Happy New Year! We’re reflecting on our 10 favorite adventures from 2008, in no particular order. But, like last year, we could only narrow it down to 11. Here’s to more explorations in 2009! Eleven cheers!
- Brad Day, Publisher
| 1. | Hike-Inn Breakfast: Hotcakes taste much better when you have to hike to get them. Mark your calendar for the next pancake breakfast at the West Point Inn on Mt. Tam. |
| 2. |
Private Alps: Retreat to a cozy winter cabin in the California Alps: activities include cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and relaxing at a hot spring. (The California Alps are the beautiful mountains south of Tahoe… crowds not included.) |
| 3. | Little Tuscany: Bike the backroads of Sonoma; Healdsburg's West Dry Creek Road—and the wineries that populate it—affirm the region's nickname, "Little Tuscany." |
| 4. | The Grand Walk: Get reaquainted with the City by the Bay along the best urban hike in America: The Grand Walk. |
| 5. | Hat Trick: Once, twice, three times a waterfall. Hike to Berry Creek Falls in beautiful Big Basin, then trek further to find two more. Triple play! |
| 6. | The Goonies Part 2: The treasure: University Falls swimming hole, a three-tiered natural waterslide in the foothills near Auburn. Geronimo! |
| 7. | Point Reyes Confidential: Hike in a few miles and pitch your tent above the waves at a perfectly perched Point Reye's campground. Try for Coast or Wildcat Camps. |
| 8. | Night Hike with the Moonshiners: Hiking takes on a whole new light when it happens under a full moon. Join the Marin Moonshiners for a full moon hike and picnic on Mt. Tam. Catch the fever. |
| 9. | Ring Around the Mountain: The big-bold-bountiful views of the Bay Area await those adventurers who circumnavigate Mt. Diablo's summit on its Grand Loop hike. (For a shorter version, try a hike to Mt. Diablo's North Peak—the lesser-traveled summit.) |
| 10. | Sweet Roll: The best way to see Half Dome is from the seat of a cruiser bike. Rent one at Curry Village and spend the afternoon biking Yosemite Valley. Caution: sore necks are common from gawking up at waterfalls. |
| 11. | Middle-earth Meets Marin: Hike 20 minutes to a private retreat high in the Marin Headlands, Hope Cottage. Watch the sunset over Muir Beach from your room. |
New friends; healthy body; great cause: Start your New Year's engines! It's the first day of 2009 and Team in Training wants to make a date with you. With the best coaches and an unparalleled sports training program for everybody from first-timers to seasoned athletes, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team In Training has an event perfectly matched for you. Train for the aptly named Wildflower Triathlon in Monterey County. Bike around the shores of Lake Tahoe for America's Most Beautiful Bike Ride. Run or walk a full or half marathon under the midnight sun in Anchorage, Alaska. And new this year: get your groove on at the inaugural Rock 'n' Roll Seattle Marathon & Half Marathon!
You've gotta come to their Information Meetings to learn more and get started. (See a few dates listed below) RSVP here!
Get in shape in '09. Raise money for a good cause. Make friends along the way. Now that's a brilliant trifecta!
San Francisco
Tuesday, January 6, 6:30 p.m.: Presidio Sports Basement
Wednesday, January 14, 6:30 p.m: Potrero Hill Sports Basement
Marin & North Bay
Saturday, January 17, 9:30 a.m.: Mill Valley Community Center, Mill Valley
Tuesday, January 6, 6:30 p.m.: Rohnert Park Community Center, Rohnert Park
East Bay & Solano
Monday, January 5, 6:30 p.m.: Benicia Public Library, Benicia
Wednesday, January 7, 6:30 p.m.: Oakland Zoo – Zimmer Auditorium, Oakland
Saturday, January 17, 2:30 p.m.: Pleasanton Middle School, Pleasanton
Peninsula & Silicon Valley
Thursday, January 8, 6:30 p.m.: Garden Court Hotel, Palo Alto
Wednesday, January 14, 12 noon: Club One Santana Row, San Jose
Monterey & Santa Cruz
Thursday, January 8, 6:30 p.m.: Casa Munras, Monterey
Thursday, January 15, 6:30 p.m: University Inn & Conference Center, Santa Cruz