September is time for wine

With 2,300 wineries, California produces 90 percent of the nation's wine, and ranks fourth in the world in terms of production, behind only France, Italy and Spain. To promote the industry, the California Wine Institute and the California Travel and Tourism Commission teamed up to promote the state as the "capital of culinary travel."
Last week, members of those organizations, along with the Monterey County Vintners and Growers Association, hosted about a dozen wine, food, lifestyle and travel writers on a media tour stretching from San Francisco to Santa Barbara. On the Monterey County stop, the group spent an evening at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, where they were introduced to several Monterey County winemakers, local sustainable wine-growing practices, and Monterey County's tourism opportunities.

Raceway event may clog weekend traffic

North Bay traffic may be affected this weekend by an event at Infineon Raceway in at Sears Point Sonoma, Caltrans officials said. The raceway's event will be held from Friday until Sunday and officials are warning state highways throughout the area may feel the impact, especially Highway 37 and Highway 121. Changeable message signs on freeways will be adjusted as necessary to inform drivers of any delays, Caltrans officials said. North Bay motorists are asked to use alternate routes if possible and allow for extra travel time if going to Sears Point.

Cluster of reggae shows close out summer

Summer in California means a crop of music festivals, and local Santa Cruz clubs harvest the best of the fests. Right now, reggae music is in season with a bounty of shows at Moe's Alley and the Catalyst over the next couple of months."We have an unusual anomaly in Santa Cruz," says Moe's Alley owner Bill Welch. "Audiences don't want to see new reggae bands so much, they want to see reggae bands that have been around a long time" These are the classic bands that dominated Bob Marley/Jimmy Cliff era — the Mighty Diamonds [Sept. 6, Moe's] or Israel Vibrations [Sept. 28, Catalyst] — bands going old school, anchored in the roots-reggae style with backing horns and a rock-steady beat.

Partnership to Promote California Culinary Travel

California is America's largest wine producer with nearly 2,300 wineries and 90 percent of U.S. wine production. Winegrowing regions are located throughout the state, which is the fourth largest wine producer in the world, behind only France, Italy and Spain. California also has nine of the top 10 U.S. agricultural counties, which grow a diverse assortment of fresh produce that many fine chefs demand in California's 80,000 restaurants and eateries. "California is the most visited state in the U.S. for food and wine-related activities," said CTTC Executive Director Caroline Beteta. "Wine and food have moved from being a mere vacation activity to a significant part of the aspirational California lifestyle, becoming a driver to visitors choosing a destination."

Tri-Valley Convention & Visitors Bureau

The Tri-Valley Convention & Visitors Bureau has launched a new Web site to promote the region, along with a new logo and other branding materials.The new Web site provides visitor information and information for meetings and conventions and travel for the area, which includes Pleasanton, Livermore, Dublin, San Ramon and Danville.

California Travel Calendar september 2007

# California State Fair --Through Sept. 3. The 154th edition of the California State Fair with exhibitions, foods and beverages, rodeo, carnival, concerts, live performances and more. Cal Expo, Sacramento. 916-263-3247, http://www.bigfun.org.

# Saturday on the Plaza -- Concert Series -- Through Sept. 1, Napa. Hear a variety of musical entertainment throughout the summer. Visit the Web site for a complete schedule. Dwight Murray Plaza, First Street, downtown Napa. Free. http://www.napadowntown.com.

# 36th annual Mountain View Art & Wine Festival -- 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sept. 8-9. Live music, handcrafted work by 650 artists, edibles from around the globe and a host of family activities. Castro Street, Mountain View. Free. http://www.miramarevents.com.

# 25th annual Capitola Art & Wine Festival -- Sept. 8-9. Art, wine, food, music, a children's area and more. http://www.capitolachamber.com.

# Trails and Vistas -- Sept. 8, Truckee. An artwalk celebrating the environment through dance, music and art. $10-$25. http://www.trailsandvistas.com.

# Lodi Grape Festival & Harvest Fair -- Sept. 13-16. Exhibits, live entertainment, family activities and more. $4-$7/younger than 5 free. http://www.grapefestival.com.

Now's the best time of year for hanging out in the delta

The No. 1 boat name in the delta seems to be Serenity. It doesn't take much time out here in August, September or October to figure out why. This is the best time of year to find your rapture in the delta, whatever it might be: The best water-skiing, wakeboarding, bass fishing, houseboating - and with any of these, complete liberation from the Bay Area's congestion and stresses. From the air, the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta is a mosaic of rivers, islands and lakes, like a giant puzzle that fits perfectly. There are 55 islands and hundreds of miles of waterways. The levee system provides a network of roads that are connected by 70 bridges and even a few old-school ferries that run on cables.

California Coasting: Seashore to wine country

Our first morning out, we went north across the Golden Gate Bridge into Marin County and the California Coast to Point Reyes National Seashore. We then headed inland to the Napa Valley, which we explored that afternoon and the next morning, before driving northwest across northern Sonoma County to the coastal town of Mendocino. After a night there, we headed back down the coast and inland at the Russian River for more wine country touring before ending up in San Francisco for our final two days.

Along the California Father Road

Throughout the years, it has been called many names and had many small route alterations. But generally, the Bay Area portion of the Lincoln followed Interstate 80 to the north and Interstate 580 to the south. It has been called Highway 48, Highway 50 and Highway 40. In the late '20s, the road was rerouted from Sacramento. The original road went through Stockton, Tracy, Livermore, Hayward and San Leandro on its way to Oakland, where motorists caught the ferryboat to San Francisco. After that, the road went through Davis, Vallejo and Richmond to Berkeley, where the S.F. ferry embarked.

Travel and Adventure: Mendocino and the color purple

California mendocino County caps Sonoma like a cork, about 90 miles north of San Francisco. Rural, breathtaking and abundant, 90,000 inhabit this sparsely populated, rolling landscape composed of six fertile valleys. About the size of Rhode Island, it is a farming and ranching Eden that has embraced counterculture lifestyles and given birth to an active artistic community. The town of Mendocino, which sits on a bluff overlooking the Pacific, was once the busiest port in California.

New Mapping of California Campgrounds and RV Parks

AllStays.com has launched a new interactive way of finding a campground in California at http://www.allstays.com/Campgrounds/California-campground-map.htm Already using Google Maps for showing camping by city, (http://www.allstays.com) has created a single large map of the state showing hundreds upon hundreds of campgrounds and RV Parks statewide.

California Travel calendar Music Festivals

# 39th annual Bear Valley Music Festival -- Through Aug. 12. Live concerts, kids activities, wine tastings, food offerings and more. 800-458-1618, http://www.bearvalleymusic.org.

# Saturday on the Plaza -- Concert Series -- Through Sept. 1, Napa. Hear a variety of musical entertainment throughout the summer. Visit the Web site for a complete schedule. Dwight Murray Plaza, First Street, downtown Napa. Free. http://www.napadowntown.com.

# Concours d'Elegance Wooden Boat Show & Competition -- Aug. 9-11, North Lake Tahoe. Galas, awards, outdoor picnics, rallies and more. Sierra Boat Co., Carnelian Bay. $20-$100. 530-581-4700, http://www.laketahoeconcours.com.

# Ninth annual Sutter Creek Ragtime Festival -- Aug. 10-12. Live entertainment and music, dancing, Silent Movie Night and more. $55-$65. 209-223-0867, http://www.suttercreekragtime.com.

# 2007 Comcast San Jose Jazz Festival -- Aug. 10-12. More than 80 performers on 10 stages, family activities, food and more. Plaza de Cesar Chavez, downtown San Jose. $5/younger than 12 free. 408-288-7557,

The seven wonders of Ventura County

Residents had no shortage of suggestions. They included such impressive wonders as Oxnard's Carnegie Art Museum, Ventura's City Hall, the Arcade Plaza in Ojai, Camarillo House, Santa Paula's depot and oil museum, Piru Mansion, the Thomas Aquinas chapel, the Santa Susana tunnel, the Conejo Grade, and the Santa Clara Church.

Why Travel To California?

California, the third largest state in the U.S.A., boasts of countless destinations that will surely cater to any traveler?s discriminative taste. There are numerous theme parks, national parks, historical sites, and natural wonders that span the state?s entirety. It is a state that can be summed up in one word ? Diverse. Diversity can be manifested in the people, tourist spots, climate, and topography. The people in California are a happy mixture of different ethnic backgrounds. Aside from your typical White Americans, there are the African Americans, Native Americans, Hispanics and Asians.

Travel Review: California Highway 1

Glad to have the opportunity to make it to California, the second time over, I was looking forward to explore more places around San Jose. And I have not been disappointed, not one bit. During winter last year, it was biting cold, and my travels had to be restricted to a drive to Monterey, the Big Basin Redwoods, Mystery Spot and a visit to the beautiful lake at Tahoe, the last one courtesy my cousin. That there is much more to places around San Jose, California was never in doubt, with Yosemite, Napa Valley still uncovered.