luckie
07-06-2006, 12:03 PM
Tour it your way
SEEING WINE COUNTRY: By kayak, Segway, bike or balloon, visitors have new options for exploring vineyards, coast and redwoods
By CAROL BENFELL
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
http://www1.pressdemocrat.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060705/NEWS/60705003
(Photo) http://srimg.us.publicus.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=SR&Date=20060705&Category=NEWS&ArtNo=60705003&Ref=AR
Hunt Bailie, second from right, co-owner of Sonoma Segway, explains features of the electric two-wheelers to a tour group Monday near Sonoma Plaza. Sonoma Segway is among a growing number of entrepreneurs offering unusual ways to tour Sonoma County. CHARLIE GESELL / The Press Democrat
Local entrepreneurs, heartened by the growing tourism trade, are finding adventurous ways to show visitors around the county and offering tours for every taste. Guided tours by van and bus of the county's vineyards, coast and redwoods have long been popular. Now, a visitor can learn about the history and natural landscape while bicycling through the Alexander Valley, kayaking along the Russian River or riding a Segway through Sonoma. They can even get in a hot-air balloon for an eagle's-eye tour that takes in everything from The Geysers to the redwoods, from the vineyards to Bodega Bay. "We fly so low you can hear the grapevines brush on the bottom of the basket, then we climb up to 1,100 feet so you can see the ocean," said Mike Kijak, owner of Up & Away Ballooning in Windsor. "The best way to see the lay of the land is above it."
Each year, an estimated 7.4 million people visit Sonoma County and spend an average $650 million. Tourism is now the fourth-largest segment of the Sonoma County economy, providing 15,500 jobs with earnings totalling some $347 million. In a speech to business leaders last month, economic analyst Steve Cochrane of Moody's Economy.com said tourism is a mainstay of the Sonoma County economy, but he warned that the county must keep its offerings fresh if it wants to stay competitive in a global tourism market. A rash of new business owners are trying to do just that.
Hunt and Yuni Bailie opened Sonoma Segway in Sonoma just a year ago with a fleet of eight of the motorized self-balancing scooters. They offer historic tours of the Sonoma area, including General Vallejo's home, the county's oldest wineries and the Vella Cheese Factory. They also teach people how to ride the Segways, which offer the intimacy of a walking tour without the heavy legwork. "We wanted to expand the idea of tours to something unique. We finally landed on Segway as easy to use and a unique way to tour Sonoma that would attract customers," Hunt Bailie said.
Even newer are the kayak tours offered by King's Sporting Goods in Guerneville and River's Edge in Healdsburg. King's has long carried goods for fishermen and hunters, but earlier this year expanded to offering guided tours by kayak of the Jenner estuary and the Russian River. The Jenner estuary tour takes kayakers past osprey nesting areas and around the island where they can see seals and sea lions and learn the history of the area. The Russian River tour includes tips on kayaking and local history as well as wildlife viewing. "There's quite a bit of history on this stretch of the river," said tour guide Nick Wheeler. "We talk about what the beaches at Rio Nido looked like" when river tourism was its height. Lollie Mercer, owner of River's Edge in Healdsburg, offers guided kayak tours of Tomales Bay, Spring Lake and Lake Sonoma as well as the Russian River.
Sisters Judy Kendall and Bonnie Bourne offer sunset tours of Bodega Bay from the business they bought two years ago, Wil's Bait and Tackle in Bodega Bay. The 1½-hour tours take travelers along the shoreline, where they learn about the town's historic fishery, then across to Bodega Rock, where they can take pictures of seals, sea lions, pelicans and other birds. "If the weather's good and there's lots of wildlife to see, we might stay out longer," Kendall said. "We encourage people to bring their cameras and binoculars."
John Mastrianni, owner of Wine Country Bikes in Healdsburg, is the old-timer of the bunch with five years under his belt. He offers one-day guided tours by bicycle of the Dry Creek Valley with stops at four wineries and a gourmet picnic lunch. It's about a 25-mile ride. "Our guides are local. They are really familiar with the history of the area, with the wine industry and grape growing. That's really what makes the tour special," Mastrianni said.
Even the old-timers are adding new services. California River Tours in Santa Rosa has morphed from kayak tours to winery tours. Earlier this year, owner John Condon created garden tours with stops at the Luther Burbank gardens, Korbel and Kendall-Jackson winery gardens and a carnivorous plant nursery south of Sebastopol. "I haven't heard of anyone else doing garden tours," Condon said.
SEEING WINE COUNTRY: By kayak, Segway, bike or balloon, visitors have new options for exploring vineyards, coast and redwoods
By CAROL BENFELL
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
http://www1.pressdemocrat.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060705/NEWS/60705003
(Photo) http://srimg.us.publicus.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=SR&Date=20060705&Category=NEWS&ArtNo=60705003&Ref=AR
Hunt Bailie, second from right, co-owner of Sonoma Segway, explains features of the electric two-wheelers to a tour group Monday near Sonoma Plaza. Sonoma Segway is among a growing number of entrepreneurs offering unusual ways to tour Sonoma County. CHARLIE GESELL / The Press Democrat
Local entrepreneurs, heartened by the growing tourism trade, are finding adventurous ways to show visitors around the county and offering tours for every taste. Guided tours by van and bus of the county's vineyards, coast and redwoods have long been popular. Now, a visitor can learn about the history and natural landscape while bicycling through the Alexander Valley, kayaking along the Russian River or riding a Segway through Sonoma. They can even get in a hot-air balloon for an eagle's-eye tour that takes in everything from The Geysers to the redwoods, from the vineyards to Bodega Bay. "We fly so low you can hear the grapevines brush on the bottom of the basket, then we climb up to 1,100 feet so you can see the ocean," said Mike Kijak, owner of Up & Away Ballooning in Windsor. "The best way to see the lay of the land is above it."
Each year, an estimated 7.4 million people visit Sonoma County and spend an average $650 million. Tourism is now the fourth-largest segment of the Sonoma County economy, providing 15,500 jobs with earnings totalling some $347 million. In a speech to business leaders last month, economic analyst Steve Cochrane of Moody's Economy.com said tourism is a mainstay of the Sonoma County economy, but he warned that the county must keep its offerings fresh if it wants to stay competitive in a global tourism market. A rash of new business owners are trying to do just that.
Hunt and Yuni Bailie opened Sonoma Segway in Sonoma just a year ago with a fleet of eight of the motorized self-balancing scooters. They offer historic tours of the Sonoma area, including General Vallejo's home, the county's oldest wineries and the Vella Cheese Factory. They also teach people how to ride the Segways, which offer the intimacy of a walking tour without the heavy legwork. "We wanted to expand the idea of tours to something unique. We finally landed on Segway as easy to use and a unique way to tour Sonoma that would attract customers," Hunt Bailie said.
Even newer are the kayak tours offered by King's Sporting Goods in Guerneville and River's Edge in Healdsburg. King's has long carried goods for fishermen and hunters, but earlier this year expanded to offering guided tours by kayak of the Jenner estuary and the Russian River. The Jenner estuary tour takes kayakers past osprey nesting areas and around the island where they can see seals and sea lions and learn the history of the area. The Russian River tour includes tips on kayaking and local history as well as wildlife viewing. "There's quite a bit of history on this stretch of the river," said tour guide Nick Wheeler. "We talk about what the beaches at Rio Nido looked like" when river tourism was its height. Lollie Mercer, owner of River's Edge in Healdsburg, offers guided kayak tours of Tomales Bay, Spring Lake and Lake Sonoma as well as the Russian River.
Sisters Judy Kendall and Bonnie Bourne offer sunset tours of Bodega Bay from the business they bought two years ago, Wil's Bait and Tackle in Bodega Bay. The 1½-hour tours take travelers along the shoreline, where they learn about the town's historic fishery, then across to Bodega Rock, where they can take pictures of seals, sea lions, pelicans and other birds. "If the weather's good and there's lots of wildlife to see, we might stay out longer," Kendall said. "We encourage people to bring their cameras and binoculars."
John Mastrianni, owner of Wine Country Bikes in Healdsburg, is the old-timer of the bunch with five years under his belt. He offers one-day guided tours by bicycle of the Dry Creek Valley with stops at four wineries and a gourmet picnic lunch. It's about a 25-mile ride. "Our guides are local. They are really familiar with the history of the area, with the wine industry and grape growing. That's really what makes the tour special," Mastrianni said.
Even the old-timers are adding new services. California River Tours in Santa Rosa has morphed from kayak tours to winery tours. Earlier this year, owner John Condon created garden tours with stops at the Luther Burbank gardens, Korbel and Kendall-Jackson winery gardens and a carnivorous plant nursery south of Sebastopol. "I haven't heard of anyone else doing garden tours," Condon said.