"Final Exam" Hike Photos Now Online!

Photos taken by Theresa Fisher during latest week's Lake Lagunitas "Final Exam" hike are now online!

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

Laguna de Santa Rosa

It's 30 degrees in Santa Rosa at 7 a.m. morning, so what should you do?

Go on a tour of the Laguna de Santa Rosa, of course! Only smart folks would stay snugly wrapped up in a warm bed, instead of getting up at 5:30 a.m., chowing down breakfast, and then driving an hour to hike in freezing temperatures.

That's what Dick Jordan, his wife, and their friends Megan (SPAWN and the River Otter Ecology Project and her husband, Terrence (EAC) did on Saturday, December 15th. The tour of this part of the Santa Rosa Plain and its oak woodlands was put together by the Laguna de Santa Rosa Foundation and LandPaths. Dick and his group saw kites, red tails, turkey vultures, and buffleheads.

This video gives you an overview of the area:


To reach the Laguna de Santa Rosa trailhead, take Highway 101 north to Santa Rosa, then head weset on Highway 12 toward Sebastopol. The parking lot for the trailhead is on the right, just past "Pete's Automotive" and a Chevron station. (Portapotty in the parking lot; flush toilets at the Chevron station.)

Dick's advice: Go in the spring when you'll find vernal pools and warmer weather!

Sky Trail to Bear Valley Hike (12/18) Preview

We return to Point Reyes National Seashore on Tuesday, December 18th for our the last  outing of 2012.

The trail is about 7.3 miles long, but a lot of it is fairly level, so the hike is a bit easier than the distance implies.  

This is a shuttle hike, so CALL WENDY AT 457-3949 or send her an e-mail her at bdreskin@comcast.net if you are coming! 

Note the earlier than usual meeting time at Bear Valley.

Directions to trailhead: We’ll meet at Bear Valley at 9:20 a.m. and carpool to Sky Trail.

When we get to Mt. Wittenberg we’ll go down Old Pine to the Bear Valley Trail.

We’ll need some people who are not in a rush to drive people back to Sky Trail after we reach the Bear Valley Visitor Center and parking lot.

Restrooms at Bear Valley, none at Sky Trail trailhead, but some as we pass Coast Camp.

Carpool leaves St. Rita Church in Fairfax at 8:45 a.m.

Weather forecast: As of Saturday afternoon, December 15, the National Weather Service forecast for the hike was mostly cloudy, with a high near 46. Showers are likely and the chance of precipitation is 60%.  (Click here for an updated forecast).

More on this hike:  "G3 Sky Trailhead to Bear Valley" in the Martins' book, Hiking Marin, is a version of this hike although we usually go straight at Junction #1 shown on their map and continue on to Sky Camp rather than take the detour up to Mt. Wittenberg (which we do on a separate loop hike from the Sky Trail trailhead) and then back down to the Sky Trail before continuing on to the Old Pine Trail, Divide Meadow and on to Bear Valley.  (Click here for the Seashore's South District Hiking Map which shows these trails).

The following Google Earth image gives a bird's eye view of where we'll be hiking:

Cranberry Soup Recipe

Click here to view and print the recipe for the cranberry soup Dick Jordan brought to today's "Final Exam" hike around Lake Lagunitas.

Winter College of Marin Hike Registration

Winter 2013 College of Marin class registration (including signup for the Meandering in Marin on Tuesday hikes) begins on January 2, 2013.

The Winter 2013 College of Marin Community Education class schedule (in PDF format) will be available online at the College of Marin Website on or after December 20, 2012.

Wendy will be sending out more information on hike dates and course numbers.

Lake Lagunitas “Final Exam” Hike (12/11) Preview

We return to the MMWD watershed for our final hike of the Fall 2012 "2" session.  Here's what we'll be doing:  "We make a partial circle around the lake, looking for ring-neck ducks, mergansers, grebes and other birds, and then make a loop past Pilot Knob, returning on Southern Marin Line. This is often a good mushroom hike if we've had rain. Bring your contribution to our gourmet feast, plus a plate, utensils, and a cup."  (Click here for a recap of our December 2009 "Final Exam" hike at this location).

Directions to trailhead: Take Sir Francis Drake Boulevard into Fairfax. Jog left and make an immediate right in front of the movie theater. The first left puts you on Bolinas Avenue. Follow this until you see the sign on your left for Lake Bon Tempe and Lake Lagunitas. Follow the road to the toll booth by Sky Oaks Ranger Station. (Click here for the MMWD map and directions). The continue past to toll booth until you reach the end of the room.

The day use fee is $8.  You can use $1, $5, or $10 bills and coins at the automated pay station, or a Visa or Mastercard. Annual entrance passes are normally $60 ($30 for those 62 and older), but after September 1st you can buy one for half of those prices and the pass will be valid through January 31, 2013.  (You can pay the annual pass fee at the automated pay station.  Keep one part of the receipt which is a temporary pass good for two weeks, then: 1) stop at the Sky Oaks Ranger Station on the way out and ask them to send the other half of your receipt to the main office in Corte Madera which will issue the permanent pass and mail it to you, or 2) send or take the receipt to the main office yourself).

Time: 30 minutes from College of Marin. Outhouse in parking lot.  Carpoolers can meet at St. Rita's Church at 9:20 a.m.

Weather forecast:  As of Thursday December 6, the National Weather Service forecast for the hike was sunny, with a high near 65. (Click here for an updated National Weather service forecast).

More on this hike:  Hike "C16 - Lakeview FR to Pilot Knob" in the Martin's book, Hiking Marin, sets out a shorter hike than we'll be doing; instead of following the Pilot Knob trail back to the parking lot, we'll take a longer route back by continuing eastward and then looping back the west, picking up the Southern Marin Line Road (called the Filter Plant Road on the Martin's map). (Click here to view, zoom in on, and print a map of the MMWD watershed lands).

Although this is the final hike of the College of Marin Fall 2 session, we'll do the first "Winterim" hike on December 18 up Sky Trail to Bear Valley.

After taking a holiday break from hiking, we'll meet again for the second "Winterim" hike on January 8, Pine Mountain to the Elliott Nature Preserve.

Bahia Hike Photos Now Online!

Photos taken by Theresa Fisher during this week's Bahia hike near Novato are now online!

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

Winterim 2012-2013 Hike Descriptions Now Online!

The complete list of Winterim 2012-2013 Hikes (December 18, 2012 - January 22, 2013) are now online!

You'll find the dates and places of those hikes under the "Upcoming Hikes" tab on the Meandering blog.

Click here to view and print the detailed hike descriptions.

Sky Oaks Hike (Dec. 4) Preview

This week we'll in the MMWD watershed near Fairfax. Here's Wendy's description of the hike:

"This loop starts out in oak/bay/madrone habitat, but we'll also see redwoods and some grassland. We often see a large variety of mushrooms on this hike!"

Directions to trailhead: Take Sir Francis Drake Boulevard into Fairfax. Jog left and make an immediate right in front of the movie theater. The first left puts you on Bolinas Avenue. Follow this until you see the sign on your left for Lake Bon Tempe and Lake Lagunitas. Follow the road to the toll booth by Sky Oaks Ranger Station. Park at the dirt parking lot on the right, just past the toll station. (Click here for the MMWD map and directions).

The day use fee is $8.  You can use $1, $5, or $10 bills and coins at the automated pay station, or a Visa or Mastercard.

Annual entrance passes for Marin residents are normally $60 ($30 for those 62 and older), but after September 1st you can buy one for half of those prices and the pass will be valid through January 31, 2013.  (You pay the annual pass fee at the automated pay station, then have to either stop at the Sky Oaks Ranger Station on the way out and ask them to send your receipt to the main office in Corte Madera which will issue the pass and mail it to you, or you have to send or take the receipt to that office yourself).

Time: 25 minutes from College of Marin. Portapotty in parking lot.  Carpoolers can meet at St. Rita's Church at 9:25 am.

Weather forecast: As of Friday, November 30th, the weather forecast for this hike was mostly cloudy with a chance of rain and a high near 67. (Click here for an updated National Weather service forecast).

More on this hike: Hike "C12 Taylor-Concrete Pipe-Bullfrog FR" in the Martins' book, Hiking Marin, shows the area where we will be hiking (our route may differ) in this part of the MMWD watershed.  (Click here to view and print the MMWD map of this area).

Wendy's Guide to Mushrooms

In case you didn't get a copy of Wendy's mushroom identification guide via her recent e-mail, click here to view and download a copy.

Muir Woods Hike (11/20) Photos Now Online!

Photos taken by Dick Jordan during last week's Muir Woods hike in Samuel P. Taylor State Park are now online!

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

The highlight of our mushroom spotting was the Earth Star. Here's Wendy making it go"puff" for us.

(If the video doesn't display in the e-mail you received, click here to view it on the Meandering in Marin YouTube Channel.)

Bahia Open Space Hike (11/27) Preview

For our next hike we'll head north to the Novato area and do some bird watching on a portion of the Marin County Open Space lands. (Click here for a recap of our 2009 hike).

Here's Wendy's description of the outing: "This is a wonderful birding area! I'll bring a spotting scope, but bring binoculars if you have them. We can expect about ten species of ducks, as well as stilts, avocets, grebes, raptors and songbirds.”


Directions to trailhead: Take Highway 101 and exit on Atherton Avenue in Novato. Go east, until Bugeia Lane splits left and Atherton goes right. Take Bugeia which becomes Bahia and park at the end of the street.

Driving time from College of Marin: 35 minutes. No restrooms.

Carpoolers can meet at 9:20 a.m. at the Terra Linda Park & Ride lot on the east side of Highway 101 at the Smith Ranch Road exit.
  
Weather forecast: As of Saturday, November 23, the weather forecast for this hike was Partly cloudy. Highs in the mid 60s. (Click here for an updated National Weather Service forecast).

More on this hike: Hiking in this particular areas isn't covered by any of the trail guides which Dick Jordan has, but you can click here for the Marin County Open Space District's description of the Rush Creek area.

Devli's Gulch Hike (11/13) Photos Now Online!

Photos taken by Theresa Fisher during last week's Devil's Gulch hike in Samuel P. Taylor State Park are now online!

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

West Point Inn Hike Video

Boys are their new toys.

Ted Rathbun and Dick Jordan recently purchased Apple's latest smartphone, the iPhone 5.

Like other recent models, the "5" has a rear mounted camera camera that shoots high-definition video, and a forward facing (meaning you can shoot film of yourself) video camera.

Dick tried out his new "toy," shooting video and panoramic still photos during our November 6th hike from Mountain Home Inn to West Point Inn and back. He combined those shots, and photos taken with his Canon point-and-shoot camera, into this YouTube video which is posted on the Meandering in Marin on Tuesday YouTube Channel.


As you can see, getting one's face lined up in the forward-facing camera is a bit tricky. But practice makes perfect, so hopefully future Meandering videos will have a more professional look to them.

The still photos appear to move, thanks to the "Ken Burns Effect" built into the iMovie software Dick used to make the film.

If you'd like to see how Ken Burns combines video he's shot, archival movie clips, and still photos into his documentaries, watch his latest film, The Dust Bowl, which premieres on PBS TV stations at the beginning of next week, on Sunday, November 18, and Monday, November 19.

Muir Woods (Dipsea to Ben Johnson) Hike (11/20) Preview

This week we head south in the County and back into the federal parklands.  Here's Wendy's description of the hike: "Instead of racing up the Dipsea, we’ll stop to admire ancient redwoods, beautiful views, and hopefully some mushrooms."  (Click here to read the recap of our 2/10/09 hike on these trails. You can view photos taken on previous hikes.)

Directions to trailhead: From Highway 101 take the Stinson Beach exit, turn left (west) on Shoreline Highway, right on Panoramic Highway and left on Muir Woods Road. Meet at Muir Woods Parking Lot #2.

Time: 35 minutes from College of Marin. Restrooms at trailhead. (Carpoolers can meet at the Greenbrae Park & Ride lot near the intersection of Sir Francis Drake Boulevard and Highway 101 at 9:10 am).

Weather forecast: As of Thursday, November 15, the National Weather Service forecast for the hike was mostly cloudy, with a high near 66 and a chance of rain. (Click here for an updated forecast).

More on this hike: We'll hike up the Dipsea Trail, then descend back to the floor of Muir Woods on the Ben Johnson Trail. (Click here to view and download the park trail map). If you have Tracy Salcedo-Chourre's book, Exploring Point Reyes National Seashore and Golden Gate National Recreation Area, you'll see that she proposes hiking this route in the reverse direction (up the Ben Johnson, down the Dipsea) from our plan, but her book will at least give you an idea of what our hike will be like.

Mt. Home to West Point Inn Hike Photos Now Online!

Photos taken by Theresa Fisher during last week's Mountain Home to West Point Inn hike are now online!

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

Sleep In Style at Samuel P. Taylor State Park

You like Samuel P. Taylor State Park.

But you don't like the idea of sleeping on the ground, even in a tent, especially at this time of the year.

(Marin I-J Photo)

Not a problem.

Yesterday the state officially opened 5 new, prefabricated 12' x 20' cabins that have indoor lighting, electric outlets, a wood-burning stove for heating (but not cooking), and bunk beds,. The cabins can sleep up to 5 people.

Sorry, there's no built-in stove (and you'll have to cook outdoors), refrigerator, or dish-washer, and no in-door "facilities."

It costs $100/night to stay in one of the cabins, located in the Madrone campground area, at the foot of Mt. Barnabe and on the opposite side of the road from the park entrance.

 

Click here for more details on the cabins. Online reservations are available.

Here's the Marin I-J story about the opening ceremony for the cabins.