Arrive at hotel, wine/cider social, dinner, orientation and get-acquainted

Arrive To: Check in to hotel after 4 p.m.

Dinner: We enjoy a wine/cider social followed by a plated dinner in the hotel meeting room.

Evening: We spend some time to get acquainted, then go over the schedule for the program.

Lodging: Doubletree Hotel - San Francisco Airport

Meals Included: Dinner

We travel from San Francisco to Fresno with a stop at San Luis Reservoir en route.

Breakfast: A full breakfast buffet is served in the hotel restaurant.

Morning: We board the motor coach for our trip to Fresno.

Lunch: Box lunch at San Luis Reservoir and discussion of water issues in the West. San Luis Reservoir was constructed as a storage reservoir for the federal Central Valley Project and the California State Water Project. It stores runoff water from the Delta that would otherwise flow into the ocean. The water arrives through the California Aqueduct and the Delta-Mendota Canal, and is pumped from the O’Neil Forebay into the main reservoir during the winter and spring. The Los Banos Creek Reservoir was built to prevent storm runoff from flooding the canals.

Afternoon: We continue our trip to Fresno with a stop at Casa de Fruta. Casa de Fruta is a true American success story that blossomed from the roots of an immigrant Italian family. Since 1908 when the original ancestors planted the first orchards in the Pacheco Valley, Casa de Fruta has grown into a diversified operation encompassing a variety of business ventures. In the 1940's three teenaged brothers, George, Joseph and Eugene Zanger, opened a cherry stand on the Pacheco Pass Highway. Encouraged by their mother, Clara Bisceglia Zanger, the young entrepreneurs expanded their operation into what it is today. The two remaining brothers, Joseph and Eugene, with their families now operate one of the country's most unique businesses.

Dinner: We have dinner in the hotel meeting room.

Evening: Welcome gathering then relax or take an evening dip in the pool and spa.

Lodging: Holiday Inn Fresno Airport

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: A full breakfast buffet is served in the hotel meeting room.

Morning: We begin our field trip to Sequoia/King Canyon National Parks with our knowledgeable on-board instructor. We visit the General Grant tree and other sites of interest in the park. In the late 1700s and early 1800s, Spanish began exploring the edge of the Sierras. Soon afterwards, trappers, sheepherders, miners, and loggers poured into the Sierras seeking to exploit whatever the mountains had to offer. By the end of the 19th century, San Joaquin Valley communities increasingly looked to the Sierras for water and recreation. In the struggle between all these competing interests, two national parks were born that became what we know today as Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. Today the parks together protect 265 Native American archeological sites and 69 historic sites. Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks contain big trees, high peaks, and deep canyons, but the diversity goes far beyond that. Located in the southern Sierra Nevada range, the parks’ elevations extend from 1,300 feet in the foothills to 14,491 feet at the summit of Mount Whitney, the highest mountain in the contiguous 48 states. This huge variation in the landscape contributes to the collage of habitats that create a rich assemblage of terrestrial, aquatic and subterranean ecosystems. Here one can observe a vast diversity of plants and animals representing an array of adaptations.

Lunch: We have a picnic lunch and spend some time at the park's Visitor's Center.

Afternoon: We continue our field trip in Kings Canyon National Park. Although Congress created these two parks at different times, Sequoia and Kings Canyon share miles of boundary and are managed as one park. Sequoia was the second national park designated in this country. General Grant National Park, the forerunner of Kings Canyon, was third. We'll stop for a photo op at a spectacular overlook of the canyon.

Dinner: We enjoy dinner in the hotel meeting room.

Evening: After dinner, relax or take an evening dip in the pool.

Lodging: Holiday Inn Fresno Airport

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

We leave Yosemite National Park to travel from the valley floor over Tioga Pass to Mono Lake and on to Carson City, capital of Nevada.

Breakfast: Breakfast at the Lodge

Morning: We board the motor coach and begin our trip across Yosemite's high country over Tioga Pass. Tioga Pass (el. 9,943 ft.) serves as the eastern entry point for Yosemite National Park. It is the highest highway pass in California and in the Sierra Nevada. Mount Dana is to the east of the pass. There are several trailheads into the Yosemite back country which begin at Tioga Pass. We travel through Tuolumne Meadows, a gentle, dome-studded meadowy section of the Tuolumne River .Tuolumne Meadows has a good view of the Cathedral Range, Lembert Dome and Mount Dana. We stop at Olmsted Point, a viewing area like Glacier Point that offers an amazing view looking South-West into Yosemite. One is able to see the back of Tunnel View & Glacier Point,

Lunch: We continue to Tenaya Lake for our picnic lunch. This lake was gouged out by the Tenaya branch of the Tuolumne Glacier that passed through Tenaya Canyon. The Yosemite Miwok called the lake Pywiack, "Lake of the Shining Rocks."

Afternoon: After lunch we leave Yosemite and descend the eastern slope of the Sierra to Mono Lake. Mono Lake is an oasis in the dry Great Basin and a vital habitat for millions of migratory and nesting birds. Mono Lake is unique. For starters, it's old--at least 700,000 years old and one of the oldest continuously existing lakes on the continent. Fed by huge glaciers during the last Ice Age, Mono Lake was 60 times larger than the 66 square miles it covers today.Mono Lake is naturally salty and alkaline because it has no outlet. The only way water leaves is via evaporation. The Sierra streams that flow into Mono contain only trace amounts of minerals and salts but those minerals and salts stay and their concentrations and grow over the years. We learn more about the lake at the Visitor's Center. We continue to Carson City, Nevada's capital, and check in to the Plaza Hotel. Carson City, Nevada's territorial and state capital, has a rich and colorful frontier past. Carson City was founded as a community in 1858, seven years after the first settlement of Eagle Station trading post in 1851. Carson City is named for the famous frontiersman and scout Christopher "Kit" Carson. During his 1843-1844 expedition, John C. Fremont had named Carson City's nearby river for Kit Carson, Fremont's scout. Pioneer Abraham Curry arrived in Eagle Valley in 1858 and soon thereafter surveyed and plotted a town site. The farsighted and optimistic Curry set aside 10 acres expressly for the construction of a capital -- this was before the formation of Nevada Territory in 1861. Carson City was soon designated both the territorial capital and county seat of the new Ormsby County. President Abraham Lincoln, recognizing the importance of Nevada's silver and gold to the Union's Civil War effort, signed the proclamation that ushered Nevada into statehood on October 31, 1864. Carson City was selected as the state capital at the constitutional convention and has retained that honor to the present day.

Dinner: Dinner provided.

Evening: Free time to explore Carson City or relax with new friends.

Lodging: Plaza Hotel

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Visit the Nevada State Museum, Virginia City and Piper's Opera House, evening lecture on the Donner Party

Breakfast: Buffet breakfast at Plaza Hotel

Morning: We have the opportunity to do laundry either at the hotel or the motor coach takes us to a local laundromat. Some free time to write postcards and repack.

Lunch: We have a full buffet lunch at the Nugget Casino.

Afternoon: Visit the Nevada State Museum. This building was originally erected in 1870 as the U.S. Mint, which coined more than $49,000,000 until 1893. Now a museum, it hosts about 250,000 visitors each year and has become famous for exhibits such as The Chinese Experience, the Dat So La Lee Washoe Indian baskets and Coin Press No. 1. Nevada's wildlife is also featured, namely the ubiquitous coyote, elusive mountain lion, majestic golden eagle, bothersome badger and the mischievous black bear. The silver dining service from the USS Nevada battleship, fashioned with silver from the Tonopah mine and gold from Goldfield, is also on display. Then it's on to Virginia City, one of the largest National Historical Landmarks. In 1859, the mountains around Virginia City were found to conceal great wealth. The city held the attention of the world with its mining industry for more than half a century, pouring over $700 million in gold and silver into an ever-expanding nation. Stroll along C Street’s historic boardwalks to step back in time. During the last 20 years of the 19th century, Piper's Opera House served as one of the centers of cultural activity in the Comstock and the West. In 1863, John Piper purchased the brick office block that stood at this location, now the entrance portion of the opera house. After the great fire of 1875 destroyed his first Virginia City theater (at another location), Piper built a second theater here. This theater also burned in 1883 after which Piper rebuilt the current opera house in 1885 On-going restoration work on the opera house began in the 1960s by Piper's great granddaughter. Much of the interior furnishings and stage equipment remains intact. Rehabilitation work continues, thanks to a Save America's Treasures grant and other funding from the National Park Service's Historic Preservation Fund and the Nevada Commission for Cultural Affairs. .

Dinner: Dinner at local restaurant

Evening: This eveninhg we meet the author of a definitive book on the Donner Party. He shares their dramatic story with us.

Lodging: Plaza Hotel

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

We travel to Lake Tahoe to visit Taylor Creek, Mt. Tallac Historic Site, then enjoy a cruise on the lake

Breakfast: Breakfast at Plaza Hotel

Morning: Board the motor coach for Lake Tahoe Basin. We meet our instructor at Taylor Creek to observe the Taylor Creek Stream Chamber and to visit the Mt. Tallac Historic Site. The Stream Profile Chamber has served as the primary attraction at the Forest Service Visitor Center complex at Taylor Creek since it was constructed in 1968. The Chamber, located 1/4 mile down the Rainbow Trail, provides a view of the stream environment allowing visitors to study a diverted section of Taylor Creek through a panel of aquarium-like windows. Attracting 300,000 to 400,000 youth and adult visitors annually, the Stream Profile Chamber has been a major attraction for local conservation and environmental education programs.attraction. Three of Tahoe's grand old homes, one of them an excellent museum celebrating the "Era of Opulence," are located at this 150-acre South Lake Tahoe site managed by the U.S. Forest Service. Though it is well off Highway 89 and sequestered in tall pine trees, the site has become not only an important historic landmark at the lake but also the focal point of Tahoe's burgeoning arts and music community.

Lunch: We enjoy a box lunch at a picnic area with a view of the lake.

Afternoon: Tahoe's classic blue skies, deeper blue lake, snow-capped mountains, alpine forests and the area's wide array of cultural and historical riches are among the great sightseeing pleasures of the world. One of the most photogenic spots in the world is the tiny bay at the southwest corner of the lake, Emerald Bay. In 1969, Emerald Bay was recognized as a National Natural Landmark by the federal Department of the Interior. In 1994, California State Parks included the surrounding water of the bay as a part of the park, making Emerald Bay one of the first underwater parks of its type in the state, protecting the various wrecks and other items on the bay's bottom. We board the Dixie Queen for a cruise across Lake Tahoe to famous Emerald Bay. Paddlewheel cruises features "The Sunken Treasures of Lake Tahoe" video and glass bottom viewing. Departing from historic Zephyr Cove, the M.S. Dixie II has been voted "Best Boat Cruise" at Tahoe for ten years running.

Dinner: We enjoy a lavish buffet dinner at a hotel at the lake.

Evening: We board the motor coach for our return to Carson City. This evening we relax and get organized for our departure tomorrow morning.

Lodging: Plaza Hotel

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Travel to Lassen National Park, with stops throughout the park and a ranger lecture at the visitor's center. Evening visit to the renowned Sun Dial Bridge in Redding.

Breakfast: Buffet breakfast at the Plaza Hotel.

Morning: Board the motor coach for the trip to Lassen National Park. Video on Lassen shown during the trip.To visit Lassen Volcanic National Park is to witness a brief moment in the ancient battle between the earth shaping forces of creation and destruction in Northern California. Nestled within Lassen’s peaceful forests and untouched wilderness, hissing fumaroles and boiling mud pots still shape and change the land, evidence of Lassen’s long fiery and active past. Although Lassen is primarily known for its volcanic geology, the park boasts a rich diversity of plant and animal life. Over 700 flowering plant species grace the park, providing shelter and food for 250 vertebrates as well as a host of invertebrates including insects. This great diversity of life forms is due to two factors: the geographic location of the park and the abundance of habitats that occur there. Situated at the southern end of the Cascade Range geologic province, Lassen Volcanic National Park lies at the crossroads of three great biological provinces: the Cascades range to the north, the Sierra Nevada mountains to the south and the Great Basin desert to the east. The myriad habitats of Lassen Volcanic National Park are produced by variations in environmental conditions such as elevation (5,000 to 10,457 feet), moisture (precipitation is greater on the western than the eastern side of the park), substrate (rock type and soil depth), temperature, insolation (amount of sun) and prior disturbance (both natural and human-caused). The 29 mile Main Park Road was constructed between 1925 and 1931, just 10 years after Lassen Peak erupted. Near Lassen Peak the road reaches 8512 feet, making it the highest road in the Cascade Mountains. It is not unusual for 40 feet of snow to accumulate on the road near Lake Helen. We'll visit Sulphur Works and the Devastated Area as we travel through the park.

Lunch: We enjoy lunch at Peak Necessities Deli in Lassen National Park

Afternoon: We continue our drive through the park, then stop at the Loomis Museum for a ranger lecture and to view exhibits. B.F. Loomis documented Lassen Peak's most recent eruption cycle and promoted the park's establishment. He photographed the eruptions, explored geologically, and developed an extensive museum collection. Artifacts and photographs of the 1914-1915 eruption are on display in the Loomis Museum. New exhibits feature the original equipment Loomis used to photograph the eruptions and traditional Atsugewi basketry. Enjoy an optional walk on the nearby Lily Pond Nature Trail, easy 1 mile round trip. We continue west to Redding and check in to the Red Lion Hotel.

Dinner: We have dinner at a local restaurant.

Evening: Visit Turtle Bay Park and Sundial Bridge.The Sundial Bridge at Turtle Bay crosses the Sacramento River in the heart of Redding. Opened July 4, 2004, the bridge links the north and south campuses of Turtle Bay Exploration Park. The bridge celebrates human creativity and ingenuity, important themes of the 300 acre Turtle Bay Exploration Park. The steel, glass, and granite span evokes a sense of weightlessness and the translucent, non-skid decking provides for spectacular viewing at night. The bridge is also environmentally sensitive to its river setting. The tall pylon and cable stays allow the bridge to avoid the nearby salmon-spawning habitat there are no supports in the water while encouraging public appreciation for the river. Plazas are situated at both ends of the bridge for public use; the north-side plaza stretches to the water allowing patrons to sit at the river’s edge.In addition to being a functional work of art, the Sundial Bridge is a technical marvel as well. The cable-stayed structure has an inclined, 217 foot pylon constructed of 580 tons of steel. The deck is made up of 200 tons of glass and granite and is supported by more than 4,300 feet of cable. The structure is stabilized by a steel truss, and rests on a foundation of more than 115 tons of steel and 1,900 cubic yards of concrete. The McConnell Foundation, a private, independent foundation established in Redding in 1964, funded the majority of the bridge’s $23 million cost.World renowned Spanish architect and engineer Santiago Calatrava conceived the Sundial Bridge’s unusual design, his first free-standing bridge in the United States. Calatrava has built bridges, airports, rail terminals, stadiums, and other structures around the world. His notable designs include the new PATH transportation terminal at the World Trade Center site in New York City and several projects at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, including the main stadium where opening and closing ceremonies were held.

Lodging: Red Lion Inn Hotel Redding

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

We visit Shasta Dam, the historic town of Weaverville and travel through the beautiful Trinity Alps

Breakfast: Full breakfast at the Red Lion Inn in Redding

Morning: If time permits we'll revisit Sundial Bridge for daytime photo opportunity then continue to Shasta Dam where we meet our guide and explore the dam. Shasta Dam is a curved gravity concrete dam (National ID No. CA10186) on the Sacramento River above Redding near Shasta Lake City built between 1938 and 1945. Like another curved gravity dam (Hoover Dam), it was a continuous pour concrete project, and in its day, ranked as one of the great civil engineering feats of the world. The dam is 602 ft (183 m) high and 3,460 ft (1,055 m) long, with a base width or thickness of 543 ft (165.5 m).[1] The reservoir created behind Shasta Dam is known as Shasta Lake and is a popular recreational boating area. We depart and continue west to Weaverville.Historic Weaverville California is nestled at the base of the magnificent Trinity Alps Wilderness area in Trinity County California. Trinity County was one of the original counties of California, created in 1850 at the time of statehood.Founded in 1850, Weaverville is a historic California Gold Rush town. Nestled at the foot of the current day Trinity Alps Wilderness, Weaverville was once home to approximately 2,000 Chinese gold miners and had its own Chinatown. Logging and timber products were a mainstay of Weaverville and Trinity County for many years and although the industry has declined due to restrictive environmental regulations, it has also changed with the times, moving towards sustainable yields and community stewardship projects. The Old West did live large in Weaverville with gunfights, saloons and even bank robberies by notorious figures like Black Bart. One of the local restaurants is located in a building that still houses the safe that was robbed by this historic outlaw.

Lunch: We enjoy lunch served in a local restaurant.

Afternoon: There will be some time to stroll the streets and visit the J.J. Jackson Memorial Museum. Displays include mining equipment, Indian displays, Chinese exhibits, old bottles, early kitchen utensils used by the county's first settlers, and memorabilia that reflect the area's gold mining roots. The collection of artifacts began in 1922 when the Veteran’s Memorial Hall was constructed and space allocated for a museum. When the hall caught fire in the early 1940s, artifacts were rescued and stored by Jake Jackson, the current museum’s namesake. With energetic local fund raising efforts and the assistance of State of California grant funds, the museum was constructed and opened in 1968. The museum’s collection provides the visitor an intimate look at all phases of the county’s rich history. The displays illuminate life, conditions, events and activities covering the period prior to the arrival of the first settlers to the present. We board the motor coach to continue our trip through the Trinity Alps to Eureka on the California Coast.

Dinner: Dinner at Samoa Cookhouse Museum, Eureka Just minutes from Eureka, California, the Samoa Cookhouse, the last surviving cookhouse in the West, continues the tradition of serving lots of good food - lumber camp style! Every large or small logging or mill operation in the redwood country had a cookhouse. It was the hub of life in the temporary community, if it was in the woods. If it was located in a substantial settlement, it served as a "community center". If the cookhouse was set up to serve fifteen or twenty men in a shingle bolt camp, often a woman and her husband, with a helper or two called bullcooks, flunkeys or cookees, handled the cooking and serving. If the boarders numbered in the hundreds, a staff of dozens of men and women carried the demands of the task. "Come and get it!" was a familiar cry heard by millmen and brawney-armed longshoremen at the Hammond Lumber Company cookhouse - now the Louisiana-Pacific Samoa Cookhouse - at the beginning of the century. Lumbermen worked six days a week, twelve hours a day. They were served three hot meals everyday except for Sunday evenings - a "cold plate" made up of leftovers and cold cuts was served. Meals were served at long tables covered with cloth. From 1900 to 1930, it was a busy place. While there were no "reserved seats", some of the men had places where, through habit, they sat, an no one dared to sit in that place. Now and then a newcomer would sit down and refuse to move, and once in a while there would be a fist fight over the matter. Up until 1915, the cookhouse management had a steadfast rule which said only single women could be employed. After that time, a few married women were hired. Waitresses worked seven days a week for five weeks before earning a "day off". The "day off" was usually on Sunday. They received $30 a month, including board and room. Each waitress was assigned to four tables, with ten men per table. As many as ten waitresses were employed regularly.

Evening: Optional walk to Carson Mansion in historic Old Town Eureka. One of the most written about, and photographed Victorian houses in California, and perhaps in the United States, the William Carson Mansion epitomizes the range of possibilities for eclectic design expression that created a peculiarly American style of architecture. Derived from many sources, but unique enough to represent none predominately, this much discussed and debated property stands today in virtually the same condition as when first constructed. The designers, Samuel and Joseph Newsom, were well respected San Francisco architects who heartily embraced the concept of the "picturesque", a quality that continues to fascinate all who see the Carson Mansion's intricately composed interiors and exteriors.

Lodging: Red Lion Hotel

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Field trip to Redwood National Park Visitor's Center and Patrick's Point State Park

Breakfast: Breakfast at Quality Inn

Morning: Board the motor coach for the field trip to Redwood National Park and Prairie Creek State Park with our knowledgeable local on-board instructor. Our first stop is the Visitor's Center at Redwood National Park to view a film and exhibits. An amazing diversity of life exists at Redwood National and State Parks (RNSP). The ancient coast redwood ecosystem preserved in the parks contains some of the planet's most majestic forests. Here, banana slugs, gray whales, Douglas-fir, black bears, and sea anemones are equally at home with redwoods. Park staff work to maintain and restore the area's biological diversity through a wide range of resource management and educational activities. Preserving both natural processes and the region's species and genetic diversity helps ensure that countless generations can experience the beauty and complexity of an old-growth redwood forest. Prairie Creek State Park was set aside in the early 1920’s by the forethought of the people of California and the generosity of the Save-the-Redwoods League, Prairie Creek is a sanctuary of old growth coast redwood.This park, along with Del Norte Coast, Jedediah Smith, and the National Park Service's Redwood National Park, are managed cooperatively by the National Park Service and the California Department of Parks and Recreation. These parks make up 45 percent of all the old-growth redwood forest remaining in California. In Prairie Creek State Park we fin mostly old growth forest of coast redwood, western hemlock and Douglas fir with Sitka spruce and red alder near the 10 miles of sandy coast line. Because of prevalent coastal fog, the understory of the forest is very dense. Tanoak, cascara, big leaf and vine maple and California bay can be found on edges of prairies. Ground cover is dense with a wide range of species and varieties of shrubs, bushes, flowers, ferns, mosses, and lichens common to the coast redwood environment. We'll hope to spot some of the Roosevelt elk who call the park home

Lunch: Enjoy a picnic lunch in a scenic redwood setting.

Afternoon: Field trip continues to Patrick's Point State Park, The park's dense forests of spruce, hemlock, pine, fir and red alder stretch over an ocean headland with lovely wildflower-festooned meadows. .Visit the recreated Yurok seasonal village - "Sumêg" - consisting of traditional style family houses, a sweat house, changing houses, a redwood canoe, and a dance house. The village is used by the local Yurok community for education of their youth and to share their culture with the public. Yearly celebrations are held here and many school groups visit the village when they study California history. On our return to Eureka we'll visit picturesque Trinidad Harbor. Trinidad is California's smallest incorporated city (with a 2000 population of just 311) and is noted for its spectacular coastline and remarkable offshore rocks. These rocks are part of the California Coastal National Monument of which Trinidad is a Gateway City. This natural landmark is joined by three additional marine landmarks - the historic Trinidad Head Light, the Trinidad Memorial Lighthouse, and Humboldt State University's Fred Telonicher Marine Laboratory. Fishing operations related to Trinidad Harbor are vital to both local tourism and commercial fishery interests in the region.

Dinner: Dinner at a local restaurant in Eureka.

Evening: We enjoy free time to relax and visit with new friends.

Lodging: Red Lion Hotel

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

We leave Eureka, travel to Humboldt Redwood State Park, then along the California coast to historic Mendocino

Breakfast: Breakfast at Quality Inn, Eureka

Morning: Board the motor coach to travel to Ferndale. Nestled between the two redwood forests in a thriving dairy community, discover Northern California's best-kept secret, The Victorian Village of Ferndale.Step back in time and enjoy magnificently preserved Victorian architecture. On the National Register of Historic Places, Ferndale's Main Street is a photographer's paradise. We continue to Scotia, a company town, wholly owned by Pacific Lumber Company (PALCO), which is home to approximately 800 past or present mill employees and their dependents. Scotia is a living piece of history. Its picturesque homes, manicured yards, and white picket fences evoke memories of an earlier time. Scotia is the last true company town in America. Founded as a logging camp in 1883, it evolved into the Company headquarters; in fact, the Company’s 90-year old headquarters building is still in use.The newly updated Scotia Museum is a "must see" stop on any tour of Scotia. Through historical artifacts, vintage photos, three-dimensional displays, and interactive technology, visitors will see how forestry practices — and Scotia itself — have changed over the last 140 years. We continue to Humboldt Redwoods State Park where we meet our guide for a short walk in the redwoods and then view a film about the area.Located along the Eel River, Humboldt Redwoods State Park contains some of the world's most majestic ancient redwood groves. The park encompasses over 53,000 acres, including 17,000 acres of old-growth coast redwoods. In 1921 Save the Redwoods League dedicated the first Memorial Grove, Colonel Raynal C. Bolling Memorial Grove, in what is now known as Humboldt Redwoods State Park. Today the park contains a diverse coast redwood ecosystem, which includes Rockefeller Forest, the largest remaining old-growth forest in the world, and the entire Bull Creek watershed.

Lunch: We eat our picnic lunch on the deck at the Visitor's Center surrounded by the beautiful redwoods.

Afternoon: We board the motor coach to head for Mendocino. Our trip takes us through a forest, then we arrive at the California coast and travel south on breath-taking Hwy. One to Mendocino.Despite its small size, the town's scenic location on a headland surrounded by the Pacific Ocean has made it extremely popular as an artist colony and with vacationers. The town was founded in 1850 as a logging community, and was originally named Meiggsville after Henry Meiggs. Many of its early settlers were New Englanders, as was true with many older Northern California towns. Its economy declined after 1940, and it became a somewhat isolated village until discovered by the region's art community. It has been the setting for numerous films including "Same Time Next Year" and "The Russians Are Coming" as well as the popular TV series "Murder She Wrote."

Dinner: We enjoy a plated dinner in the lovely Garden Room of thet Mendocino Hotel

Evening: A local expert presents a class on the Pomo Indians of the area.

Lodging: Mendocino Hotel and Garden Suites

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Our field trip takes us to Pt. Cabrillo Lighthouse and the Mendocino Botanical Gardens. On our final evening we enjoy a performance by a local musician.

Breakfast: Full buffet breakfast at Mendocino Hotel

Morning: We board the motor coach for the field trip. First stop is the Pt. Cabrillo Lighthouse. The area was home to hundreds of sawmills because of the rich forests. The demand for lumber became even greater after the 1906 earthquake and conflagration in San Francisco, and that same year Congress appropriated $50,000 for a lighthouse on Point Cabrillo. Construction on the station, which was considered one of the most desirable assignments in the district due to its proximity to supplies and a school, began in 1908. The combination lighthouse and fog signal building resembles a small church with a 47-foot octagonal tower attached to the eastern end of the small one-and-a-half-story fog signal building. Two eighteen-horsepower engines housed in the building ran an air compressor that powered twin sirens protruding from the western end of the roof. A third-order Fresnel lens, manufactured in England by Chance Brothers, was installed in the lantern room. To produce a white flash every ten seconds, the four-sided lens was made to revolve three times every two minutes, using a weight suspended in the tower. Our next stop is the Botanical Garden which is the only public garden in the continental US that sits directly on the Pacific Ocean Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens offers everything from colorful displays to thunderous waves. The mild maritime climate makes it a garden for all seasons, attracting gardeners and nature lovers alike. Manicured formal gardens, a dense coastal pine forest, fern-covered canyons, diverse plant collections, and flower-filled coastal bluffs overlooking the blue Pacific Ocean are among the many attractions. Whale watchers can take shelter in the Cliff House to view winter and spring migrations, bird lovers will delight in the over 150 species of birds that live in or visit the Gardens annually.

Lunch: We return to Mendocino where you may enjoy a provided lunch.

Afternoon: After lunch you may choose to walk along the headlands, visit the two museums or stroll the small town streets.

Dinner: We are served a plated dinner in the Garden Room of the hotel.

Evening: A local musician entertains us with an evening of music.

Lodging: Mendocino Hotel and Garden Suites

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Drive Through Historic Sonoma County Vineyards, Cross the Gold Gate Bridge, Return to San Francisco Airport and Double Tree Hotel

Breakfast: A full buffet breakfast at Mendocino Hotel

Morning: We board the motor coach for our return to San Francisco International Airport and the DoubleTree Hotel in Burlingame. En route we cross the coastal mountains, then travel through Sonoma County's vineyards. We learn about the northern California wine industry as we go as well as local history. In Marin County we see the Civic Center designed by Frank Llyod Wright in 1957 and travel across the Golden Gate Bridge with a view of Alcatraz Island.

Lunch: We stop en route for a farewell lunch at a local restaurant

Afternoon: We arrive at the airport in San Francisco where the program ends by approximately 3 pm with drop-offs at San Francisco International Airport Main Terminal and DoubleTree Hotel in Burlingame.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch