Madri-Gal
Well-Known Member
Last week, @Madri-Guy and I went on a cannabis tour of Mendocino. We took a ferry to San Francisco, partly to avoid traffic and parking problems, partly because I love the Ferry. We went past San Quintin, Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge, and the S.F. skyline is beautiful. We met the van, and the tour left from the Ferry Building, and headed North over the Golden Gate Bridge, through Marin and Sonoma Counties and into Mendocino County. Unfortunately, in California you can't smoke or vape in a vehicle, so if you didn't start stoned or bring edibles, the first two hours of the tour is a sober affair. The tour was billed as a "Bud Tasting Tour", and we started at Ecoterra, a twelve acre permaculture and solar living center that promotes sustainable living. Emerald Pharms is located at the center, and is a solar powered marijuana dispensary. Unfortunately, it is not entirely off the grid, and the P.G. & E. power outage shut down the dispensary. The site was beautiful, and those of us partaking were able to do so at a lounge area on the grounds (M-G abstaining). We next went to Kure Wellness in Ukiah, which is a cannabis store with a secluded outdoor lounge and Dab Bar. For $5.00 you could do dabs, and they threw in a bottle of water. They were high temp dabs, but the water helped. Next we went to Schats Bakery and Cafe, and had lunch and dessert. The sandwiches were fresh, delicious and huge, and most people opted for cookies to go. We were then taken to Emerald City Genetics, which is an outdoor cannabis farm. Going during harvest was perfect. Plants were cut in the field then put on tarps. The tarps were put on trucks and brought to the dry/cure building, then the tarps were drug off and there were tarps of cannabis on the ground, and plants hung overhead. The next rooms had cut branches hanging floor to ceiling on the racks that acted as walls. Standing in these rooms had the spiritual feeling you sometimes get from being in a forest. I wanted to live in that room. Sadly, we had to leave, but we got to see hoop houses and other growing areas, and there were pheno testers growing that we could touch. They were going to be destroyed after phenos were selected, so it was a great opportunity to feel the density of well grown buds. After a quick smoke session in the parking lot, we then left and embarked on the most disappointing part of the tour. The tour owner/guide decided that instead of going to another dispensery, farm or back to Emerald Pharms to see about a rescheduled bud tasting, that it would be a good idea to haul us all into the mountains along winding roads to see some redwoods. I love redwoods same as the next person, and possibly more than many, but most of the passengers were loudly vocal about hating to drive on such steep and winding roads and were terrified of the steep drop offs. It wasn't fun, and it wasn't necessary. You don't need to drive a half an hour out to see a redwood, and as it was a cannabis tour, I'm not convinced it was worth it. The trip was harrowing, you couldn't smoke or vape in the van, and you couldn't smoke or vape in the redwoods. A few passengers passed a joint around in the parking lot, then there was a half an hour hike up hill, to see the trees the guide wanted us to see. It was underwhelming, and seemed more about killing time than cannabis. The trip back was easier, as it was down hill both from the trees and the mountain. The entire redwood portion of the program took two hours, then it was time to get gas, then head back to San Francisco. We left the Ferry Building at 10:00 am, and got back at 7:45 pm.
I'm conflicted, because even though we had a nice time, and some moments were amazing, particularly the dab bar/ lounge and the cannabis farm, if you figure four hours up and back and another two hours devoted to the wrong kind of trees, it was a long day with more opportunity to to not be smoking or vaping than to do so. When we were at any given spot, there was a rushed feeling to hurry and get pictures, and the owner/guide seemed more interested in getting photos for his IG page than making sure people were having a good time. As soon as he got the shots he wanted, it was time to go. You couldn't even do dabs without him in your face directing you to blow into the camera. Numerous times we were asked if we wanted to visit another dispensery, and everyone voted yes, but he decided on the redwood detour. Emerald Pharms had offered to set up a bud tasting later in the day, but the tour never returned to take advantage of the offer.
We will go back to Emerald Pharms on our own. They have bud tasting events every week, and you don't need to be part of a tour. Schats was worth the stop for good food and treats, so we will go back, and I'd go back to the dab bar at Kure. The cannabis farm was unforgettable, and harvest the best time I could imagine to visit. That would be a more difficult visit to arrange, but I don't know that it can't be done.
I'm glad we went, but for a cannabis tour there were some long, dry spells. I'd prefer either a more relaxed pace, or more cannabis related activity. We now have a template for when we have out of state guests, but I wouldn't suggest the tour to friends.
I'm conflicted, because even though we had a nice time, and some moments were amazing, particularly the dab bar/ lounge and the cannabis farm, if you figure four hours up and back and another two hours devoted to the wrong kind of trees, it was a long day with more opportunity to to not be smoking or vaping than to do so. When we were at any given spot, there was a rushed feeling to hurry and get pictures, and the owner/guide seemed more interested in getting photos for his IG page than making sure people were having a good time. As soon as he got the shots he wanted, it was time to go. You couldn't even do dabs without him in your face directing you to blow into the camera. Numerous times we were asked if we wanted to visit another dispensery, and everyone voted yes, but he decided on the redwood detour. Emerald Pharms had offered to set up a bud tasting later in the day, but the tour never returned to take advantage of the offer.
We will go back to Emerald Pharms on our own. They have bud tasting events every week, and you don't need to be part of a tour. Schats was worth the stop for good food and treats, so we will go back, and I'd go back to the dab bar at Kure. The cannabis farm was unforgettable, and harvest the best time I could imagine to visit. That would be a more difficult visit to arrange, but I don't know that it can't be done.
I'm glad we went, but for a cannabis tour there were some long, dry spells. I'd prefer either a more relaxed pace, or more cannabis related activity. We now have a template for when we have out of state guests, but I wouldn't suggest the tour to friends.
