APRIL SHOWERS... may bring May flowers, but the fifth month on the calendar has other gorgeous gifts to share beyond bright petals and glossy leaves. The weather is warming up and adventures of an outdoor, or semi-outdoor nature, involving bounties and bites, start to rev up in earnest. Look to Nick's Cove and Cottages, which is featuring a gourmet-focused gadabout of West Marin all May long. The upshot? Book a particular package at the Tomales Bay-close property and nab yourself a five-to-six hour tour of the farms and food-makers of West Marin. There are some asterisks and such, like your stay at Nick's Cove needing to be two nights, but that works just dandy if you think of that middle day, between your nights, as the day you get acquainted with Cowgirl Creamery or Bovine Bakery or one of the other stops included on the West Marin Food and Farm Tours schedule. The only tricky bit will be deciding if you want to hop on The Cheese Lover's Tour or The Oyster Lover's Tour.
THE CHEESE LOVER'S TOUR... does swing by the famous Cowgirl Creamery, a visit that includes a tasting (of course -- you'd be sore if it didn't, because visiting a famous cheesemaker practically demands some nibbling go down). You'll get acquainted with "the dairy life with a farm tour of Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Company." And other rich, meltable stops, including Bovine Bakery, will fill out your five-to-six-hour-long adventure.
THE OYSTER LOVER'S TOUR: Phew -- the Bovine Bakery is also included on this one (it's the stop where you learn local history). The Marshall Store, The Tomales Bay Oyster Company, and more know-your-bivalves bopping around is in store. And will you get a shucking lesson from a pro? Oh, you'll be opening oysters like nobody's business.
HOW TO CHOOSE? We honestly can't say, but thank goodness that back at Nick's Cove, while in your waterfront one-roomer, you'll be able to dream about one or the other over comp'd BBQ oysters and a bottle of merlot.
