My Organic Day » Weekend Trips

Celebrate Earth Day in the San Francisco Bay Area

Christine — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 19:53:10 +0000

Celebrate Earth Day! Here are some interesting events:

San Francisco:

Green Apple Festival. Volunteer activities take place at parks, beaches, schools and forests that focus on tree-planting, energy efficiency retrofits, water protection, urban gardens and forest restoration today through Sunday. For volunteering efforts, times a
Earth Stroll at Crissy Field. Take an interactive fitness walk, play eco-games, visit with live animals and learn how to create a healthier planet. 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday. Crissy Field, near Mason Street off Highway 101. 415-561-7690.
“Party for the Planet” at the San Francisco Zoo. Green-themed activities, puppet show and scavenger hunt. 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday. Great Highway and Sloat Boulevard. Call 415-753-7080 or go to www.sfzoo. org/registration/calendardetail. asp?orgkey=1431&ActivityKey= 539272.nd location information, please visit www.greenapplefestival.com.

Peninsula:

Earth Day at Coyote Point Museum, San Mateo. Eco-art, nature walks and talks, interaction with the museum’s nonreleasable animals and special cleanup events. 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday. 1651 Coyote Point Drive. 650-342-7755, www.coyoteptmuseum.org/activities/family-events/earth-day.
Portola Valley’s Earth Day Fair. The event will include water conservation tips, composting demonstration techniques and recycling games for kids. 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday. Town Center Community Hall, 765 Portola Road. 650-851-1700.
Belmont Earth Day Festival. Tree-planting, discussions and entertainment. 10 a.m.-3 p.m. April 25. Barrett Community Center, 1870 Ralston Ave. 650-595-7441 or www.belmont.gov/earthday

South Bay:

Weed the Wetlands at San Francisquito Creek, Palo Alto. Remove non-native and invasive species. 9 a.m.-noon Saturday. For more information, contact 510-452-9261, extension 119, sanfrancisco.about.com/ od/aprilevents/tp/earthdaysf. htm.
Earth Day Eco-Friendly Workshop. Children and parents are invited to participate in this event. 1-8 p.m. Monday. Sunnyvale Public Library, 665 W. Olive Ave. 408-730-7262.
Earth Day at San Jose State University. Aztec Dancers, an electric bicycle company giving test rides nearby and games supplied by the Environmental Club. 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Wednesday. El Paseo de Cesar Chavez. 408-924-5467.
“Your Home, Your Community, Your Environment: A Community Conversation on Climate Change.” 6:30-8:30 p.m. Wednesday. City Council Chambers, 456 W. Olive Ave., Sunnyvale. 408-730-7262.
Greening Your Life. A panel of experts discusses easy ways to be green at home. 7-8 p.m. Thursday. Sunnyvale Community Center, 550 E. Remington Drive. 408-730-7262.

East Bay

Earth Day Weeding Project. Help remove non-native vegetation like Russian thistle and ice plant to ensure endangered birds and fish can thrive. 9 a.m.-noon Saturday. Eden Landing Ecological Reserve, off Highway 92 near Eden Landing Road, Hayward. For information, call 510-452-9261, extension 119 or go to www.savesfbay.org. and click on East Bay in the bottom left corner of page.
Earth Day at the Oakland Zoo. More than 40 earth stations, hands-on learning, crafts, face-painting and Wildlife Theater presentations. 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday. 9777 Golf Links Road. 510-632-9525.

A green bachelorette in Costanoa

Christine — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 03:50:30 +0000

My sister hosted a fabulous weekend long bachelorette trip at Costanoa. We rented three canvas family cabins with bonfires for each one. We hiked to the ocean along the sandy bluffs, ate at their restaurant, and had a bbq on their lawn. Costanoa is a beautiful retreat located on the coast near Highway One in Pescadero, right between Half Moon Bay and Santa Cruz. Think of this place as luxury camping, with a warming hut and nice bathrooms with saunas. We also hung out in the hot tub area and then karaoked through the rest of the night.

Green weddings idea #1: Barndiva in Healdsburg, Sonoma wine country

Christine — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 05:41:52 +0000

In the midst of my own wedding planning, I checked out some interesting organic and green wedding ideas in the Bay Area. One place that I really liked was a restaurant called Barndiva in the beautiful town of Healdsburg.

The owner, Lukka Feldman, gave us a nice tour of the city and offered to host an all inclusive wedding with organic, local food and drinks. The restaurant is a beautiful restored barn with an outdoor garden. It is one of the few restaurants featured in Michelin from the Bay Area. Don’t miss this place for drinks at night if you are in Sonoma wine country.

Pigeon Point, a nice escape between Half Moon Bay and Santa Cruz

Christine — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 14:05:00 +0000

As a farewell to a good friend who moved back to Amsterdam, a group of us stayed as a hostel in Pigeon Point Lighthouse, a beautiful spot just 10 miles south of Half Moon Bay. It was very easy to drive to on highway 1.

The hostel probably has one of the best views for the amount we paid. Inside, we shared a cozy kitchen and living room, with views of the lighthouse and ocean. We later hung out in the outdoor hot tub which was right next to the ocean.

The next day, we took a walk to the beach right next to the lighthouse and looked at the tidal pools. A friend found a crab, and we spotted several seals out of the water staring at us.
We ended the day with a hike up Wilbur’s point, where we saw a nice panorama of the lighthouse and ocean. Pigeon Point is definitely a find–I would go back!

Ceago del Lago, a beautiful organic winery on Clear Lake

Christine — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 23:15:00 +0000

My boyfriend and I took a weekend trip to Lake County, just north of Napa County. We stayed next to Clear Lake, in the town of Lakeport and made a trip to Ceago, a winery I had read about in Sunset Magazine. Clear Lake is the largest enclosed freshwater lake in California, with beautiful wildlife, and a haven for birds and fish.

Ceago was stunning. Beautiful Spanish villa architecture, a 200 acre plus winery, all organic, and a vegetable garden, with lots to choose from. This was created by Jim Fetzer, the son of the famous Fetzer wine brand. The best was the fact the winery is on the water, and you can boat in from the lake. Apparently even the Sierra Club promotes this place as sustainable and environmentally friendly, all pluses in my book!

It’s about a 3 hour drive north of San Francisco, a good distance as a weekend trip. I found the area to be not as touristy as Napa or Sonoma, and still a “hidden” destination for Bay Area folks. There’s plenty to do with local wineries and farms, and Clear Lake State Park with a beach, camping on the water, and hikes.

Big Basin State Park: a California gem

Christine — Sun, 15 Jul 2007 16:29:00 +0000

I used to hike in Big Basin State Park back when I was a nature camp counselor for Cupertino Parks and Recreation while in high school. I hadn’t been back in years, and went during July 4th weekend to Big Basin’s camp headquarters, located only 20 miles south of Saratoga. It was an easy drive from highway 85, passing through downtown Saratoga, and various wineries and camps on the way to Big Basin.

Having gone to many of the parks all over the Bay Area, Big Basin is a standout. Easy to drive to, and with an enormous forest grove of ancient redwoods, a nice camp headquarters with ample parking, nice campsites along the creek, and even cabins available to rent, and miles of varied hikes from Skyline to the Sea to hiking up Buzzard’s Roost to see a 360 panorama of the park.

We were supposed to meet some friends to join them backpacking from headquarters to hike towards the ocean. Instead, we took a day hike and went up Buzzard’s Roost where we did a 5 mile loop. The path started near the campgrounds, and then later went up two different mountains. Most of the path was shady. We didn’t see many people and the views were beautiful. Once we reached the top, we had a panorama view of the park.

Back at headquarters, we noticed they had many camp programs for children and a nice fire camp pit. The rangers were super friendly. However, it seems like you have to reserve way in advance for a campsite. I’m definitely coming back.

El Dorado Kitchen in Sonoma, local organic restaurant in wine country

Christine — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 01:39:00 +0000

It’s wedding/birthday season and my last weekend was packed with trips to both Sonoma and Napa. A big group of my high school friends celebrated two birthdays in Sonoma wine country. I couldn’t make it until the dinner which was held at El Dorado Kitchen. The drinks were very fresh and relaxing (see the mint mojito and pomegranate cocktail above).
To start, I had a Caesar salad with local, organic romaine lettuce, with cucumbers. The salad was also very fresh, but I think it had a little too much dressing for my taste.
Although we sat outside near the pool and patio, the interior (see above) of the restaurant was decorated in a relaxed, but modern California style.
For my main course, I tried a mushroom, pea, tomato bow tie pasta. This was a fantastic pasta dish. As a vegetarian, I often don’t expect much from pasta, but the mushrooms in this dish were unbelievably tasty.
At the end, I tried a rhubarb tart with ice cream served on the side. This was better than the other choice that the table had which was a chocolate brownie. I recommend trying this rhubarb tart, it wasn’t too sour nor was it too sweet. El Dorado’s service was prompt and courteous and all of our food came out at the same time piping hot. I’d definitely recommend stopping here if you are in Sonoma tasting wine. El Dorado is located in central Sonoma right on the square, 405 1st St W. There is also a hotel as part of the building which is nicely decorated.

Cool organic places in Hong Kong

Christine — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 01:15:00 +0000

I was in Hong Kong last week and many of my friends brought me to new places in Hong Kong that carried organic and healthy foods. One of them was a market, called ThreeSixty, that was a smaller version of Whole Foods in a major mall in downtown Central called the Landmark. The selection was very impressive for a place in Hong Kong, but prices were very high.
ThreeSixty even had a nice food court on their second level, with over seven local restaurants and food stands to choose from in a nice, shiny environment. They had everything from wheatgrass juice to Italian food to pan Asian food to an actual sushi boat restaurant in the back.My friends brought me to Life for dinner, an organic, vegetarian restaurant in the streets of Hong Kong’s SOHO district. Tucked in an ally near a major escalator, the restaurant was cozy and reminded me of something you would find in the Bay Area.
Inside, the place was very crowded, with a warm color scheme.

I ordered an Asian stirfly vegetable and tofu dish on top of quinoa. The taste was very strong, but perfectly complemented the plain tasting quinoa. We also tried a lentil burger (which I highly recommend), a pumpkin soup, and a masala chai tea. After the meal, we went for a quick massage at a place called “Happy Feet”– a perfect ending to the day in Hong Kong.

Post Yosemite Stop to Groveland

Christine — Fri, 11 May 2007 05:07:00 +0000

As you enter or exit Yosemite on highway 120, you can stop by a tiny town called Groveland, just 26 miles from the entrance of the national park. We stopped to get a coffee to prepare for a long drive back to the Bay Area at a place called Mountain Sage. Inside the store, we found an eclectic mix of things from an art gallery, a nursery, fair trade clothing and organic coffee and food. I ordered a looseleaf organic chai mix and my friend ordered a cappuccino.

It’s a great stop for a quick bite and shopping for even camping and backpacking gear. On June 2nd, they will host a Sierra Earthfest, with sustainable companies featured with food and activities in an outdoor fair.

Yosemite in the Spring

Christine — Wed, 09 May 2007 05:49:00 +0000

This past weekend, I went on a road trip to Yosemite with a group of friends–Merel, Chen, Grace and Vivek. Originally, we planned on backpacking, but the weather was too cold, 30-40 degrees Fahrenheit. In the end, we rented a cozy canvas tent cabin in Curry Village for the whole group, and took a long day hike of over eight miles to the highest waterfall in Yosemite, Yosemite Falls, where we hiked over two thousand feet in elevation. Here is the panorama of the view from the top:

Believe it or not, we hit snow at the very top of the waterfalls, even in early May.

The next day, we took a day hike to Mirror Lake and Tenaya Creek from Yosemite Valley, which was equally beautiful with spring wildflowers.

This loop was an easy one which took just 4 hours. We passed a beautiful lake, creeks, and thick forests.