Nancy riding Gonzo on her birthday at Rancho de los Caballeros, Wickenburg, AZ

It’s always a good idea to take the planning of your birthday celebration into your own hands. Last year, I took a foodie tour of San Francisco and this year I booked myself a solo getaway with sunshine and horseback riding at Rancho de los Caballeros in Wickenburg, Arizona.

This travel writer played tourist in San Francisco with an overnight stay at the Sir Francis Drake during the annual Fancy Food Show.

February:

To Alisal Guest Ranch for horseback riding and a visit to California’s storybook town of Solvang.

February is Mardi Gras time in the South. This was not only my first time to celebrate Mardi Gras -  be a part of a krewe, throw beads and ride on a float – it was also my first time visiting the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

March:

Road trip to Carmel, California and the Hofsas House in early March. Then onto Healdsburg for an overnight at Hotel Les Mars and horseback riding through the Sonoma county vineyards of Chalk Hill Estate.

I flew an airplane, and not just any plane, I piloted a Cirrus SR-22 for the first time with the Learn to Fly program. What a trip!

Vegas bound to dine with Chef Pierre at the Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas in Nevada.

April:

My first time to San Antonio, Texas to celebrate Fiesta San Antonio, cruise along the famous river walk  and see the Mission Walk trail, connecting bikers, joggers and walkers on this landscaped, historic trail. While I didn’t have time for horseback riding in Texas, I watched my first Charreada in San Antonio.

Travel California’s Wine Road of Northern Sonoma County to Everett Ridge.

May:

I traveled California’s Wine Road of Northern Sonoma County on a blogger retreat in early May and then ventured over to Napa for the expansion of Meritage Resort & Spa. They have an underground spa that is out of this world.

I journeyed to Debeque, Colorado, near Grand Junction, for a week of hanging with cowboys and horseback riding at the High Lonesome Ranch. I also experienced my first cattle drive while on the back of a horse. Giddy up!

June:

Once again, I purchased my ticket to TBEX, the Travel Blog Exchange annual conference. And once again, the dates conflicted with another writing assignment. No way was I going to pass up a trip to Toulouse, France and the Midi-Pyrenees region. I drank and dined my way through Saint-Jacques-de-Compostelle thanks to the French Tourism Board.

July:

I drove California’s Sonoma Coast in my Mini Cooper, hugging scenic Highway One until I reached Timber Cove Inn,  located in Jenner, California. Timber Cove is undergoing a room-by-room, large scale renovation. I’ll be anxious to see the end result of the remodel.

August:

Some people walk the historic el Camino de Santiago, our family takes a yearly pilgrimage to Sunriver Resort in central Oregon. While others may not consider a family vacation as spiritual, or a time for inner reflection; I beg to differ. Our yearly vacation is a rare moment in time when everyone clears their busy schedules and makes time for down time. Time to float the Deschutes River rapids with friends; time to go horseback riding, and, time for my Oregon-born husband to re-connect with his outdoor-oriented roots.

September:

I flew non-stop from San Francisco International Airport to Palm Springs, California. This was my first time to discover the Hollywood desert playground of the rich and famous. Next stop, a road trip to Temecula Valley Winegrowers to experience Southern California’s CRUSH.

Spa Natur’Eau, Quebec, Canada

October:

I flew into Montreal and enjoyed a visual experience at the Botanical Gardens, along with a city tour. Then onto Quebec, Canada in the fall for a spa trip to experience Nordic Baths and overnights at fabulous country inns.

November:

After many years of dealing with a failing hip, I made the decision to undergo total hip replacement surgery. You’ll see from this post that it took me quite awhile to come to terms with this decision. While my surgeon said no to horseback riding in Mexico, I was fortunate to be invited to Secrets Vallarta Bay in Puerto Vallarta for one last hotel review prior to surgery.

December:

My travel wings were clipped the month of December due to my left hip replacement surgery. However,  I had a chance to speak with some cowboys and cowgirls who had experience recovering from joint replacement surgery and broken bones and were now back in the saddle.

What are you grateful for this year? Have you traveled somewhere special or made plans for travel in 2013.  I’d love to hear what travel plans are in store for you.

Related Post:

Travel Writer Nancy D. Brown’s 2011 Year in Review

Travel Writer Nancy D. Brown’s 2010 Year in Review

Tom Frainier, Semifreddi’s self-proclaimed Chief Boot Licker stands in front of the original Semifreddi’s bread oven.

Semifreddi’s – the people’s bakery

When I asked Tom Frainier to describe his Semifreddi’s Bakery business,  the UC Berkeley graduate exclaimed with a smile, “we’re the people’s bakery!” Frainer joined his sister and brother-in-law in their tiny Kensington, California bakery after ditching corporate life at Clorox back in 1988.

Tom Frainier, Barbara & Mike Rose in the original Kensington, California Semifreddi’s Bakery

Dreamer of dreams Tom Frainier

Like Willy Wonka of chocolate fame, Frainier is a dreamer of dreams who, along with his partners, has successfully grown the family-owned business from Kensington to a 33,000 square foot, environmentally-friendly bakery production center located in Alameda, California. Frainier has kept his sense of humor intact, swapping his CEO title for Chief Boot Licker and truly values his hard-working employees.

Tom Frainier and the Hand-Crafted Dough Factory

With his spiked blonde hair, Frainier dons a hairnet and opens the gates to Semifreddi’s Bakery to give me a first hand look at his bread factory. While Frainier insists this is not a factory, the magic of the place is reminiscent of Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory.

Watching the flour travel from the silo in one room, up through pipes, hugging the walls and ceiling of the wonderland, to ultimately dump into vats in another room, reminded me of Wonka’s Chocolate Factory, sans umpa lumpas. Yet instead of chocolate, my nose was pleasantly over-whelmed with the aroma of cinnamon and fresh baked bread.

Racks of Semifreddi’s artisian breads await delivery to bay area locations

Focaccia bread -  is good sheet…bread

The Alameda company is known for their sourdough, sweet and seeded baguettes, as well as  challah, cinnamon twist,  ciabatta, country levain, rosemary focaccia – this is good sheet….bread, rye, sourdough and the sweet batard. While high tech machines help the bread baking process along, it is the employees who hand craft the artisan breads.

Frainier points out that his breads contain four ingredients: flour, water, salt and yeast. “The less ingredients,” says Frainier, “the fresher and the more local it is.” In fact, 75% of the companies sales are within 30 miles of Alameda.

Semifreddi’s Bakery worker prepares bread dough

Semifreddi Pasteries

You may know the bay area bakery for hand-crafted breads, but did you know Semifreddi’s also bakes morning buns, cinnamon morning buns, cinnamon swirl bread, biscotti, almond biscotti, almond croissants, chocolate croissants, apple turnovers, muffins, scones, blueberry cream cheese danish and pecan swirls? Dessert fans may enjoy chocolate chip, oatmeal or snickerdoodle cookies and seasonal breads such as pumpkin or ginger bread. Salad lovers have not been over-looked; try the super garlic croutons. Frainier hands packets of garlic croutons out to his neighborhood trick-or-treaters during Halloween night.

Semifreddi’s Super Garlic Croutons

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Tour Semifreddi’s Bakery

Tours of the 33,000 square foot bakery are free and open to the general public with a minimum of 10 people – children and school groups welcome – advance reservations required.

Travelers will like Semifreddi’s for their almond biscotti and chocolate-dipped biscotti. Packed with nutritional value, the biscotti is available on line, as are the garlic croutons, and fit easily into backpacks and earthquake kits.

Follow Semifreddi Bakery on Twitter or friend them on Facebook. For all things travel related, follow Travel Expert Nancy D. Brown on Twitter.

Semifreddi breads rest in proofing baskets

If You Go:

Semifreddi Bakery (510) 596-9930

1980 North Loop Road
Alameda, CA 94502

Have you been to Alameda? What are your favorite things to do in Alameda, California?

Semifreddi’s Bakery, located in Alameda, California, is open to the public for tours with advance reservations

Article, photos and YouTube video produced by Travel Writer Nancy D. Brown

Related Post:

Where to Eat Cheap in San Francisco, California

Norwegian Sami Dolls on a trip to Bergen, Norway

Whenever I’m asked what I do for a living, the title of travel writer elicits responses of envy. It’s true, I have one of the best jobs in the world. However,  travel writing does require hard work, plenty of research and writing and endless amounts of time spent at airports waiting for flights.

For those who hope to follow in my travel writing flight path, I wish you smooth sailing, be it over San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge in a Zeppelin or on the Hurtigruten discovering Norway’s authentic West Coast.

To my newspaper, magazine and on-line readers, my continued thanks for subscribing to the Contra Costa Times, Diablo magazine and this What a Trip blog.

2010 Travel Writer Year in Review – What a Trip

January: The cowboys and cowgirls of Kay El Bar Ranch invited me to launch Writinghorseback at their ranch in Wickenburg, Arizona. I couldn’t have started this horseback riding vacation blog without the support of Trisha Miller of Travel Writers Exchange. Trisha was kind enough to feature me in her travel blogger case studies.  Additionally, I look forward to miles and aisle of new food trends at San Francisco’s annual Fancy Food Show.

February: I was looking forward to my first visit to Yellowstone National Park via Cody, Wyoming. However, a torn rotator cuff on my husband’s left shoulder left me playing Nurse Nancy.

March: Anyone who knows me is aware of my keen fondness for Alaska. I was thrilled when the PR gurus behind Travel Alaska invited me to cover the 2010 Iditarod Sled Dog Race.  Thanks also goes to Karen Lundquist of Fairbanks CVB for arranging my Alaska lodging, travel gear and visits to Chena Hot Springs and the World Ice Art Championships. I think the sled dog ride was a highlight of my 2010 travel experiences! That’s not to say I didn’t have a wonderful trip my first time visiting Ojai, California.

April: For the horse lovers out there, my visit to Graham, Texas and Wildcatter Ranch was my first encounter with Long Horn cattle and horseback riding by the Brazos River. Steak lovers will love this place!

Surfboards in Oahu, Hawaii

May: The Netherlands invited me to visit Holland during a cold snap in early May. This was my first trip to Brussels,  Bruges and Ghent in Belgium, as well as The Hauge, Zeeland and Zeil in the Netherlands. If you plan your trip for early May, be sure to catch the Holy Blood Procession in Bruges – it is quite a visual and auditory treat for the senses with its floats, costumes and music.

Have you heard of the No Hoku Hanohano Awards? I was a guest of the Hawaii Tourism Authority for a culture-focused trip to Honolulu. There is plenty to do on Oahu, including the Prince Lot Hula Festival.

June: I love meeting CVB and PR people on Twitter. One of these social media pros is Lisa Gerber of Big Leap Creative. Gerber hooked me up with a Coeur d’ Alene, Idaho adventure, as well as horseback riding at Red Horse Mountain Ranch, an all inclusive resort in Harrison, Idaho.

July: Travel bloggers know that we often spend as much time in front of the computer as we do traveling. This July we gathered in the Big Apple for TBEX New York, our annual travel blogger conference. While in New York I asked a group of travel bloggers for their insider tips on things to see and do in New York. Next year TBEX will converge in Vancouver, Canada.

Each year we take a family vacation to Sunriver Resort in Central Oregon. When the kids were young, we traveled as a family of four. Now that we have two teenagers, we travel in multiple vehicles as the kids like to bring friends on our family vacation.  There are many things to do on an outdoor vacation in Oregon.

August: Late summer I went horseback riding in the Sierra Foothills of Copperopolis and then traveled to Half Moon Bay for horseback riding on the beach.

As my father’s side of the family hails from Norway, I was delighted to be a guest of Innovation Norway. In addition to horseback riding on a Fjord horse in Bergen, I was able to visit many Norwegian cities sailing Norway’s authentic coast on the Hurtigruten.

Travel Writer Nancy D. Brown lands a Chinook with Canada’s West Coast Fishing Club.

September: For the fishermen and women out there, I have a favorite new fishing lodge thanks to a Twitter introduction from Hawksworth Communications in Vancouver, Canada. The West Coast Fishing Club in Canada’s Haida Gwaii offers luxury accommodations, first rate food and excellent halibut and salmon fishing. For those who ask if I ever travel with my husband, it is difficult to coordinate schedules with jobs and teenagers. We were fortunate to celebrate our 24 year wedding anniversary and watch the leaves change colors at Cathedral Mountain Lodge in Yolo National Park and Moraine Lake Lodge in Banff  National Park.

October: Thanks to Albuquerque Convention & Visitors Bureau and the folks at Geiger PR, I was able to go up in a hot air balloon at the International Balloon Fiesta in New Mexico. What a trip!

Travel Writer Nancy D. Brown about to lift off at International Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque, NM

November: Having never visited Hawaii’s Big Island, I was happy to join Jessica Ferracane of Iron Dog Public Relations and the Big Island Visitors Bureau for a trip to the Kohala Coast.

Thanksgiving had me visiting Carmel, California to give thanks with family. I was supposed to go horseback riding with the Pebble Beach Equestrian Center, but a scheduling snafu prevented a glorious day of horseback riding on Pebble Beach.

December: Celebrating the holidays in the San Francisco Bay Area and busy working my public relations job at KRT Marketing.

Where will your travels take you in 2011?

Surfboard photo courtesy of Hawaii Tourism Authority Joe Solem