Photo by Coffee Monster

– M’Gee Johnston

This weekend ~ June 28th and 29th ~ is the 25th annual San Anselmo Art and Wine Festival.  There will be live music, activities for children including face painting and a Sponge Bob Jump, and of course wine and art.  The artists’ work will be in the Community Art Pavilion in front of San Anselmo Town Hall.  To get a preview of two of the artists who will be featured, Kathleen Lipinski and Steve Emery, watch our video: Pt. Reyes Beauty and Birds, and you will get to meet them in the second half of the story.

Photo by Stacey Putman

– M’Gee Johnston

On Monday June 30, 2008 Baykeeper will host a showing of Grand Canyon Adventure: River at Risk at AMC Metreon in San Francisco. Baykeeper is a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting the water quality of the San Francisco Bay and beyond. This film features Robert Kennedy Jr. and his daughter, Kick, on a whitewater trip on the Colorado River. To see some of the beauty and power of this mighty river you can also check out our story, Colorado River Rafting.

SEE OUR FULL STORY AND WATCH AN EDITED VIDEO ON CALIFORNIA’S BRISTLECONE PINES.

Photo by Stacy Geiken

–M’Gee Johnston

When you look up at Mt. Tamalpais in Marin County from the towns below you can’t see all the hidden treasures that it holds — from lakes and waterfalls to wild animals and giant redwoods.  One of its special places is the Mountain Theater, an outdoor venue where theatrical events have been performed since 1913.  I recently attended the Mountain Play. We sat in the stone seats (constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930’s) built into the hillside with the stage at the bottom of the hill.  This year’s play was The Wizard of Oz and it was so much fun I found myself clapping and singing along with the hundreds of people in the audience.  This is a family event and people of all ages attend.  There are shuttle buses provided to ride to and from Mill Valley, or you can hike up, ride a bike or drive a car (there is very little parking, however.)  We parked and hiked partway up the mountain ~~ about 2 hours up and a little less coming down.  What a wonderful way to spend the day……..the hike was invigorating  and when we arrived we thoroughly enjoyed our lunch while waiting for the play to begin.  The play itself was so well done; the actors and scene changes were first rate and there was even an airplane that flew overhead trailing a banner saying, “Surrender Dorothy.”  I’m already looking forward to next year’s show, Man of La Mancha.  Meanwhile, I will enjoy the pleasure of hiking the many trails on Mt. Tam.  You can learn more about some of the other hidden treasures of Mt. Tamalpais here: Mt. Tamalpais’ Land and Legends and Mt. Tamalpais Land of Lakes.

Photo by metaphors

–M’Gee Johnston

Some months ago I was walking in Bolinas, California on the path near the water treatment ponds on the mesa, when I was suddenly under attack from a kite (the bird, not the thing at the end of a string). He (she?) was overhead and began swooping down toward my head looking like he was going to attack and then he would fly back up overhead, hover above me, stare menacingly and swoop again. I stopped for a moment to look at this beautiful bird but I could see that upset him, so I didn’t stay still for long. I continued walking and shortly must have gotten out of his territory because he left me alone and flew off to the trees. I was thrilled at this experience ~ to see this bird staring down at me ~ and was fascinated by his ability to apparently suspend himself in the air above me. I read more about the kite on the Conservation Science Institute and Birding.com websites and hope to see more of these striking birds. I will be sure to carry my binoculars with me next time I go walking.

– Jim Wirth

The San Francisco Bay Area has some of the most beautiful landscapes you’ll find anywhere in the world.  And what better way to experience the breathtaking scenery than to get out on your own two feet and hike!  You will have no problem finding great hiking trails just about anywhere around the San Francisco Bay, but if you would like some expert advice on where to go, you’ll want to check out Jane Huber’s website Bay Area Hiker. 

Jane’s website includes detailed information on close to 250 great trails that she has personally hiked herself.  Each hike has its own information page, which includes directions on how to get there, trailhead details, gas, food and lodging information, distance and difficulty, official rules for the trail, links to additional information about the area, and recommended maps and books.  If that wasn’t enough, Jane has taken the time to write a very detailed essay about each particular hike featured on her site, with lots of her own photographs.  One of my favorite features of the Bay Area Hiker website is the link from the home page to all hikes organized by difficulty. 

Jane has also written a book called 60 Hikes within 60 Miles: San Francisco, which is now in its second edition…

We’ve got many videos here at OpenRoad.TV of destinations included at Jane’s Bay Area Hiker website, so be sure to check out our content as well.  Now grab your hiking shoes and water bottle, and get out there to enjoy this wonderful place that many of us are lucky enough to call home.

– Jim Wirth

Typical siblings!  

Kachina and Kiona started picking on one another during their afternoon swim.  After some pushing and shoving, and a few nips on the nose, a powerful right hook smacked Kiona in the side of the head.  Or was it Kachina?  Honestly, I couldn’t tell one from another, but watching them romp around in the water beating up on each other was a ton of fun.  This is definitely one of the ”must see” events at the San Francisco Zoo these days, so if you are planning a visit, be sure to head over to Hearst Grizzly Gulch and park yourself in front of the glass window opposite the water.  Sooner or later, these feisty sisters are bound to take a dip, and, like typical siblings, they just can’t seem to keep their paws to themselves.

Watch the video I took last week of Kiona and Kachina’s playful water fight at Grizzly Bears – San Francisco Zoo.

– Carl Bidleman
It is wickedly hot in California today… 94 right now in Yosemite Valley.  Take a break and see how it looks and sounds in winter.

YOU CAN ALSO SEE THE YOSEMITE IN WINTER VIDEO MY NEIGHBORS JANET AND JEFF CONLEY POSTED.

photo by Robert Holmes

–M’Gee Johnston

I always look forward to reading the Weekend Sherpa newsletter that I get every week.  Weekend Sherpa provides information on outdoor activities in Northern California.  The topics are engaging and as I start reading about a mountain or trail or lake, I immediately think to myself – “I gotta go there soon.”  They are often places I’ve been ~ like Pt. Reyes and Mt. Tam ~ but never tire of visiting; or they may be places I haven’t been to but have always wanted to go ~ like this week’s recommendation: Mammoth and Mono Lake.   The review of the lakes and the hiking along with the spectacular photos makes me want to get out the backpack and hiking boots.  There is a variety of information in the newsletters, from easy day trips to longer and more strenuous adventures.   Last week’s newsletter was a reminder that for those of us near Mt. Tam (or anyone who wants to travel to Mt. Tam); we can hike up to West Point Inn for a pancake breakfast once a month from May through October.

WATCH OUR TWO VIDEOS ABOUT THE LOST COAST. CALIFORNIA’S LOST COAST DISCOVERED AND SHELTER COVE – LOST COAST’S ONLY TOWN.