Monday July 27, Tree hugging in Muir Woods National Monument

This trip is free for registered guests. Up to 15 – 20 conference members and non-registered guests/kids can sign up for the trip – during registration on Sunday – on a first come first serve basis. The fee is $40 for non-registered guests, $10 for conference members (16 and up) and $5 for kids.

Trip schedule:

9:30 am – Leave Berkeley from the Hearst Mining Circle

10:00-11:00 Golden Gate Bridge. If it’s a clear day, we will stop by the North end of the Golden Gate bridge to take pictures and take a short stroll on the bridge. If it’s too foggy in the morning, we can skip this and stop by the bridge in the afternoon (assuming that the fog has cleared up by then).

11:30-15:00. Muir Woods National Monument is famous for its coastal Redwood trees. The park contains 6 miles of trails. There is a 1/2 hour loop, a 1 hour loop, and a 1 1/2 hour loop as well as longer hikes on trails that extend into surrounding Mount Tamalpais State Park. All of these trails afford views of thousands of old-growth coast redwoods, the tallest living things in the world. The main trails in Muir Woods are asphalt or boardwalk and are accessible with stroller. Trails on the canyon walls are dirt, narrow, steep, and rutted with tree roots. Strollers are not advised on most of the upper trails. Bring shoes comfortable for hiking if you plan on using these trails. We’ll provide bottles of water to take on your hike. Light snacks and sandwiches as well as souvenirs may be purchased at the Muir Woods café.

16:00-16:15 Return to Berkeley.

Thursday July 30, FERRY RIDE TO SAUSALITO

This trip is free for registered guests. Conference attendees and non-registered guests can join too, but have to buy their own BART and ferry tickets (about $30 total for adults and $20 for kids ages 5-18 and seniors, age 65 and up).

Leaving from Berkeley BART at 10:30 am, this relaxing day trip will use public transport, including BART and the Bay Area’s Ferry system to take you across the Bay to Sausalito. The ferry ride to Sausalito is among the three most beautiful ones in the world, along with those in Hong Kong and New York – Staten Island. During the ferry ride, you can enjoy the spectacular views of Alcatraz, Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco, and have a hot or cold beverage (depending on the weather) in the ferry bar. The ferry will drop you off in Sausalito around noon, where you will have 3 hours to do take a leisurely stroll by the Bay, do some shopping in local boutiques, and enjoy lunch and/or drinks (at your own expense) in one of the restaurants with views of the SF bay. It is here where Otis Redding wrote his famous “Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay”. The ferry and BART will take you back to Berkeley, where we plan to return around 4:30 pm, although everyone is free to stay longer in Sausalito or take a detour to Pier 39 and Fisherman’s Warf in SF…