cheap in the grocery stores in September-October), but any tomatoes, including Romas, would probably work okay.  He's found that it normally takes about 2 hours (at 350 degrees) to roast large heirloom tomatoes (cut in half before roasting), much longer than the 25 minutes suggested in the recipe.

Dick added more horseradish, Tobasco and Worcestershire sauce than called for --- start with what the recipe recommends, then add more if it doesn't seem spicy enough for you.

Dick used vegetable broth instead of chicken broth as called for in the recipe.

Sour cream could probably be substituted for creme fraiche.

The red wine that Dick brought today is a blend called "The Duke 8" made by Wellington Vineyards in the Sonoma Valley. Its composition varies a bit from year.  This year's "The Duke 9" is still available (at $8/bottle it's a fantastic red wine bargain), but only at the winery's tasting room (or shipped to you after ordering online), and it will go fast as only a few hundred cases are made.

The rose was a 2010 Toad Hollow Dry Rose of Pinot Noir which you may be able to find at United Market for about $10/bottle.

The white wine was a 2009 Hanna Sauvignon Blanc.  You can probably find the 2010 vintage at Costco for about $11/bottle, far less than the $19/bottle at-the-winery price or the $15.99/bottle price at BevMo.

Latest Hike Photos Now Online!

Photos taken by Theresa Fisher during our October 4 Estero Trail hike are now online!

View them on the Meandering blog or click here for the on-line album.

To see the photos Theresa took during during last Tuesday's Laguna Trailhead-Bayview hike, click here.

Tennessee Valley "Final Exam" Hike (10/18) Preview

Per Wendy, "this loop [around Tennessee Valley] features panoramic views of the Bay. We often see Condominium spiders, several species of hawks, and sometimes find a bobcat out hunting. 

 

REMEMBER TO BRING PLATE, UTENSILS, AND SOMETHING TO SHARE FOR THE GOURMET FINAL EXAM! (Let’s think green and try to cut down on paper and plastic throw-aways as much as possible). We’ll leave the food in the cars and eat when we get back, but bring your water bottle."  (Click here for a recap of our October 2008 hike).

Directions to trailhead: Take the Stinson Beach exit from Highway 101. Follow signs to Stinson Beach and Muir Woods, then turn left on Tennessee Valley Road and take it to the parking lot at the end.

40 minutes from College of Marin. Carpoolers can meet at the Greenbrae Park & Ride lot 9:15 am. Portable toilets at the trailhead.

Weather forecast: As of Friday, October 14, the National Weather Service forecast for the hike was mostly sunny,with a high near 68.  (Click here for an updated forecast)..

More information on this hike: Hike A8 Miwok – Coyote Ridge – Coastal Trails in the Martin's book, Hiking Marin, shows our route from Tennessee Valley towards Mill Valley, westward to ocean views, then back east to the parking lot.

This Weekend: Dick Jordan on The Radio with Rick Steves

This weekend on the Travels with Rick Steves radio show, you can hear Dick Jordan, European travel guru, Rick Steves, and Rick’s special guest, Fabian Reuger, talk about Germany—especially the city of Dresden, Dick’s favorite stop in Germany during his month-long trip across Europe in 2009.

The show will air on public radio stations across the U.S. on Saturday, October 8th, and Sunday, October 9th. (Dick’s early-rising friends living in the San Francisco Bay Area can hear the show on KDFC at FM 89.9 and 90.3, Sunday at 6 a.m., Pacific Time).

What if you miss hearing the show "live”? Not a problem. Go to the Travels with Rick Steves program archives Website on October 9th and you can stream the program to your computer. You can also subscribe to podcasts of Travels with Rick Steves, or download and listen to a specific episode using iTunes.

Laguna Trailhead-Bayview-Loop Hike (10/11) Preview

Today we take a different route from a familiar trailhead in Point Reyes National Seashore to make a 4.6 mile loop. We get our exercise on the uphill before lunch and then stroll downhill to complete the loop.  (Click here for a recap of our November, 2008, election day hike).

Directions to trailhead: Note that this special advisory from the San Anselmo Police Department for the day of the hike that could affect those of us coming through San Anselmo and Fairfax to reach Point Reyes --- "Road work and lane closures (in both directions of travel) are scheduled to be performed on Sir Francis Drake Blvd. from 9 am – 3 pm. The lane closures will be between San Francisco Boulevard and Suffield Avenue (near the border of Fairfax). Drivers should expect delays during these hours and should plan accordingly. Plan to take alternative routes, if possible." 

While we should be driving to and through Fairfax before Sir Francis Drake is closed westbound in the morning, it is possible that traffic headed toward Fairfax on both Sir Francis Drake and Center Boulevard before 9 a.m. will be heavy if drivers leave earlier than usual for their destinations.

After the hike, we will probably get back to St. Rita's Church sometime between 2:30-3:00 p.m., shortly before or just as Sir Francis Drake reopens.  However, eastbound traffic on both Sir Francis Drake and Center Boulevard after 3 p.m. could be heavier than usual due to the closure of Drake earlier in the day.

Take Sir Francis Drake Boulevard west to Olema. Turn right on Route 1, then make an immediate left onto Bear Valley Road. Continue past Park Headquarters (turn in if you need a restroom --- there are none at the trailhead or along the hike's route) and go left on Limantour Road. Turn left at the sign for the youth hostel. Follow that road until you see a right turn across a bridge to the Laguna Trailhead by the Clem Miller Education Center. Park in the parking lot.

To save yourself a mile walk back to you car at the end of the hike, park at the Muddy Hollow parking lot and ride with a friend to the Laguna trailhead where we'll start our hike.

55 minutes from College of Marin. Carpoolers can meet at St. Rita's Church in Fairfax at 9:00 a.m.

No restrooms at trail head or along the route of the hike.

Weather Forecast: As of Tuesday afternoon, October 4, the National Weather Service forecast for the October 11th hike was sunny with a high of 59.  (Click here for an updated forecast).

More on this hike:  We'll follow the route of hike G5 in the Martins' book, Hiking Marin, by departing from the Laguna Trailhead, climbing up the Laguna Trail, then going down Sky Trail, across the Limantour Road, and descending the Bayview Trail to the Muddy Hollow parking lot.  (If you left your car at the Laguna Trailhead and can't hitch a ride back to it, you've got a final half-mile walk back to your wheels). The Point Reyes National Seashore North District Trail Map shows the trails we'll follow.

Tomales Point Hike Photos Now Online!

Photos taken by Theresa Fisher during last Tuesday's Tomales Point hike are now online!

View them on the Meandering blog or click here for the on-line album

Update on Sir Francis Drake Re-Paving

There's good news, and there's bad news, about the re-paving of Sir Francis Drake.

The good news:  It has been canceled for Tuesday, October 4th, because of the threat of rain.

The bad news:  Dick Jordan's wife, Cindy, reports Lane markers have been removed, making driving on Drake an "interesting" if not down-right hazardous experience.  You might want to take Center Boulevard from the Hub to Fairfax.

More bad news:  The work has been rescheduled to Tuesday, October 11th, date of the next hike at the Laguna Trailhead in Point Reyes National Seashore.