Hiking with Russ!

Posted on March 11, 2009 by Sonadora

This past September, I finally had a chance to go hiking with Russ. Russ, in case you haven’t heard of him, is better known as the Winehiker.  He leads hikes all over the Northern California wine country that involve a hike, lunch, a wine tasting.  Russ kindly picked me up at the airport the day I arrived in San Francisco and whisked me away for a 5ish mile hike in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

Now, I’m not much of a hiker.  At all.  Actually, I’m all around unathletic. And, I had just gotten off a plane from DC that left DC at 7am! But I was up for trying, and Russ promised it would be a moderate hike!  Now let me tell you, even if you are about as athletic as I am, it is worth it to get out on a hike in the Santa Cruz Mountains with Russ.  Russ is incredibly knowledgable about all the flora and fauna in the area and makes for a great field guide.  Following are some photos from my lovely hike, including the Banana Slug(s) that fascinated me!  Next time you are in CA, I’d highly recommend giving Russ a call to schedule your own Winehike!

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Filed under: California, Winehiker |

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6 Responses

  1. Chad, on March 11, 2009 at 7:19 am said:

    Unless they’ve changed it, a banana slug is the official mascot of UC, Santa Cruz. That’s the first time that I’ve seen a real one, though. Kudos on the pics! 🙂

  2. Claire, on March 11, 2009 at 10:51 am said:

    What a great idea! I’ll have to run that by my husband & see what he thinks.

    Blech, slugs…but I’ve never seen a yellow one.

  3. Karen, on March 11, 2009 at 8:25 pm said:

    I grew up in the Santa Cruz mountains (actually considered to be part of los gatos. We lived on Summit Road. I’d forgotten about the banana slugs, probably because I haven’t seen them since I was in elementary school (Loma Prieta). I live in Central Oregon now, but really miss the redwoods.

  4. winehiker, on March 11, 2009 at 11:28 pm said:

    I actually lead tours in the Sierra and Central Coast wine regions too! And, truly, the banana slug is still the official mascot of UC Santa Cruz! Wherever there are Coast redwood trees here, one can usually find banana slugs burbling about.

    Thankya for the shout-out, Ms. Sonadora. Miss you lotsa!!

  5. Sonadora, on March 12, 2009 at 6:54 pm said:

    Thanks Chad, I really loved the slugs!

    Claire, I promise, they were fascinating! And a hike with Russ is well worth it!

    Thanks for stopping by Karen, glad to remind you of the slugs 🙂

    My dear Russ, you must come out of hiding and play with us! We’ll be in Napa on Sat. April 18 with Thea….!

  6. winehiker, on April 5, 2009 at 9:04 pm said:

    Me, hiding? Naw – merely saving up my best for your next visit, m’dear. I’ll be there with bells on to guide you! – well, boots on, anyhoo. Get ready for more California winehiking fun! You and Matt ain’t seen nuthin’ yet.

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