With the nice summer weather finally here. My girlfriend and I decided that we would start hiking local trails in the area. While Sawyer Camp Trail is very beautiful and a perfect place to walk, we decided for a change in scenery.

With a quick Google search, I found BAHiker.com to be a great resource for anyone wanting to hike the bay area. After clicking around we decided to start our trekking at the Larry Lane Trail in Portola Valley (Click Here to View the BAHiker.com Trail Profile). Open to equestrians and hikers this trail as a gradual elevation change and under a 4 mile round trip distance. With the mild nature of this trail I would recommend it to almost anyone.

When driving up Sand Hill Road / Portola Valley Road, keep a keen lookout for Hayfields Road as it is very easy to pass. Driving up Hayfields Road you will see a wood post that says “Larry Lane Trail” a few feet before that is a turnout that is to be used for parking for 2-3 cars.

This trail is mainly used by locals whom have houses that backup to the trail. All of which we encountered were very  nice and accepting to have us on their trail. Almost at the end of trail there is a lovely shaded area with hitching posts and picnic tables.

Only a few hundred more feet will lead you to the end of the trail where you will find a bench that looks out to the peninsula/south bay with astounding views!

[Show as slideshow]

Posts Related To This Topic:

• Sawyer Camp Trail in San Mateo County (7)

Hi Everyone,

Just noticed that it’s been a while since anyone has posted on the blog. I’m guessing it’s due to the recent buzz in the local real estate market that is making business pick up.

I’ve been putting in a lot of effort towards work so I decided to focus some energy on the “greater good”. I am a huge animal lover; especially dogs. However, due to working long hours and having a home that is currently unsuitable for pets. I decided to start volunteering at the Peninsula Humane Society. It’s truly been an amazing and rewarding experience.

Anyhow, I have only put in about 5 hours there and have already been caught on video tape. Here is a short video of a dog currently available to adopt, Shenzi. In the background you will see me bribing Shenzi with treats around the agility course.

Click Here For More Information on Dog Adoptions!

Click Here For More Information on Other Adoptions!

This article was written and is the opinion of Brendan Aiello of Team Tapper. Nothing in this article reflects the views, opinions, thoughts, practices, etc. of The Peninsula Humane Society (PHS) or any of its affiliates.

Posts Related To This Topic:

• The Aiello Real Estate Market Statistics! (0)
• “There’s A New Lion In The Jungle!” (3)
• SFO to LAS $69 Each Way Using Virgin America! (1)

Good Morning Everyone!

For those of you who know me well, you may know that I am a bit of a wine snob  enthusiast. I’m often known for finding good deals on some of my favorite wines or being a go to guy when planning trips to Napa, Sonoma or Paso Robles.

Last year I went to my first “Passport to Dry Creek” event. While many vineyard-plentiful regions hold this type of event I’m going to tell you why this is my favorite one. Dry Creek Valley is located primarily in Healdsburg, CA — Sonoma County. This is an area known primarily for its amazing Zinfandels. However, many wineries in the Dry Creek Valley also produce award-winning Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc, and Pinot Noir.

I vowed I would never publicize this event because of how hard it normally is to obtain a ticket. Normally you have to know someone, be a highly active wine club member of a participating winery (all participating wineries are members of Winegrowers of the Dry Creek Valley) or be one of the limited few who acquires tickets through a raffle system. However, tickets don’t be seem as hard to come by this year, maybe because of the economy, or maybe because of the awesome new first come, first sever system that the winegrowers office set-up this year? Tickets run $120 for the weekend (Saturday and Sunday) or $70 for Sunday-only. Saturday is considered the best day to attend (and most crowded) but they do not offer a Saturday only ticket.

Want tickets for the event? (being held April 24^th & 25^th) Visit www.wdcv.com.

My Favorite Stops/Wineries:

Zichichi – Love their Cabs., Zins., and there new limited production Sauvignon Blanc.

A. Raffanelli – Oh My Goodness Amazing Zin. and their Cab. is pretty good too. This winery limits the amount of wine you can buy from them (if it’s even available) so, that tells you something. They also have an amazing food spread – they fly in a great chef all the way from Hawaii!

Sbragia – This winery features wines from most of their appellations (Dry Creek, Alexander, Napa and Sonoma valleys). My favorite was their bad-boy Napa Cab!

Ridge - A bit out of the way (compared to the others on Dry Creek, or West Dry Creek Roads), all the way up Lytton Springs, but totally worth heading out there– Ridge is predominantly known for their Monte Bello appellation in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Last year I really enjoyed a newly released Syrah and some yummy Paella… looking forward to what they have this year!

Brogan Cellars- is not a participating winery on the Passport event, but you should try their wines – Their Pinot Noir is awesome, and it’s what they’re really known for… I wonder why?? Maybe it’s because she is the daughter of Burt Williams formerly of Williams-Selyem.

If you’re thinking of, or planning on participating in Passport to Dry Creek this year; bring a designated drive or hire a limo…Drinking and driving is not worth it!

Want play-by-play happenings of the event? Follow me (@BrendanAiello) on twitter  or follow the Hashtag: #PassportDryCreekValley.  If you can’t follow, come back to TeamTapper.com for a follow-up post with reviews, pictures, and maybe even some video!

Want even more info? Check out the 2010 Passport To Dry Creek Valley Activity Brochure!

Enjoy!

Posts Related To This Topic:

• No related posts.

Hello Readers,

Sorry, this video is a few months old. I posted it on my twitter account when it was uploaded to YouTube, but forgot to post it here! For those of you on the fence what Realtor to choose in your home search, hopefully this video of my clients will help you out

Posts Related To This Topic:

• No related posts.

A few months back I had the privilege of meeting Ash Sud, CEO of San Francisco’s newest eco-friendly moving supply company; ZippGo. After tweeting back a forth a few times I did a phone interview and had the privilege of hearing the vision behind this amazing new company.

The reason it took so long to post a finished article is because the real estate market has picked back up, so that means there are now more of you moving again. Next tine you’re ready to run to your local UPS store, U-Haul store, or self-storage retail store; think green and call ZippGo.

Instead of using cardboard to move, ZippGo encourages the use of their boxes made of 100% recycled plastic ,certified to handle about 500 moves (amazing, right?). You start by telling them where you are moving from, they deliver the boxes, you haul the boxes to you new location and they pick them up there.  Can’t get much easier than that folks.

Prices seem reasonable and affordable for the box service. Also available are recycled packaging fillers (like “Expandos” which are environmentally-friendly packaging “pop-corn” or “Geami” Bubble wrap which is made of 100% recycled craft paper).

So if you planning a move, give ‘em a try and let me know how you like their service!

Want more info? Learn more about their company via Twitter, Facebook, Yelp or by their website.

Posts Related To This Topic:

• No related posts.