Travel briefs
Published 9:00 pm Saturday, July 23, 2005
Cruise to Friday Harbor on the Adventuress for a Whale Museum benefit cruise around the San Juan Islands on Aug. 14.
At 1 p.m., the three-hour sail departs the port of Friday Harbor. Learn the sailing techniques of this 101-foot schooner, built in 1913 as a luxury yacht. Naturalists will present the history of the schooner, conduct guided tours and provide a look into maritime history.
Tickets are $50, $40 for members of The Whale Museum, and $25 for ages 18 and younger.
For tickets and information, call 360-378-4710, ext. 23.
Hearst Castle by rail
Experience the opulence of Hearst Castle on a train trip and tour of the state historical monument that overlooks the Pacific Coast at San Simeon, Calif.
The two-day tours, now through December, begin with travel on Amtrak’s Coast Starlight or Pacific Surfliner to San Luis Obispo, Calif. The following day, participants take a guided sightseeing tour by bus to the castle, built in the 1920s and ’30s by publishing magnate William Randolph Hearst, who died in 1951.
Travelers choose from one of four tours offered at the castle.
Cost: $278 to $349 per person, double occupancy ($60 to $140 single surcharge or $110 for children ages 2 to 11 sharing a room with parents). Price depends on choice of hotel and includes round-trip transportation from Los Angeles, accommodations, some meals, sightseeing and tours.
Contact: Key Holidays Amtrak Tours, Walnut Creek, Calif.; 800-783-0783, www.keyholidays.com.
Island Haven
Sail west from the San Francisco Bay to the Farrallon Islands, home to the largest seabird rookery in the contiguous United States.
The eight-hour trips embark at 8:30 a.m. Saturdays, Sundays and select Fridays now through November aboard the 56-foot Salty Lady or the 50-foot Whacky Jack, both Coast Guard-certified.
Naturalists are on board to help spot giant blue and humpback whales that breed and feed in the Gulf of the Farrallones National Marine Sanctuary (which includes the islands), summer through fall.
Cost: $85 per person, including cruise and guide. Transportation to the dock, weather gear and lunch are not provided.
Contact: Oceanic Society Expeditions, San Francisco; 800-326-7491, www.oceanicsociety.org.
One big lake
Locals call it the Big Lake – Lake Superior, the largest and deepest of the Great Lakes, and a virtually endless source of recreation for those lucky enough to vacation or live near its shores in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan and Ontario.
Now a new book, “Lake Superior: The Ultimate Guide to the Region,” published by Lake Superior Port Cities, Inc., which also publishes Lake Superior Magazine, offers an insider’s guide to enjoying the region.
The book recommends scenic drives like the Western Mesabi Iron Range in Minnesota along Highway 169 between Hibbing and Grand Rapids, and Ontario’s Northwest Shore on TransCanada Highway 11/17 between Thunder Bay and Nipigon.
The book’s 50 recommendations for “Experiences of a Lifetime on Lake Superior” include circling the entire lake (check out www.lakesuperiorcircletour.com for details), and watching a ship come into ports like Marquette, Mich., or Thunder Bay.
The paperback is $16.95 and also has basic information about local time zones, area codes, traffic laws, and seasons, as well as fun facts about the lake. For example, Lake Superior is so big it could hold all the water of the other four Great Lakes combined plus three more Lake Eries.
Tombstone faking it
Tombstone, the famous Old West town in southern Arizona, could lose its status as a National Historic Landmark after decades of violating historic preservation building codes.
The Department of the Interior has put the so-called “town too tough to die” on its threatened list, the highest warning level.
A popular tourist destination, Tombstone’s historic integrity has declined into a blend of authentic history and fake Old West ambiance, federal and state officials said.
Newer buildings bear false dates from the 1870s to 1880s. Storefronts are painted colors like chartreuse – not found in Tombstone 125 years ago. Some buildings are made to look older with faux exposed brick or Spanish tiles.
“Tombstone is becoming a Disneyland,” complained Sally Alves, owner of Curly Bill’s Bed &Breakfast in Tombstone. “The business owners in town want … everything to be bright and colorful, like Rawhide or someplace that is not a real, authentic Old West city.”
Tombstone, population 1,750, gets an estimated 450,000 visitors a year.
Maine railroad
Restored stainless-steel railcars from the 1940s and 1950s are taking passengers on a scenic 57-mile run between Brunswick and Rockland along Maine’s midcoast region.
The Maine Eastern Railroad train offers air-conditioned coaches, reclining seats and a dining car. The trip takes two hours and 15 minutes, with stops in Bath and Wiscasset.
Passenger trains hadn’t run on the state-owned Brunswick-to-Rockland tracks in 41 years when service began July 2, although freight trains had run on the line.
The service is offered Thursday through Sunday until Sept. 2, and then on weekends until Oct. 31, perfect for leaf-peeping. One-way fares range from $5 for Bath-to-Brunswick, to $18 for Brunswick-to-Rockland.
Visit www.maineeasternrailroad.com or call 866-637-2457 for details.
Brooklyn tour
A new bus tour launching Aug. 1 will introduce out-of-towners to New York City’s Brooklyn borough, from local pizzerias and the Coney Island boardwalk to locations for movies like “Saturday Night Fever,” “The French Connection,” “Scent of a Woman” and “Annie Hall.”
Called “A Slice of Brooklyn,” the tour will include a video of film clips, visits to landmarks and a drive through neighborhoods like trendy DUMBO (Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass).
Tickets are $45 for adults, $35 for children under 12. Prices include two slices of pizza and a soft drink at each of two pizzerias – brick-oven pizza at Patsy Grimaldi’s, located in the shadow of the Brooklyn Bridge, and the other at L&B Spumoni Gardens.
The tour will be offered Mondays and Fridays, departing from Union Square, Manhattan, at 11 a.m. and returning at 3:30 p.m. Visit www.asliceofbrooklyn.com for details.
Ranch vacations
Trade in your Blackberry for a cowboy hat and boots, get on that horse and turn off your cell phone.
For city slickers who want to get away from the daily grind, Gene Kilgore’s “Ranch Vacations” is a comprehensive guide to dude-ranch vacations.
Included are listings for 94 ranches around North America – from British Columbia, Canada, to Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Michigan, Montana, New Mexico, Oregon and Wyoming, and even two ranches in Southern states – Clear Creek in Burnsville, N.C., and French Broad Outpost in Del Rio, Tenn.
You’ll find advice on selecting a ranch and even what to wear, along with descriptions of activities that can range from trail-riding, roping and fly-fishing to skiing and whitewater rafting. Some ranches are year-round, others May to October, and some, October to May.
Today’s ranches offer more than a bedroll and boiled coffee. Amenities include spas and gourmet food, with prices anywhere from $85 a night for a single room in the offseason to $500 a day, including guides and meals.
The book, published by Emeryville, Calif.-based Avalon Travel, first came out in 1989. The seventh edition, published in May, sells for $22.95.
Language courses
NWLA, Center for World Language and Culture, offers a series of weekend intensive language courses designed to facilitate travel, introducing you to conversational situations you are sure to encounter on your journeys. Instead of memorizing phrases, you will learn basic patterns of conversation that you can apply to many different circumstances. Practical travel tips and cultural orientation are also highlighted.
Instructors are native speakers with professional experience. The fee for the workshop is $250 and includes a language text and other materials. NWLA offers discounts for family groups and couples, as well early registration. Group size is limited to 15 and pre-registration is required. Call 360-914-0391 or 360-579-2416 or e-mail info@nwlanguageacademy.com. More information at www.nwlanguageacademy.com.
* Italian Language Cafe – Aug. 5-7, Whidbey Island
* French Cafe – Aug. 26-28, Mukilteo
Travel classes, seminars
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.
July 30 – Great Britain.
Aug. 6 – Packing light and right.
Aug. 13 – Southern Italy and Sicily.
Aug. 20 – Ireland.
Aug. 27 – Italy.
Sept. 10 – Village Italy.
Sept. 17 – France.
Sept. 24 – Travel Agent 101.
Classes are free, reservations recommended. Call 425-771-8303 ext. 298 or visit www.ricksteves.com/seattle.
Prices, dates or itineraries may change. These should be confirmed with cruise lines, travel agents or tour operators.
Herald staff and news services
