6 Unusual Escapes For Fall
6. Set Sail around the Channel Islands. Santa Catalina Island is only a half-day's sail from Oceanside Harbor, and Oceanside is only about six hours from San Diego's Mission Bay. You can pull into either Two Harbors or Avalon. You might even have dolphins for company on the broad reach back to the Coast.
San Diego Yacht Charters (www.sdyc.com) will rent either a bareboat or crewed yacht for single or multiple day trips, and get discounts for weekday and multi-day rentals. A charter on a Hunter 340 for the weekend will run you about $500.
5. Mountain Bike The Rockies. Crested Butte (bikecrestedbutte.com) is home to the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame, and has become a magnet for fat tire cyclists all across the West. You can take lift chairs to access the resort's vast network of trails.
If you like a challenge, consider taking on Painter Boy or the legendary Trail 401. All the biking trails offer incredible views, and forest scenery.
4. Explore The Canadian Rockies By Train. Rocky Mountaineer Railtours (rockymountaineer.com) lets you see the leaves turn in the high country of British Columbia while being pampered in the comfort of a glassed-in viewing car.
You stay in hotels during the night. The cars are modern and airy, the food is excellent, and the staff is friendly. The price is also expensive (about $2,000 per person for a trip in October), but you can get a discount if you travel outside the peak summer season.
3. Dune Buggy On The Oregon Coast. Near the Southern Oregon coastal town of Florence lies a mini-Sahara that fascinates geologists and tourists alike. Nearly a third of the Oregon Dunes National Recreational Area (gorp.com) is accessible by off-road vehicles.
You can rent ATVs from Adventure Oregon in Florence (adventureoregon.com) for about $150 per day (includes briefing and instructional video).
Sandland Adventures (sandland.com) offers dune buggy tours of the Oregon Dunes for about $30 an hour.
2. Ride A Hot Air Balloon Over Wine Country. A balloon over Napa is one of the best ways to see the leaves turn color around Northern California. The best time to take flight is right after sunrise, before any winds have a chance to kick up. You can book a charter through any hotel in the valley, or get a special discount rate from balloonrides.com (balloonrides.com).
Adventures Aloft (nvaloft.com) has one of the most experienced and personable staffs in the area. They charge about $185 per person for a flight that typically lasts about an hour.
1. Tour The California Coast On A Harley. Ride the Dream Tours ridethedream.com), based in Santa Fe, New Mexico, offers a six-day tour that follows Route 1, from San Francisco to Los Angeles. The tour offers late model Harley-Davidsons, a support vehicle, helmets and rain gear, hotel accommodations and professional tour guides.
The company promises to do all the planning: "All you do is ride."
