Track mustangs for four days in the High Sierra on a trail ride that begins May 12.
Participants ride out each day to photograph the horses and study their behavior.
The group spends the first two nights in Benton Hot Springs. “It’s a neat place. It’s a living ghost town,” said Craig London, trail leader and veterinarian.
From Benton, where participants can camp or stay in a hotel, the group rides to Adobe Valley and the Pizona high country in Inyo National Forest, camping for two nights along the way.
Cost: $595 per person, double occupancy for four nights of camping; $695 for two nights in a hotel and two nights of camping ($30 single surcharge). Included are accommodations, meals, mounts, guides, tents, camping equipment and ground transportation.
Contact: Rock Creek Pack Station, Bishop, Calif.; 760-872-8331, www.rockcreekpackstation.com.
Pack the easel box and head to Channel Islands National Park for six days of plein-air painting.
The 55-foot, six-passenger Enchanted Lady sails from Long Beach, Calif., to Santa Cruz Island.
Participants sleep and eat aboard the boat.
Cost: $1,050 per person, double occupancy ($525 single surcharge), including berth accommodations and meals.
Contact: Horizons West Adventures, Huntington Beach, Calif.; 714-536-9316, www.horizonswestadventures.com.
Music, parades, food and literature will be among the attractions at several festivals taking place this spring in the Caribbean.
Sting, Sean “Diddy” Combs, Patti Labelle, Natalie Cole and others are scheduled to perform at the Plymouth Jazz Festival in Tobago, April 21-23. Tickets are priced at $65 for Friday, $85 for Saturday and $100 for Sunday. Details at www.tobagojazzfest.com. For information on visiting Tobago or its sister island, Trinidad, go to www.visittnt.com or call 800-816-7541.
The 54th annual Virgin Islands Carnival runs April 9-29 with parades, pageants, a food festival and music, including calypso competitions. Details at www.vicarnival.com or call 800-372-8784.
The Bacchanal Jamaica began in February but has events ongoing through April 23, culminating Easter week with Jamaica Carnival. More information is available at www.visitjamaica.com.
Enjoy a view of the water from your bike.
The March issue of Coastal Living magazine lists bike trips that offer coastal scenery.
* Close to home, Lopez Island is the flattest of the San Juan Islands; the road around Lopez is about 33.5 miles long. Along the way you’ll find parks, beaches and restaurants. For details, try 888-468-3701 or www.guidetosanjuans.com.
* A 16-mile loop around Jekyll Island, Ga., runs on mostly on a paved, flat bike path that includes stretches alongside the beach. For information about visiting Jekyll Island, go to www.jekyllisland.com or 877-453-5955.
* In Corpus Christi, Texas, Coastal Living recommends the Shoreline Boulevard-Ocean Drive route, running south 11 miles from the downtown Bayfront Arts and Science Park to Naval Air Station Corpus Christi. There’s a bike lane most of the way. Information is available from 800-766-2322 or www.corpuschristi-tx-cvb.org.
Knott’s Berry Farm is dialing back prices for adult admission and cotton candy in hopes the move will boost traffic at the amusement park.
For the new season, the amusement park is charging $39.95 for an adult ticket, down 11 percent from last season’s $45. It has also trimmed the price of cotton candy by a quarter to $2.75.
Compared to other area theme parks, adult ticket prices for Disneyland in Anaheim cost $59, while Universal Studios Hollywood charges $56. A comparable ticket at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia costs $59.99.
Get 20 percent off late spring ferry fares on Alaska’s Marine Highway System. For example, the fare between Juneau and Ketchikan is $83 per person, and a two-berth cabin for the overnight trip is $71 – a savings of $60 for two people. Purchase by April 15; travel May 1-June 15. Info: 800-642-0066, www.ferryalaska.com.
Stay at Jackson Lake Lodge, a National Historic Landmark in Wyoming’s Grand Teton National Park, and get a $50 per day per room resort credit that can be used toward Snake River float trips, park bus tours, horseback rides and other activities. The “Wild West Adventure” package, with rooms starting at $179 per night, is good for stays May 22-June 15; taxes are 6 percent extra. Reserve at 800-628-9988. Lodge info: www.gtlc.com.
Rick Steves’ Europe Through the Back Door hosts free travel classes most Saturdays at 10 a.m. at the Edmonds Theater, 415 Main St., Edmonds.
* Southern Italy and Sicily with Julie Coen, March 25.
* Great Britain with Paul Orcutt, April 1.
* Venice, Florence and Rome with Reid Coen, April 8.
* Packing light and right with Joan Robinson, April 22.
Classes are free, reservations recommended. Call 425-771-8303 ext. 298 or visit www.ricksteves.com/seattle.
The Savvy Traveler offers travel seminars at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. most Saturdays at 112 Fifth Ave. S., Edmonds.
* Paris and beyond: The city of light and day-trips, 10 a.m. April 8.
* Provence and Southern France, 1 p.m. April 8.
Classes are free, reservations recommended. Call 425-744-6076, 877-225-1994, or visit www.savvytraveleredmonds.com.
Travel classes offered in Everett: Everett Parks and Recreation presents a series of travel classes featuring travel experts from Rick Steves’ Europe Through the Back Door. Classes are held from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Van Valey House, 2130 Colby Ave., Everett.
* Regions of France with Colleen Schaffer, May 11.
Cost is $5. Registration is required.
For information, call 425-257-8300 or visit signmeup.everettwa.org.
Traveler’s Language Cafe: The NW Language Academy presents weekend language intensives, designed to conversational travel language. Instead of memorizing phrases, participants learn patterns of conversation that apply to a variety of circumstances, comprehension and pronunciation.
Each weekend seminar is $225 and includes a language text and hands-on materials.
March schedule: Italian Language Cafe, March 31 and April 1 in Mukilteo. French Language Cafe, March 24 and 25 in Mukilteo, April 7 and 8 in Everett.
For information, call 360-914-0391 or visit www.nwlanguageacademy.com.
The Herald is not responsible for changes in prices, dates or itineraries. These should be confirmed with cruise lines, travel agents or tour operators.
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