Author: Margaret Leonard

Slow Adventure

Presents

INN TO INN BIRDING – OCTOBER 2-6, 2017 with Alvaro Jaramillo

(the guy who lives here & wrote the book)

Enjoy North America’s ONLY Inn to Inn Birding and Walking Adventure. This is a 5 day/4 night inn to inn birding/walking vacation. You will stay at coastal lodging each night from Half Moon Bay to Moss Beach, California, as you walk and bird this amazing and diverse coastline with expert ornithologist, Alvaro Jaramillo, a resident of the area. Walking will be mostly flat and on well marked paths. Your luggage will be moved from inn to inn while you enjoy birding and walking, free from the hassle of buses, vans, or other transportation.

Day One – Monday – October 2nd – Arrive in Half Moon Bay. You will stay at the Half Moon Bay Lodge. When you arrive, you’ll be given a map and directions for a self- guided walk along the coastline, to Cowell Ranch Beach. This is a good place to look for Black Oystercatchers, Brown Pelicans and all three of our species of cormorants. A thorough orientation will take place at the hotel at 5:00pm and a welcome dinner will be held at a nearby restaurant at 6:00pm. (D)

Day Two – Tuesday – October 3rd – After breakfast at your hotel, you’ll be walking 6 miles today through coastal scrub habitats, streamside willow thickets with ample views of the ocean and beach. We will be looking for seabirds and raptors along with a variety of other local and visiting birds. A picnic lunch will be served along the route. You’ll arrive in the historic downtown of Half Moon Bay in the afternoon and stay at the Half Moon Bay Inn. You will arrive in time to enjoy many small shops and a variety of birding locations that you can access on foot from your hotel. The group will assemble at 5:00pm for a review of the day and complimentary wine/beer/cocktails. Following this, you’ll be free to have dinner at a nice variety of local restaurants. Walking today – 6 miles, paved and unpaved paths. (B,L)

Day Three – Wednesday – October 4th – You’ll begin your day with breakfast at a popular local coffee house. You’ll be walking out to ocean bluff trails with a bit of beach walking. You’ll be served a picnic lunch along the route. You’ll walk to a great hotel by the harbor in Princeton-by-the-Sea, passing through the Pillar Point Harbor with an abundance of gulls, cormorants, Brown Pelican and many migratory shorebirds. The group will assemble over wine or beer at 5:00pm for a review of the day and following this you’ll be free to enjoy dinner at a nice selection of local restaurants and cafes. Walking today – 5 miles, paved and unpaved paths, with approximately 1/2 mile on the beach. (B,L)

Day Four – Thursday – October 5th – You begin with breakfast at a local cafe. You’ll enjoy a picnic lunch overlooking the ocean along the trail. Your walk will take you out to the famous Maverick’s surf break and through the Fitzgerald Marine Reserve. You’ll finish at the Seal Cove Inn for your final night and enjoy complimentary wine. The mix of coastal chaparral, conifer woodlands, cypress trees, and alder-willow thickets should be wonderful for spotting migratory warblers, resident breeders, and any coastal species we have not yet seen. We will go out for a celebratory dinner while we review our birding list and wrap up the trip. Walking today – 5 miles, paved and unpaved paths, with walks to beaches and tide pools. (B,L,D)

Day Five – Friday – October 6th – We will have breakfast and enjoy an early morning birding walk to several nearby habitats. This is your departure day, so folks will be leaving throughout the morning. Walking today – 1 mile, paved and unpaved paths. (B)

COST

The price for this trip is $1,795.00 per person for two people sharing a bed or $1,895.00 per person for two people sharing a room, but in separate beds (one night you may have separate rooms). Solo walkers pay $2,395.00. The trip price includes four nights of lodging, luggage transport each day, breakfast each day, snacks during the walks, custom ordered lunches/drinks during the walks (3 days), two dinners, three wine/beer/cocktail gatherings, taxes, tips, and service fees. If you are driving, your trip cost includes a shuttle of your car from the first hotel to the final hotel so you can leave at your leisure on the final day. You’ll enjoy the expert services of Alvaro Jaramillo each day as well as a local hiking guide with expertise in the local foods, wines, history, and culture of the area. In addition, each walker will be provided an extensive trip dossier

with maps, narrative directions, historical notes, nature guides, and a copy of the most recent Birds of California book written by Alvaro Jaramillo.

RESERVATION

The lodging for this trip is extremely limited. The group will not exceed 12 persons. THIS TRIP WILL SELL OUT. You must pay a $500 per person NON-REFUNDABLE DEPOSIT to hold a spot. The balance will be due 60 days prior to your departure date. You will be sent a trip package with maps, instructions, packing list, bird list, historical notes, and luggage tags after your deposit is received.

CANCELLATION POLICY

All trips require a non-refundable $500 deposit per person. Once this is paid and you have been sent your tour packet, if you cannot come for any reason the $500 is non- refundable. If you notify us 60 days before the start of your trip, we will refund everything you have paid with the exception of the $500.00. If you notify us prior to 30 days before the trip begins, we will refund you 50% of the trip price. If you notify us within 30 days of the trip, we can only refund you 20% of the trip cost as we will have had to pay for your hotel rooms at that time. We recommend you invest in trip insurance to compensate you for these types of losses.

Call or text Margaret at 831-332-7923 or email slowadventure@icloud.com to reserve a spot
www.slowadventure.us