Photo by willsfca

– M’Gee Johnston

The Marin County Fair will be in full swing this 4th of July weekend with carnival rides and games, art and garden displays, agriculture and livestock and of course lots of food. But the Marin County Fair always has additional events that are not part of the traditional classics of the fair. This year one of their special events is the Marin Alternative Fuel Car Expo. The latest in alternative fuel vehicles will be on display and the founder and former CEO of Tesla Motors, Martin Eberhard, will be speaking at the Veteran’s Memorial Auditorium on Thursday evening, July 3 at 6:00 p.m. ~ admission free with gate admission to the Fair.

So when we’re done with our loop-d-loops on the dizzying rides, rooted for our favorite in the piglet races and have sampled some fair food, we can educate ourselves about what’s available and what’s being developed to provide relief from the pains of gas guzzling.

Photo by dwcrone
– Doug McConnell
An amazing piece of nature and history has been largely ignored for decades. Tucked away beneath the north tower of the Golden Gate Bridge, with spectacular views of San Francisco rising across the Bay, historic Fort Baker has been little-noticed by the millions of us who live nearby and cross the fabled bridge. All that is changing, for the better.

The historic structures of old Fort Baker have been beautifully restored and renovated and will open on July 1, 2008 as Cavallo Point: The Lodge at the Golden Gate. I’ve watched the project evolve from its conception to near completion. Cavallo Point will surely become a world-famous and world-class destination, and deservedly so.

Cavallo Point, the Bay Area’s first lodge in a national park, is located in the Marin Headlands, which is part of our magnificent Golden Gate National Recreation Area. We have stories here you can see on the GGNRA: Marin Headlands Natural Escape, San Francisco’s Historic Presidio, The Presidio of San Francisco.

The Lodge consists of 68 historic and 74 contemporary guest rooms, a fine restaurant and bar (we locals can enjoy,) a healing center and spa, event spaces and programs galore. Full disclosure, I’m leading a week of hiking, kayaking, biking and enjoying the natural environment of the GGNRA for Cavallo Point this August. I hope you join me, but most important, I hope you visit Cavallo Point and stay there if you have a chance. It’s not inexpensive, but it represents a bright future for an old Fort in one of the world’s most beautiful and least-visited urban settings.

To find out more, go to http://www.Cavallopoint.com/