Napa Valley exploring
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Adventure day: Repelling down the moaning caverns
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Activity: Repelling down the Moaning Caverns
Rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
Website: Moaning Caverns
Description: The moaning caverns are located about 2.5 hours from San Francisco. It is an adventure park from limestone caves where you can go on a cave tour, repel down the cave, or go on an all day tour including crawling in the caves with a guide.
They do not allow reservations in advance unless you have a large group so make sure to arrive on time. Fortunately when I got there I did not have to wait. I paid, watched a short video, then I was instructed to put on the harness and ropes. The guide was there to set me up and answer any last minute questions. I was surprised that you do not go with a guide, instead you can go with a group or alone. The repel could take 15-40 minutes depending on how comfortable you feel going down. As I was going down the cave a group from the walking tour was able to see my shuffle down. At the bottom there is someone to help you with the harness and then you take a long flight of stairs back to the top. The only photos allowed for safety reasons are from a go pro strap to the helmet so make sure to bring any equipment that you may have.
The repel was a little frightening, but it was worth the spectacular view!
Day trip to Santa Cruz: Beach, Mysteries, and Greek Food
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Activity: Mystery Spot Tour and Beach day at the Boardwalk
Rating: 4.2 of 5 stars
Website:
Description: The first part of the day we went to the Mystery Spot. The Mystery spot is a place of gravitational quirkiness. You can do a short tour where you go to the stop of the area and watch a few demonstrations of gravitational weirdness- meaning that gravity's effect is the opposite of what you would assume. I won't ruin it by telling you the secrets, but I do recommend taking the tour that is only $6. I suggest booking in advance as tickets the day of may require you to wait. Parking is also available for a fee.
After the Mystery Spot my friend and I went to the Santa Cruz Boardwalk and enjoyed a lovely beach day. We even had the chance to see a lot of sea lion's up close which is not a rare occasion for the area as well as kayakers and even a beach wedding. On our way home we went to Greek food that was inexpensive and delicious. The overall vibe of Santa Cruz is very laid back.
I highly recommend Santa Cruz for a day trip. There are plenty of things to do in this beach town.
Bucket list item: Bioluminescence Tomales Bay
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Activity: 4 hour night kayaking tour in bioluminescence Tomales Bay
Rating: 5 of 5 stars
Website: Bioluminescence Kayaking
Description: Bioluminescence is defined as: "the biochemical emission of light by living organisms such as fireflies and deep sea fishes." There is no easy way to describe the experience except to see it in person. In the meantime I can attest that it is by far one of the coolest things to see in nature.
First, you arrive at the point of departure for the tour (bundle up!). There are only a few places in the world that have these bioluminescence tours so if you live in the bay area you have no excuse because there is one close by- Tomales Bay/Point Reyes. The other locations include Maldives and Puerto Rico. From pictures these locations are more spectacular because conditions lend themselves to brighter beaches full of bioluminescence, however I still recommend going to Point Reyes for this tour.
Once you arrive at the destination there is a safety and introductory section. Then you and your partner (kayaks are tandem) suit up in jackets, pants, and skirts (that go around the kayak to prevent water from coming in) and start the journey to the beaches. If you go from Point Reyes you will pass Hog Island. As you are kayaking it becomes very dark (this is standard as these tours only go during the summer and into Oct). After a few hours of kayaking, you arrive on a beach to take a break and learn about bioluminescence with some hot chocolate. Once the instructor has described the experience (ours said it would look like "fireworks, diamonds, or glitter!") you get back into the kayaks to go to the cove with the most activity. Once your paddles are in the water again, the area starts to glow. You can put your hand in the water to see it light up and make designs of your own. There are even fish that swim around in bursts of light. I can not describe how incredibly beautiful and interesting it is to see this in action.
Recommended: couples, groups of friends, outdoorsy people who are not afraid of the dark
Weekend getaway: Shasta Lake water sports adventure
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Activity: House boating on Lake Shasta
Rating: 4.6 out of 5 stars
Website: http://www.houseboating.org/Lake-Shasta-Houseboat-Prices
Cost: $100 per person for the weekend, excluding food and activities
Description: A friend found a deal on houseboats through Travelzoo and we booked 4 total for a weekend in July. The link above includes other boats that are available to rent.
Accommodations: The boats were not luxurious, but it had all the necessary amenities. There were four bunk beds, two larger than the others and a pull out bed. There was a full kitchen with refrigerator, stove, coffee machine etc. Pre-planning our meals made it very easy to coordinate food supplies prior to arriving. We also brought speaks for music, electric pump for floaties, and plenty of trash bags/paper towels/bug repellant. The nights were really warm during the summer so I recommend to pack light clothing and a light sleeping bag.
There was plenty do to for one weekend: swimming, lounging on floaties, wake boarding, skiing, and playing games with friends. The wake boarding and water skiing was an additional cost, but relatively inexpensive. We rented a speed boat for the water sports and the docking station rented out the sports equipment for those that did not bring their own.
Recommended: Great trip for large groups of young friends.
Do you like fine cooking?
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Activity: Cooking class at Sur la Table in San Francisco
Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Website :http://www.surlatable.com/category/cat2211278/Cooking+Classes
Cost: Originally $65-79 and on sale for $35! (subscribe to newsletter for sales or wait for last minute discounts)
Description: I took a 4 course cooking class that focused on Mediterranean cuisine. The menu included Baklava ice cream, chicken skewers, Greek Salad, and grape leaves stuffed with feta. The meal was delicious! Do not go hungry or you will be starving at the end of the 2-3 hour class.
I highly recommend Sur la Table because they have last minute deals on classes, all the prep work is done beforehand, there is no cleaning, and you get the recipes and full meal at the end.
I will say space was tight and you had to take turns in groups of 3-4 to prepare the meal, but the recipes are simple enough that you can watch along and feel comfortable trying at home.
The classes also vary quite a bit depending on the season so there is constantly new genres to try!
Recommended: two friends,. couple, small group
SF summer stay-cation. Oysters & live music.
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Activity: Saturday adventure to Hog Island Oyster Co. and Sunday free Symphony in Embarcadero
Rating: 4.1 of 5 Stars
Website:
- Hog Island- https://hogislandoysters.com/visit/marshall
- Symphony concerts- http://www.sfsymphony.org/
Description: Hog Island Oyster Co has an Oyster farm in Marshall, CA. It is about 1-2 hour drive from SF and it is right on the water. You can bring your own snacks and drinks and purchase oysters and appetizers. The oysters are fresh and delicious! They sell BBQ or raw oysters. If you reserve ahead of time you can have a picnic table for a large group and shuck your own oysters. If Hog Island is booked check out Tomales Bay.
On Sunday my friends and I went to a free concert from the SF Symphony by the Pier. I recommend to arrive early for a spot and bring some food because it gets very quiet during the concert.
Recommended: Both are great summer activities for a group of friends. I also would recommend the concert for families without very small children, as I mentioned it was a quiet and relaxing environment.
Throwback adventure: roller disco
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Activity: Rollerskating or blading to disco music in a former church
Rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
Website: http://www.churchof8wheels.com/
Cost: $10 to skate + rental
Description: This is a former church that is converted into a small roller skating arena. There is a DJ that plays oldies and new music upon request.
Pros: It is conveniently located in SF. It is a relatively inexpensive activity. The decor was interesting and on theme. There were pews to put on your skates and old stained glass.
Cons: the building is small and not well maintained. During the day there are lots of children so you must feel comfortable as a novice or avoid the children
The last image is a picture of Dolores Park during Pride weekend. There was a lot of celebration after the federal decision to uphold gay marriage. This added to the fun atmosphere that weekend.
Recommended: Families with children 8-14 during the day. At night only adults are allowed which makes for an interesting dynamic
Bay Area Stay-cation: Museums & food
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Activity: Oakland Gallery tour and Berkeley dinner
Rating: 3 of 5 stars
Website:
Oakland galleries:
Berkeley Restaurants:
- Tigerlily- Indian with a twist
- Cesar- Spanish Restaurant
- Cheese Board Pizza- renown pizzas
Cost: The galleries were free to walk around and dinner was about $30 pp for the restaurants above
Description: I had been wanting to check out Oakland since I moved to SF a year ago. I had heard about the artist culture and decided to visit some galleries with a friend. Unfortunately, several were closed because the prior day Oakland had hosted the parade for the Warriors leaving the city tired with trailing blue and yellow confetti.
My friend and I went to 25th street in Oakland as there were some small galleries open that were all in close proximity. I found the work of Carlo Fantin (2nd picture) the most interesting. He hosted a variety of paper images that had each tiny section cut out to form an religious image. He added details of social media to each image for an interesting dichotomy. The first image above is from the Vessel gallery. The photograph is of a work installation of wheels that spun. The installation had sand on the top. The challenge with gallery tours is that you can not take pictures for blog documentation purposes.
After the gallery tour we chose to explore restaurants in Berkeley. We ended up choosing Tigerlily for atmosphere and the fried chicken reviews. It was delicious! We were debating on Cesar as well which is next door and also smelled fantastic. The last restaurant on the list had stellar reviews, but the line was obscene. So we will have the pizza for another day.
Recommended: Adults that want a relaxing Saturday exploring Bay Area neighborhoods
Napa BottleRock: Festivus for the rest of us
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Activity: BottleRock concert in Napa Valley
Rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
Website: http://www.bottlerocknapavalley.com/
Cost: ~ $100 per day GA and $49 for shuttle to SF and back roundtrip
Details: This is a concert is great for the late 20s-40s crowd. The crowd is more relaxed than the larger, famous festivals (Coachella, Governors Ball, etc.) and there is plenty of space to walk around without feeling constantly pushed/shoved. The stages are very short walk, but far enough that the music does not easily transfer to another stage.
The food stands are delicious, but the lines are quite long. The drinks include nice wines (clearly, based on the location in the Napa region), some craft beers, and some mainstream beers.
Concert ends around 10pm including the silent disco most likely because it is in a residential area. Parking I heard was quite a problem so most people commute back to the city or stay in a nearby hotel for the night such as Sonoma.
Recommended: adults looking for a concert without all the hassle
Featured: the last photo was featured as a repost on Fest300 instagram account :) Check out their accounts for ideas on upcoming festivals worldwide
FEATURE: Summer camp for adults!
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Activity: 4 day Digital Detox Summer Camp for Adults
Rating: 6 of 5 stars!
Website: http://campgrounded.org/
Details: In a nutshell: This is an adult summer camp where campers are separated into villages with bunkmates just like when you were a kid for a full 4 days of fun filled activities. While you can also chose to camp in a tent with your friends, the best part of the experience was fully embracing the camping life. This included no electronics or watches. While this may seem "too hippie" for most, by the end the majority would agree it was good to disconnect for a bit.
There was an underlying theme of wellness throughout the weekend. This included opportunities to talk to counselors, go to wellness activities, and partake in a vow of silence for a few hours one night. Don't let this discourage you if this is not your scene. Typically, this is not mine either. However. sometimes reflecting without other distractions can help relieve stress and allow you to be present in the activities.
What activities? Good question. This is exactly what you make of it. There are options to spend the day reading, type writing, making arts and crafts and having a relaxing weekend. Alternatively. there were people like me that wanted to be very active. The best part about camp is running around to the point of exhaustion, having a giant meal, and passing out after camp fires that made you laughed until you cried. The activities I chose were to fitness bootcamp, slack-line, acroyoga, and Zorb soccer. The latter was impromptu and so much fun!
The rest of the weekend involved group activities like a wedding themed dance, PJ brunch, and color wars. AMAZING.
I rated the camp above 5 stars because you could make it any experience you wanted-- if you wanted to play music in the tea yurt until what was estimated as 4am you could, or if you were in the mood to run and dance all day that was an option as well.
Friends: In adulthood, much like as in childhood, sneaking into the boys camp on a covert mission to steal their camp flag creates a friendship that lasts longer than the weekend. Cheers to my friends Curly Sue, Avocado Toast, Shnitzel, Sushi, Snickers, Neon, Tapatio, and Nene : )
Recommended for: adults to want to have some unapologetic fun
SF's wildest part: Bay to Breakers 12K
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Activity: Bay to Breakers 12K race in San Francisco
Rating: 3.7 of 5 stars, with high variance depending on who you ask
Website: http://zapposbaytobreakers.com/
Cost: $60 to enter online via Zappos (2015 host) OR about $15 dollars if you work in a Bay Area company and pay through work
Details: One of the most famous days in SF has to be Bay to Breakers. I had heard about it for years and it was finally the time to experience it myself. There seems to be two parts:
Part 1: Runners. Over 100 years of races.
This is the group of people, including myself, that were willing to run a race starting at 9am in costume. This is not a novelty in SF if you know how many people like to celebrate, exercise, and stand out all at the same time.
Traditions include tortillas in the air to be caught and thrown back up like frisbees. Extreme costumes are a must. Nudity is rampant. The "salmon" are an intense group of well dressed fish that swim against the current of the race.
Best costumes included an entire boxing ring with two fighters, Chruch of Wheels rollerskaters, and Oompa Lompas.
Part 2: The partiers
On the course of the race there are residential areas with house parties. These parties have what looks like people who started drinking before 7am. Mostly young adults, the parties start early and are aggressive. A few people tried to sneak in the race while drinking, but the police caught on quickly this year and escorted them away. Apparently that was atypical in prior years.
The runners may finish the race, but the partiers consider it a marathon. The entire day was flooded with people in costume bar hopping, running or walking the race at all times of day.
The city did have an excitement and commitment to an even that I had only correlated to the antics during the World Series win.
Overall, it was a good run with good friends that completed the race as Shark week. I was "Saturdaze" get it :). I am glad that I participated in the race, but I would have to warn small children and sober adults to sit this one out.
Recommended for: adults, > 21 and runners
Camping at the Boonville Beer Festival
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Being outdoors is one of the best parts of living in the Bay Area. In May my friend took me to the Boonville Beer Festival in Mendocino County Fairgrounds. What/Where is Boonville might you ask? Why would you camp at a beer festival? Well let me explain.
We decided to camp because Boonville is about an hour and a half from SF. As it was starting to warm up the thought of a no-fog saturday was very enticing. So my friend packed up the Zip car and we were on our way to camping. We got there the night before the festival and set up camp. It was only $15 pp to camp per day and you were charged in cash at the entrance to the Mendocino County Fairgrounds. You know when you arrive because there is a painting of an apple riding a horse/dog. Apparently there is a Mendocino county fair with rodeos and apples. That I will investigate at a later date.
Back to Boonville- camping was not as crowded as I anticipated for 11pm arrival. There was plenty of space in the open field. Some people had arrived much earlier- you could tell by the set up they had including a big screen monitor projecting music videos- and had taken the "better spots". The part that was missing from a traditional camping experience was the bonfire. There were no fire pits, so unless you brought your own - NO FIRE! Our group got settled in and hung out until it was past the time we could tolerate the cold.
The next day was nice and sunny. We woke up, made breakfast, and prepared for the festival (made pretzel necklaces). Around noon they let in the VIP tickets and around 1pm everyone else was allowed to enter. There were several tents with local craft beers, an indoor area with craft beers, and some food stands scattered about. The ticket included a small tasting cup where you could go back for your favorites or try some artisanal beers. The most unique included one that tasted like hot chocolate (just not hot) and another that tasted like jalapeño. The food was pretty good and the music set the scene well. I would describe it as good for groups of friends to hang out. Apart from the small yet vocal bachelorette party, everyone was pretty friendly.
After a full day in the sun our group made our way back for snacks, naps, and some kickball. I would like to say it was pretty low key, but there were some beer enthusiasts that took the party a little late. So if you are the type that considers camping a calming experience with nature I suggest you only stay 1 night. In my opinion it was not too bad that it was loud and it was easy to avoid participation if you were looking to relax. I would recommend going at least for the day if you are into non-crowded craft beer events!
Until next time. Stay tuned.
Girls can race cars too!
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Racetrack at Stockton 99 Speedway
Video of me and the professionals
When it comes to racing cars leave it to the professionals!
Now that the disclaimer is in writing I can elaborate on the details of my race car experience. I signed up for a shotgun ride for a few laps at the Stockton Speedway. I chose this location because it is the closest to where I live, but there are many other tracks across the country through the same company that look just as good if not better- Rusty Wallace Racing.
After a 1.5 hour road trip with the song "ridin' dirty" in my head, I arrive at the Stockton speedway. I have to admit finding the track was the most difficult part of the day. After driving down a dirt road I arrive at my destination. I am greeted by a lady to check in reservations that include driving the cars and riding in the cars.
Driving the cars involves a short training session. After the training session you put on all the gear- jumpsuit, head cover, helmet and head under the only portion of shade for your vehicle to arrive. Although you make a reservation for a specific time, you still have to wait your turn to drive the cars. Once your car is back from another driver using it, you and the other drivers line up. There was a maximum of 5-7 drivers on the track at once and you are not allowed to pass each other. For the thrill seekers go first, for the anxiety ridden get the last car. For the most part everyone went slowly as they made their way through the turns. Only one gentleman did not drive properly and ruined the clutch of the car. Despite his poor driving everyone was safe, the only thing hurt was his ego.
For those of us that chose to shotgun a ride we also started by putting on the racing uniform. I have to say that it was incredibly hot with all the gear in the car-- much hotter than I had anticipated. When your driver is ready you hop in the car through the window since the doors do not open. Then there is someone to help buckle you in and secure the neck brace- (another reason it was SO hot). The benefit of going with someone experienced is that you are the only car on the track and you can go faster than if you were driving with the other novices. I do think it is worth it to try out both experiences, so that leaves driving for another Saturdaze!
The ride itself went quickly. That shouldn't be shocking since it is a race track. Then there was time to get water and watch some other drivers before calling it a day.
If you are interested there are seasonal deals through Rusty and other companies. Before Father's Day they are promoting 60% off driving rides! Other times of year may be discounts as well, just ask or look at discount sites. I highly recommend trying it at least once!
Until next time. Stay tuned.
Rock climbing: fun for all levels
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Planet Granite has a fun introductory rock climbing class for new members. It is an hour long and you learn the proper rope technique to go up the rock wall and to spot a friend while they go up. After about 30 min of training you take turns going up the beginner wall. The class gives you a day pass to continue practicing even after the hour long class. They have a variety of walls based on difficulty so you can work your way up to the hardest. They also have an area where you do not need a harness and you can free climb.
Before you leave they offer promotional deals for a membership. A membership includes the rock wall and access to their gym. I booked my first class through a Groupon offer and they still honored any additional discounts.
I chose Planet Granite over Mission Cliffs because of the discounted class, location (right by the water in Presidio), and nice instructors. Although I have heard great things about both companies, from experience I can say Planet Granite is worth a try.
Until next time. Stay tuned.