"The landscape of monotony is elsewhere," Jack Newcombe writes, and the routes he traces through the vineyards, towns, and parkland of northern California--along with the variegated pleasures to be explored en route--bear the proof: - Mud baths and wine tasting in Calistoga - A view from the top at Mt. St. Helena - Wine touring, the slow and selective way, in the Napa and Sonoma valleys - "A Beer Experience" in Petaluma, and a dining treat at the New Boonvile Hotel - Whale watching on the Sonoma and Mendocino coasts - Walking the redwood forest trails - Finishing fleets and Victorian mansions in Eureka These attractions and more--and the colorful past that gave rise to them--are presented in Northern California: A History & Guide, an exciting, indispensable travel companion for a most spectacular region.