Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving about 55 miles round-trip, approximately 1.5 hours total riding time. Walking up to 2 miles with stops; mostly flat terrain, some beach walking. Dress in layers for the weather.
In the Dining Room.
We’ll begin our full-day field trip with a ride up Carmel Valley seeking resident species such as the Yellow-billed Magpie and California Thrasher, along with seasonal breeding neo-tropical migrants, perhaps Orioles, Flycatchers, Buntings, or Lazuli Buntings. Mid-morning will find us at the mouth of the Carmel River on the Pacific Ocean; the 17 mile drive in Pebble Beach; and North America’s hometown, Pacific Grove, looking for rocky shorebirds and near shore seabird species. Sighting possibilities may include sandpipers, Sanderlings, Willets, Black-Bellied Plovers, Sooty Shearwaters, Western Grebes, Pacific Loons, Brandts and Pelagic Cormorants, Western Gulls, Common Murres, Surf and White-Winged Scoters and Marbled Murrelets.
In the field, we’ll have sack lunches.
Our full-day birding field trip will continue. We’ll then return to campus with some time to freshen up and relax before dinner.
In the Dining Room.
A local winemaker or vineyardist will join us in the Dining Room for an introductory class to learn about new wines, the process that goes into producing them, and ultimately experience them through a tasting. Carmel Valley is perhaps the most distinct of the seven appellations comprising Monterey County’s diverse wineries; of these, Carmel Valley is perhaps the most distinct. Nestled in the Santa Lucia foothills, our summers yield exceptional Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and other red varietals.