Escape SF Tours: 3 Day Sonoma Cycling Vacation

Escape Slide Show The pure charm and true splendor of Sonoma County is unparalleled by any other. Escape and Explore something new and exciting, off-the-beaten-path and along the back roads with a local company that knows it best! All this while experiencing an unfurling ribbon of scents, sights and sounds with the culture and hospitality this region has to offer! Endless vineyards, golden hillsides dotted with valley oaks, gentle canyons filled with 1,400 yr old Coastal Redwoods and the beauty and charm of the Sonoma Wine Country are the special ingredients that constitute this Multisport Adventure as one of the best there is! You cannot beat the value or price for this three-day cycling and hiking adventure! Come Escape & Explore with new friends in this beautiful and diverse region of laid back Northern California. Escape Travel has been offering Sonoma vacations for 9 seasons now and would love to show you this special place with our friendly local guides. "This was my first trip to San Francisco! With the knowledge and friendliness of our Guides, I had a wonderful enhancement to my California experience!" -Teresa Klimek, Elk Grove, IL
Duration		3 Days/2 Nights
Season		2008: All dates from our 4-5 Day Sonoma Vacations (Mar-Nov) apply to this vacation
Area		Healdsburg: Alexander Valley, Dry Creek Valley and Russian River Valley
Nearest City		San Francisco & Santa Rosa Airports
Tour Type		Road Touring
Physical Condition Required		Fair

Distance Traveled		66-72 Miles (You can always add or subtract distance to meet your needs)
Minimum Age Limit		16 (Unless its a private tour)
Skill Levels Accommodated		Beginner-Advanced
Fully Guided		Yes
Guest Capacity		4-13
Support Vehicles		15 Passenger Vans with trailers

Bike Brands		'07 Trek 7.3 FX Road Bikes (straight handle bar and index shifting) with helmet, gloves, standard pedal, souvenir water bottle, handle bar bag and gel seat covers included. $25/day + tax.
Accommodations		Stunning and hip 4 Star www.HotelHealdsburg.com on the Healdsburg Plaza.
Layovers		Second night at Hotel Healdsburg.
Transportation to Start Site		Available from Sacramento and San Francisco area hotels.
Dining		Two breakfasts, two lunches and one welcome dinner.
About Liquor		Wine provided with welcome dinner.
Additional Activities		Massage, spa treatments, beach combing, golf, hot air ballooning & more.
Price Per Person		$949.00 (Guide gratuity not included) $400 deposit/person. Balance due 30 days prior to the tour.
Additional Rate Info		Single Supplement: $259 (Call for details). Transportation: $25/person each way from your SF hotel.
Notes:		Everyone will receive your choice of a premium Escape Travel: Fitted Dry Fit Cycling jersey, cotton t shirt or embroidered hat and a 24 oz Escape Travel logo water bottle for cycling. Tandem bike rentals, self guided itineraries and custom/private vacations available.
Weather & Packing List		Sonoma Weather and Packing List

*Also consider our multisport vacations that include the Sonoma Coast: 4 Day Sonoma Multisport Vacation & 5 Day Sonoma Multisport Vacation. Call 866 ESCAPE 5 for details.

Day 1: Cycling, Wine Tasting, Wine Get Together and Hosted Welcome Dinner
Escape Travel will pick you up at any San Francisco hotel at 10:30am, or meet you in Healdsburg at noon in the heart of the wine country for a relaxing picnic lunch at a lovely cafe patio before a warm up ride through the Alexander Valley. This will provide you an opportunity to understand why this uncrowded region offers so many fine wines. The cycling would not be complete without visits to Robert Young Winery, Locals (a wine co-op), the quaint town of Geyserville and other wineries in this scenic valley. Cycle to the stunning www.HotelHealdsburg.com to check in for two nights. Tonight will include a scrumptious hosted dinner party with Sonoma County wine (order off the menu) in Healdsburg. 20-26 miles total (moderate).
bath_som2 (23K)

Day 2: Cycling, Lake Sonoma, Tasting, Botanical Gardens & Private Winery Tour/Tasting
After a scrumptious buffet breakfast, you're off pedaling through the scenic Dry Creek Valley stopping to order lunch at a gourmet deli. A 350-foot hill climb to Lake Sonoma awaits you with its fantastic views from high above the Dry Creek Valley before we head back down to visit a winery with beautiful botanical gardens featuring hundreds of rare species of plants from around the world & plenty of award winning wine tasting with wine that have been featured at the White House for generations.

MSVineyards (5K) Our next stop is Quivera Winery where our picnic style lunch is served on their vineyard patio. Michel-Schlumberger is next, offering the best private winery/vineyard tour of this region. This French Estate winery is set beautifully in the bench land hills of the Dry Creek Valley. A walk through the hillside vineyard and facility will leave you craving for what is to come next: an opportunity to relax in the executive kitchen sipping tremendous wines. An easy ride south through the oak dotted hills puts you at Lambert Bridge Winery for an optional stop or continue back to the hotel for a soak in the heated pool and spa. Dinner on your own tonight at one of many fine local restaurants. 31 miles (moderate).

Cycling-Wine-O (8K) Day 3: Cycling, Hop Kiln, Korbel Tour/Tasting, Redwoods Hike, Sonoma Coast Hike & Cycle
Following breakfast, you'll see why the Russian River Valley is designated the cool growing region due to the fog intruding up the Russian River and its tributaries. This 11,200-acre region produces fine Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Cabernet. Cycle to Hop Kiln Winery, in the Sweetwater Springs Historic District, the leading provider of hops in the West Coast back in the early 1900's. Historic Hop Kiln Winery, with its three 90-foot tall wooden towers, is on the State Registry of Historical Places due to the crafty stonework by Italian stonemasons back in 1905. Continue cycling along the "most scenic & popular" cycling road in Sonoma County to Korbel.

Korbel is one of the last American Champagne Houses using the Champagne Methodoise method. You'll tour this 150 year old facility prior to lunch on their redwood deck before heading down river to marvel in the beauty of the redwoods en route to the Sonoma Coast. Your naturalist/guide will lead you through an old-growth redwood forest where you’ll witness 300ft+ tall trees that are over 1,400 years old. Your tour concludes here. Call for transportation details. 15 miles (easy/moderate).

Congratulations, you just cycled, hiked and sipped wine in one of the premiere destinations in all the world. Cheers and Bon Voyage!

"The bicycle is the last machine simple enough to be understood by its owner." -Spokesong