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12.31.09

Top 10 of 2009

Along with New Year's comes Top 10 lists. Through all the hikes, bike rides, kayak trips, and secluded lodges, comes some of our favorite California adventures from 2009. Here's to local wanderlust!


- Brad Day, Publisher

Brad Canadian Rockies
Death Valley Sand Dunes
Glacier Point Hut Yosemite
1. Some Like it Hot: Relax and soak away your stress in the lithium-rich waters at way-off-the-beaten-path Wilbur Hot Springs. Stay overnight and enjoy gourmet dining during monthly guest-chef cooking weekends.
2. Sleeping Beauty: She only comes out after a good rain—and when she does Murietta Falls shouldn't be missed. You'll need a full day to complete the 12-mile (round-trip) epic hike to one of the Bay Area's most elusive waterfalls.
3. Glide to the Hut: Having Yosemite all to yourself this winter? Fantastic. Spending a night in a remote lodge perched at the park's most iconic viewpoint? Even better. For the best of both worlds, cross-country ski a few hours to Glacier Point Ski Hut. Good glidings.
4. Big Cheese Wheel: Ride like Levi Leipheimer, eat like Alice Waters. The 34-mile Cheese Factory road ride loop offers a double-whammy of amazing West Marin countryside scenery topped off by a gourmet post-ride snack. Start where you finish. Say cheese.
5. Pearfect: When summer comes pitch your tent near sparkling Pear Lake, an emerald oasis surrounded by jagged granite peaks in Sequoia National Park. Get there by trekking 6 miles (one-way), through a white fir and lodgepole forest, and skirting 2,000 feet above Tokopah Valley on the famed Watchtower Trail.
6. Splish Splash: The best swimming holes are easy to access by foot, hidden from the hordes, and have plenty of pools for playing. Welcome to Oregon Creek Swimming Hole (in the foothills near Auburn) where granite meets Sierra snowmelt for a secret summer splash.
7. Get Your Grove On: Hike to the most pristine grove of old-growth redwoods in the Bay Area. Portola Redwoods State Park's Peters Creek isn't for windshield tourists or tour bus groups; it's a 13-mile (round-trip) hike to reach these big red beauties. They're waiting for you.
8. Death Becomes Her: As the lower 48's largest national park, Death Valley has plenty of room to roam. Visit any time between now and May to stroll through magnificent Golden Canyon and explore the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes. Stay in the heart of the valley at Furnace Creek Inn.
9. Fat Tire Fun: Ridgetop scenery, zig-zagging singletrack, and peaceful redwood forests make the South Bay's Saratoga Gap a mountain-bike bonanza. Ride a 10-mile loop across the hilltops with views all the way to the Pacific. (Worth the wait: The trails won't open until after the rainy season).
10. Point Reyes Grand Slam: Go from coastal forest to grassy hillsides to secluded beaches on this 13-miler that hits it out of the park. Time your hike in Point Reyes for low tide to explore a giant rock tunnel.
Team in Training

Rock 'n' Roll New Year

It can be hard to uphold New Year's resolutions. But there's no shame in making it easier to stick with your plan. Team In Training (TNT)—America's largest charity sports training program—will not only help you set your fitness goals, they'll make sure you achieve them. With professional coaching and organized, achievable training schedules, all you have to do is commit to one endurance event. (Bonus: you're also helping in the fight against cancer.) On the 2010 calendar, choose a Rock 'n' Roll Marathon and Half Marathon in San Diego or Seattle (San Diego: June 6; Seattle: June 26). Run or walk like a rock star as live bands and cheerleaders line the route for the duration of the course. Or get to know your Pacific Northwest neighbors from the seat of a bicycle. This July join the Group Health Seattle-to-Portland Bicycle Classic. Up to 10,000 riders will be part of a multi-day bike ride through valleys, forests, and farmlands. Sound like a good New Year's resolution? Get to an upcoming TNT Information Meeting to learn more. Now you can get to it and stick to it. TNT will see to it!

Upcoming Info Meetings:

San Francisco & Marin: RSVP
Wed. Jan. 6, 6:30 p.m. Presidio Sports Basement, San Francisco
Sat. Jan. 9, 9:30 a.m. Mill Valley Community Center, Mill Valley
Mon. Jan. 11, 12 p.m. Town Center Community Room, Corte Madera
Additional meetings in San Francisco

East Bay & Solano: RSVP
Tues. Jan. 5, 6:30 p.m. Alameda County Conference Center, Oakland
Thurs. Jan. 7, 6:30 p.m. Malcolm X Elementary, Berkeley
Thurs. Jan. 7, 6:30 p.m. Fairfield Cordelia Public Library, Fairfield
Sat. Jan. 9, 2:30 p.m. Walnut Creek Sports Basement, Walnut Creek
Additional meetings in the East Bay/Solano

Sonoma & Napa: RSVP
Wed. Jan. 6, 6:30 p.m. Finley Community Center, Santa Rosa
Wed. Jan. 13, 6:30 p.m. Queen of the Valley Hospital, Napa
Additional meetings in Sonoma & Napa

Peninsula & Silicon Valley: RSVP
Wed. Jan. 6, 6:30 p.m. Sobrato Community Conference Center, San Jose
Thurs. Jan. 7, 6:30 p.m. Garden Court Hotel, Palo Alto
Sat. Jan. 9, 10 a.m. Willows Senior Center, San Jose
Mon. Jan. 11, 6:30 p.m. Embassy Suites Burlingame, Burlingame
Additional meetings in the Peninsula & Silicon Valley

Monterey & Santa Cruz: RSVP
Tues. Jan. 5, 6:30 p.m. Scotts Valley Community Center, Scotts Valley
Thurs. Jan. 7, 6:30 p.m. Sunset Center, Carmel-by-the-Sea
Wed. Jan. 13, 6:30 p.m. Club One Fitness Center, Scotts Valley
Additional meetings in Monterey & Santa Cruz

Weekend Sherpa