Hyperbole Aside, Marin County Has a Huge Selection of Hiking Trails
July 18, 2009 by Dave DuPont · 1 Comment
According to a fairly impressive Web site, (www.marintrails.com) Marin County has the finest urban park systems in the world with over 600 miles of wonderful trails. While this statement might seem a bit overblown by about one hundred miles since a mere 500 miles of trails are claimed elsewhere in the site, it really doesnt matter. Clearly, Marin County is a paradise for hikers.
Hiking experts, Don and Kay Martin collected information about the specifics and routes of 141 separate hikes within Marin County for a book entitled, Hiking Marin, 141 Great Hikes in Marin County. The book provides detailed 3D maps for each hike and directions to each trailhead.
It is doubtless true that Marin County is a hikers paradise with 3 national parks, 6 state parks, 24 county open space lands and 7 other parks and open space areas. Kidding aside, an amazing 42% of these lands are open to the public, which leaves more hiking than most of us could possibly hike in a lifetime.
What is the most important consideration before choosing a specific hiking trail? Experts say that is weather is paramount. Bad weather with fog, drizzle and only 100 feet of visibility can all conspire together to change a great hike into a dismal one. Other important considerations include the distance to be hiked, the change in elevation during the hike, the level of difficulty of the trail and whether shade is provided along the way.
December and January arent the best hiking weather, but between the raindrops that fall during those winter months, one can hike along the ocean and see whales and elephant seals. Late winter months of February and March, while extremely wet, are the best months to hike. This is when various spring flowers begin to bloom for those not bothered by allergies.
Naturally, as the weather gets better and everything is green and flowery, more great hiking may be experienced in the spring months of April and May. As the summer months of June and July bring both heat and dryness, there are still cool and foggy areas that beg to be hiked: Muir Woods, Steep Ravine and the Marin Headlands are a few of them.
The best places to hike during the hotter and drier months of August and September are on the coast and the beach areas, as well as north-facing trails. The early morning is the best time to hike when the sun hasnt started to burn through the fog. Because of fire hazards, it is best to avoid Mt. Tamalpais and the hills and ridges of central and north Marin.
The months of October and November can be gusty with occasional rain, yet many sunny days that are ideal for hiking along the coast, south-facing trails and woodlands in central Marin and around the lakes.
Good hiking boots, water, or other fluids, a first aid kit, a light jacket, extra food and a poncho in winter and sunscreen in the summer are just some of the items that it is essential to take along on a hike. Others include a knife, a hat, book or map, flashlight, binoculars, a compass and a whistle, (to which the writer adds a cellphone with the caveat that it may or may not work in many areas west of San Rafael). Any or all of these things may be extremely handy in case you get lost or turn your ankle.
Hyperbole Aside, Marin County Has Hiking Trails Galore
July 16, 2009 by David DuPont · Leave a Comment
A fairly impressive Web site, (www.marintrails.com) states that Marin County has the finest urban park systems in the world with over 600 miles of wonderful trails. Perhaps an overblown statement by about one hundred miles since a mere 500 miles of trails are claimed elsewhere in the site, it really doesnt matter. Clearly, Marin County is an awesome place for hikers.
Hiking experts, Don and Kay Martin collected information about the specifics and routes of 141 separate hikes within Marin County for a book entitled, Hiking Marin, 141 Great Hikes in Marin County. The book provides detailed 3D maps for each hike and directions to each trailhead.
It is doubtless true that Marin County is a hikers paradise with 3 national parks, 6 state parks, 24 county open space lands and 7 other parks and open space areas. Kidding aside, an amazing 42% of these lands are open to the public, which leaves more hiking than most of us could possibly hike in a lifetime.
The most important consideration before choosing a specific hiking trail, according to experts, is the weather. Bad weather with fog, drizzle and only 100 feet of visibility can all conspire to turn a great hike into a dismal one. Other important considerations include the distance of the hike, the elevations to be experienced during the hike, the trails level of difficulty, and the availability of shade along the way.
December and January, the early winter months, arent the best hiking weather, but between occasional rain showers, one can hike along the ocean and see whales and elephant seals. While it is the rainy season, the late winter months of February and March are the best times to hike. For those not bothered by allergies, various spring flowers begin to bloom in late winter.
The spring months of April and May, naturally, as the weather gets better and everything is green and flowery provide times for great hiking. As heat and dryness descend during the summer months of June and July, there are still cool and foggy areas begging to be hiked: Muir Woods, Steep Ravine and the Marin Headlands are three of them.
During the hotter and drier months of August and September, the best places to hike are on the coast and the beach areas, as well as north-facing trails. The best time to hike is the early morning when the sun hasnt started to burn through the fog. It is best to avoid Mt. Tamalpais and the hills and ridges of central and north Marin because of fire hazard.
The months of October and November can be gusty with occasional rain, yet many sunny days that are ideal for hiking along the coast, south-facing trails and woodlands in central Marin and around the lakes.
Good hiking boots, water, or other fluids, a first aid kit, a light jacket, extra food and a poncho in winter and sunscreen in the summer are just some of the items that it is essential to take along on a hike. Others include a knife, a hat, book or map, flashlight, binoculars, a compass and a whistle, (to which the writer adds a cellphone with the caveat that it may or may not work in many areas west of San Rafael). Any or all of these things may be extremely handy in case you get lost or turn your ankle.
Mill Valley, California Offers a Plethora of Prime Educational Opportunities
July 16, 2009 by David DuPont · Leave a Comment
Many excellent educational choices ” both public and private ” are available in the Town of Mill Valley, California, which is one of the most sought-after towns in which to live within affluent Marin County.
Among Public Elementary Schools: The five public elementary schools in Mill Valley include: Old Mill School, 352 Throckmorton Ave., 415 -389-7727; Edna Maguire School, 80 Lomita Dr., 415-389-7733; Strawberry Point School, 117 E. Strawberry Dr., 415-389-7660; Park School, 360 East Blithedale Ave., 415-389- 7735; and Tam Valley School, 350 Bell Lane, 415-389-7731.
Attendance at the various public elementary and middle schools is determined by where the student lives. Four private schools serve pre-kindergarten or kindergarten to 5th grade students in Mill Valley. Each of them is discussed below.
While there is only one public middle school, there are four private schools that serve middle school students. This school and the five public elementary schools above are administered by the Mill Valley School District, 415-389-7700. Public Middle School: The only public middle school in Mill Valley is the Mill Valley Middle School, 425 Sycamore Ave., 415-389-7711.
Private Elementary/Middle Schools: The amazingly varied private elementary, combined with middle school offerings in Mill Valley include the Ring Mountain Day School, 70 Lomita Drive, Grades: K-8, 415-381-8183. Please note that the preschool campus of Ring Mountain Day is in Tiburon. Mount Tamalpais School, 100 Harvard Avenue, 415-383-9434; Grades: K-8; Greenwood School, 17 Buena Vista Avenue, 415-388-0495, Grades: K-8; and the Marin Horizon School, 305 Montford Avenue, 415-388-8408, Grades: PK-8, Montessori school.
Public High School: Located at 700 Miller Ave., Tamalpais High School is the only public high school in Mill Valley, telephone: 415-388-3292. There are no private high schools within the municipality of Mill Valley. The school has ranked in the top five percent of American high schools since 2005 by the Washington Post and received the California Distinguished School award in 1999, 2005 and 2009.
Among the numerous famous graduates of Tamalpais High are Mario Cipollina, class of 1972, musician (Copperhead, Soundhole, Huey Lewis and the News, Terry and the Pirates); Kathleen Quinlan, class of 1972, actress (American Graffiti, Apollo 13, Oliver Stone’s The Doors, Breach); and Courtney Thorne- Smith, class of 1985, actress (Melrose Place, Ally McBeal, According to Jim).
Some of the famous athletes who graduated from Tamalpais High include Art Schallock, class of 1943, MLB pitcher: Yankees (1953 World Series), Orioles; Sam Chapman, class of 1934, (high school & college all star, California Golden Bears; Philadelphia Athletics & Cleveland Indians); and Joe DeMaestri 1946 ” MLB shortstop: A’s, St. Louis Browns, Chicago White Sox, Yankees, 1957 All Star, 1960 World Series.
Other notable Tamalpais High graduates include Peter Shor, class of 1977, mathematician, MIT, MacArthur Fellow; Montgomery McFate, class of 1984, anthropologist, defense analyst; and Sarah Austin, class of 2004, Manhattan- based Internet personality, and founder of Pop17.
Among the honors received by Tamalpais High School in 2009, was the Mock Trial Team, which placed sixth in the nation at the National High School Mock Trial Championship in Atlanta, Georgia. Over 2,000 mock trial teams competed and 40 states had championship teams.
Tips on Buying San Francisco Home Insurance
Getting the best possible deal should be your goal when searching for San Francisco Home Insurance. Many people believe that insurance prices do not fluctuate from insurance company to insurance company or from policy to policy. This is false, the rates change from same policy from one company to another. So, it is critical to shop around if you want to get the best lowest price for the best coverage available. You can save several hundred dollars doing comparisons.
If you are a brand new homeowner then you could always start with the advice of the people you are getting your mortgage through. Because of their experience in the business, they may have a good idea of where you can turn for great coverage.
They may already have a few companies in mind that they are used to working with. This does not mean, however, that you are forced to go with any particular Home Insurance company that they mention to you. Feel free to take your time shopping around for the best rates.
Even though the price is low, make sure the coverage is sufficient for all the replacement of your home and personal belongings. You do not want to sacrifice coverage for low price, which is short sited.
There is no such thing in being too cautious when it comes to selecting the right San Francisco Home Insurance. Make sure that you are able to afford the yearly premiums as well. If you feel that the price each year is a little much to come up with all at once, see about monthly payments. In fact, your mortgage company should be able to help you out with this.
Many mortgage companies are able to provide you with escrowed insurance. You are still in charge of selecting the particular San Francisco Home Insurance that you want to go with. All they do is break up your yearly premium and spread it over your monthly mortgage payments.
