Wildlife Viewing in Northern California

Check out the latest edition or "Rick's Tips," Blue Heron's free newsletter of fun things to do in the Bay Area, to learn more about viewing wildlife in Northern California.  You can see the newsletter by clicking here.  Subscribe to the newsletter by sending a request to Rick@BlueHeronTours.com.

If you would like to take a private tour in Northern California to see some of the wildlife, please contact Blue Heron Custom Tours and Travel by calling (866) 326-4237 (toll free) or e-mailing Rick@BlueHeronTours.com. 

Coffee and Sweets Along the Way to Monterey

The drive from San Francisco to Monterey along the coast takes between 2.5 and 3 hours, depending on how many times you stop for photos. You may also want to stop for some caffeine and sugar to keep the body going. There are two places I recommend.

About 30 - 40 minutes south of San Francisco, you'll come to the town of Half Moon Bay. It has a nice downtown with some interesting shops and a few galleries. At the north end of Main Street, in a small shopping center, you'll find the Half Moon Bay Coffee Company, home of strong coffee, espresso drinks, some yummy pastries, and full breakfasts. To get to HMB Coffee Co., take the left turn off of CA 1 onto Main Street. You'll come to a stoplight at CA 92. Go through the light and turn left onto Stone Pine Road. (You can see the Stone Pine Center and HMB Coffee Co. If you cross the Main Street bridge, you've gone too far.) Turn left onto Stone Pine Road Then turn right into the Stone Pine Center parking lot. The coffee shop is at the far end of the parking lot. Once you've fueled up, continue south on Main Street to see the town of Half Moon Bay. Main Street ends at Route 1 and you can continue south to Monterey.

Closer to the halfway point of your journey is the very small town of Davenport. Don't blink or you'll miss it. On the inland side of CA 1 is the Whale City Bakery, Bar & Grill. As the name implies, you can get sweets, full meals, coffee, and more potent beverages. It's a friendly spot to sit and enjoy a coffee and sweet. If it's a nice day, take your snack outside to the patio. Be sure to check out the surf shop next door.

If you would like to take a private tour from San Francisco to Monterey and Carmel that includes a stop at one of these bakeries, contact Blue Heron Custom Tours at (866) 326-4237 (toll free) or Rick@BlueHeronTours.com

Fresh Seafood Near Monterey's Cannery Row

Recently a guest on a Monterey tour wanted to eat at a place like an East Coast seafood shack after visiting the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Unfortunately, such places are tough to find in Northern California and are nonexistent on the Monterey Peninsula, as far as I know.

Cannery Row has long been known as a very touristy strip of shopping centers selling T-shirts and other souvenirs. The area is not well known for good food. Zagat only lists a couple of restaurants near Cannery Row and neither of these had views or were open for lunch.

However, I found a seafood market, a couple of blocks from Cannery Row, that had a good review for its restaurant on Yelp. While my guests toured the Aquarium, I checked out the Sea Harvest Fish Market & Restaurant. It looked just like the type of place my guests wanted except that it doesn't have a view. We decided to give it a try at lunch and were not disappointed.

When you walk into the Sea Harvest, you'll see an array of fresh fillets lined up in the counter and lobsters swimming in a nearby tank. The decor is simple; lots of seafood posters and fish shaped cake pans and Jello molds. The food is simple, mostly grilled and fried fish. Four of us had grilled fish and all enjoyed perfectly done fish. You can order the grilled fish with rice, a vegetable, and cole slaw; over a Caesar Salad; or on a sandwich with fries. Fried fish comes with chips. We also had some barbecue oysters for a starter.

Next time you are visiting Cannery Row, skip the touristy places on the water and walk to 598 Foam Street for a fresh seafood lunch. If you would like to take a private tour of Monterey and Carmel that includes lunch at the Sea Harvest, contact Blue Heron Custom Tours and Travel at (866) 326-4237 (toll free) or Rick@BlueHeronTours.com.

Northern California: An Explorer's Guide

This new guidebook, written by San Francisco resident, Michele Bigley, was just released on June 1. It's a great resource for travel in San Francisco, the Bay Area, and all of Northern California - from Big Sur to the Oregon border.

Here's what Michele had to say about Blue Heron Custom Tours and Travel, "A wealth of knowledge, Rick takes folks on customized tours of the Bay Area, Wine Country, Central Coast, Mendocino, and even the Sierra Foothills. You tell him what you want and he'll create the ideal trip. He knows more about wine and food than most."

Many thanks to Michelle for the nice review. If you're planning a trip to San Francisco, you can pick up "Northern California: An Explorer's Guide" at most good bookstores.

If you'd like to take a tour with a guide who "possesses a wealth of knowledge," please phone me at (866) 326-4237 (toll free) or e-mail me at Rick@BlueHeronTours.com.

San Francisco to Hearst Castle

Hearst Castle in San Simeon is definitely worth a visit. William Randolph Hearst's unfinished home is an architectural wonder and houses many priceless pieces of art. Five tours are offered of the estate. Tour 1 is suggested for first time visitors as it provides an overview of the castle and grounds. Tours 2 and 3 focus on different parts of the castle. Tour 4 takes you through the gardens and Tour 5 lets you experience the castle at night. I highly recommend purchasing your tickets in advance as tours frequently sell out.

Each year I get asked if I can do a day trip to Hearst Castle. The short answer is, "no"! San Simeon is halfway between San Francisco and Los Angeles. The drive via the inland route from San Francisco takes about 5 hours. The scenic route through Big Sur along CA Route 1 takes about 6 hours. If you want to visit San Simeon from Los Angeles, the trip takes about 4.5 hours.

While a one-day tour from San Francisco is not really feasible. A round-trip, overnight tour via Big Sur would be a great way to spend two days. Or, if you are traveling to L.A. from San Francisco, take the scenic coastal route and overnight in San Simeon or nearby Cambria. Then take an early morning tour of Hearst Castle and continue on to Los Angeles. Alternatively, you could include a visit to Hearst Castle on a longer visit to California's Central Coast. In addition to Hearst Castle, you could visit Monterey and Carmel; Big Sur; wine country around Paso Robles, San Luis Obispo, or Santa Barbara; the city of Santa Barbara, and other coastal communities.

If you would like to take a private tour that includes visits to Big Sur and Hearst Castle, please phone me at (866) 326-4237 (toll free) or e-mail me by clicking here.

Lunch with a View on the Monterey Peninsula

As I have mentioned often, one of the rules of dining is the better the view, the worse the food. However, there are exceptions and one of them is the Stillwater Bar & Grill at The Lodge at Pebble Beach. This restaurant overlooks the 18th green and Carmel Bay at one of America's legendary golf courses.

The Pebble Beach Golf Links and The Lodge at Pebble Beach were founded in 1919. The Links has hosted the Bing Crosby National Pro-Am (now known as the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am) tournament since 1947. The U.S. Open has been held at Pebble Beach four times (1972, 1982, 1992, and 2000) and will be held here again in 2010.

The Stillwater Bar & Grill offers dinner daily, lunch from Monday to Saturday, and brunch on Sunday. The restaurant offers an array of entrees but emphasizes fresh seafood. A leisurely lunch while gazing out at Carmel Bay and watching golfers celebrating completion of their round of golf is a great way to spend a couple of hours. You can make a restaurant reservation by calling (831) 625-8524.

If you would like to take a private tour of Monterey and Carmel that includes lunch a stop at The Lodge at Pebble Beach, please call me at (866) 326-4237 (toll free) or e-mail me by clicking here.

Two Excellent Photography Galleries in Carmel

Earlier this week I had the opportunity to take to two guests to the Monterey Peninsula. As always, the ride along the coast was beautiful.

While in Carmel, I had time to visit two of my favorite photography galleries: Weston Gallery and Photography West. The Weston Gallery usually features photographs by Edward Weston (see my earlier post on the Weston Exhibit in Oakland), Ansel Adams, and other great twentieth century photographers. If I had had an extra $50,000 with me, I could have purchased an original print of Adams' "Moonrise Over Hernandez New Mexico." There are always special exhibits of work by contemporary photographers. The Gallery is located on Sixth Avenue, between Dolores and Lincoln Streets, in Carmel.

Two blocks away is Photography West. When I visited, the Gallery had an exhibit of contemporary women photographers, as well as photos by Brett Weston (Edward's son) and Ansel Adams, Christopher Burkett, and others. On the side of a back room, I noticed an unsigned print of one of Edward Weston's most famous nude photographs of his wife, Charis Wilson. I was told the print was made by Edward's son, Cole, and I could by it for $10,000. Photogray West is located on Dolores Street, between Ocean and Seventh Avenues.

Unfortunately, I left both galleries empty handed. However, I did see some lovely photographs.

If you would like to take a tour from San Francisco to Monterey and Carmel, please call me at (866) 326-4237 or e-mail me by clicking here.