Bodega Bay California

Well, we spent the last week in Bodega Bay California on an Elderhostel trip. Elderhostel is a travel company that puts together trips all over the world.

One nice thing about Elderhostel trips is that the published price is all inclusive. There are absolutely no hidden fees for activities, meals, tips, or anything. The trips are rated 1-6, with 1 meaning able to get out of bed unassisted, and 6 meaning able to hike 10 miles a day. Our trip was a 4 and included 3 days of hiking up to about 4 miles a day, and 1 day of kayaking approximately 4-5 miles.

Bodega Bay is the location where Alfred Hitchcock filmed "The Birds". One evening we watched the movie and recognized every scene in the movie.

We participated in different activities each day. We hiked near the bay the first day, and then hiked and visited Point Reyes National Seashore the next day. On Wednesday we hiked among the giant Coastal Redwoods and then visited the Korbel Winery in the afternoon. Thursday we kayaked on the Russian River to the edge of the Pacific Ocean, among the Harbor Seals, and then visited the small town of Occidental for lunch and shopping.

Some mornings and every evening there were programs by Anthropologists, Marine Biologists, wine experts, and entertainment by a singer songwriter who was a former singer with the New Christy Minstrels. We were a little apprehensive about the "educational programs" going in, but all were excellent and we enjoyed them very much.

Breakfast was at the hotel every morning. We packed sandwiches, fruit, and cookies for lunch while hiking, and dinner was catered at the hotel. The food was good.

There was a great group of 16 people on the trip and they came from all over the country. You have to be 50 or older to go on an Elderhostel trip and our group was all around 60 or so, and all were active outdoor enthusiasts. We had a lot of fun together.

The endorsement of Elderhostel came from the couples in our group. All had done multiple Elderhostel trips and some were on more than 10. That is a pretty good indication of how well they like Elderhostel. By the way, even though our group was all couples, they said that usually there is a fair percentage of singles on these trips. This was our first trip, but you can bet that we will do more.