Explore the Western Monarch Sanctuaries
Old-Growth Forests and Migrations
Saturday to Saturday (one week)
January 16-23, 2016
Each autumn, most Monarch butterflies west of the
Rocky Mountains migrate to the coast of California to
spend the winter. In their journey, they pass through
old- growth forests of Douglas-fir, Western Red Cedar,
and most spectacularly, Redwoods and Sequoias. On
this tour, we visit California’s monarch sanctuaries and
rugged seacoast. We experience some of the largest
and oldest living organisms on the planet, the Sequoias.
We investigate the migration of monarchs, birds and
mammals (elephant seals, sea lions, gray whales), while
exploring the ecology, geology and history of the west
coast. We explore California’s historic connection to
Mexico and its indigenous past while learning about the
literary connections of John Steinbeck and his friend Ed
Ricketts, a Pacific Ocean ecology pioneer.
This trip is sponsored by Monarch Teacher
Network… a program of the Educational
Information and Resource Center (EIRC), a
New Jersey public agency. EIRC has
provided educational programs and services
to NJ schools since 1968. See www.eirc.org
or www.MonarchTeacherNetwork.org for
more information. EIRC staff member Brian
Hayes, and others will lead this trip.
Teachers can receive New Jersey
professional development credits for
participating in this trip.
Trip Itinerary
Saturday Day 1: (Jan 16): Arrive in San Francisco. Transfer to our hotel in downtown San Francisco;
early arrivals can explore parts of San Francisco. Our group will meet at the hotel at 6 pm for dinner and an
overview of the cultural and natural landscape included in our tour.
Sunday Day 2: Breakfast at our hotel. Travel by charter bus or van south to Salinas to explore the John
Steinbeck Museum and have lunch. In the afternoon we explore one of the largest monarch colonies in
California. Dinner and hotel along the cliffs of Pismo Beach, with an evening walk on the beach exploring.
Monday Day 3: Hotel breakfast, then we wind our way north on the famous Route 1 highway, with stunning
views of the rugged California coast. We will stop along the way to explore tidal pools at San Simeon and
the elephant seal colonies of Piedras Blancas, watching for sea otters, migrating gray whales and exotic
west coast birds. We will have a picnic lunch at Sand Dollar Beach with a walk along the “jade coast”,
followed by a walk in towering redwoods near Big Sur. Dinner/hotel in Monterey.
Tuesday Day 4: Breakfast at our hotel, then a presentation on John Steinbeck and Ed Ricketts with a walk
to some of the real life sites from the book Cannery Row. Lunch is in Carmel by the sea with time to explore
this quaint town, then off to Point Lobos with its rugged coast, sea life and old-growth Cypress forest. Return
to our hotel for wine and cheese before we have dinner in Monterey.
Wednesday Day 5: Hotel breakfast. Then we visit historic Pacific Grove (Butterfly Town, USA) and it’s
butterfly colony. We will travel along the coast of Pacific Grove then return to Monterey and the world-famous
Monterey Aquarium and Cannery Row, inspiration for John Steinbeck’s book of that name. Lunch and the
afternoon are at your own pace at the aquarium. Dinner in Monterey.
Thursday Day 6: Breakfast at hotel. Today we head north, stopping at Moss Landing before we arrive at
Henry Cowell State Park’s coastal redwoods as we learn how many teachers we can fit inside one giant
redwood tree. Lunch in Felton then we visit Ano Nuevo Park and a walk along its spectacular beaches and
cliffs, exploring its elephant seals, sea life and geology. Dinner and hotel in the Greater San Francisco area.
Friday Day 7: Hotel breakfast, then early departure for Muir Woods and its ancient redwoods. Explore the
importance of old-growth to butterflies, other animals and people, as we experience the spiritual nature of
these “grandfathers” of the forest. Then we are on to Point Reyes National Park following the trace of the
San Andreas Fault. Afternoon includes an interpretive walk along a section of the San Andreas Fault and
either a visit to a restored Miwok (native) village or a visit to “Drake’s Bay” where Sir Francis Drake stopped
in 1579 as he sailed around the world in The Golden Hind. Farewell dinner near hotel.
Saturday Day 8 (Jan 23): Hotel breakfast, then transfer to airport for flight home.
Itinerary may change based on weather and local conditions. Note local time is 3 hours behind
Eastern Time. WIFI is available at most locations and hotels.
Land cost/deposits: The land portion of the trip is booked through EIRC and costs $1,395. See below for
what this includes. Payments for the land portion are made out to “EIRC- Global Connections” and
submitted with application to: EIRC - Global Connections, 107 Gilbreth Parkway, Suite 200, Mullica Hill, NJ.
08062 attn: Brian Hayes. The trip deposit is $725 per person, paid with trip application; applications
will be accepted on first-come, first-served basis, as space allows. The balance of $670 per person is
due by December 1, 2015. Payments are non-refundable, non-changeable (hotel space is booked early):
if you foresee the possibility of trip cancellation, you should get travel insurance.
Air: Each person is responsible to book their own airfare to San Francisco, California. Details about
participants and the trip leader’s flight will be made available in mid-November so participants can coordinate
travel plans. People must NOT book their flight until that announcement is made.
Included in the tour: 7 nights hotel accommodation (rates based on double occupancy… single
supplements available at additional cost); 7 breakfasts; entrance fees to butterfly colonies and state/national
parks; transport via air-conditioned motor coach or van, depending on the size of the group.
Not included in the tour: Cost for airfare; all lunches and dinners (budget roughly $45-55/day); airport
transfers; tips for bus driver, guide or other gratuities; admission to Monterey Aquarium and other admissions
not specifically listed as “included”; and other expenses of a personal nature.