Jack

Allow me to introduce myself, I am Jack and I have been a Tour Guide for Extranomical Adventures since the fall of 2004.  I escaped the confines of my desk job and have traded those four walls in for the great outdoors of California.

Prior to Extranomical I spent 25 years working in Non-Profit management and development. I worked as a Development Director, Membership Coordinator and Consultant with a wide variety of organizations, including Greenpeace, Catholic Charities, Bernal Heights Neighborhood Center, California Pacific Medical Center, the Humane Society and the World Institute on Disability.

I don’t have a favorite tour, but love having the opportunity to guide people to Yosemite, Muir Woods, the Wine Country, Monterey and Carmel all in the same week. I never get tired of meeting new people from all over the world and having the opportunity to share with them the special moments of discovery. The excitement I see when a guest gets their first view of El Capitan, the Vineyards, the Pacific Ocean or their first taste of a new wine is priceless.

My favorite moments on tours include the announcement by a couple returning from the Giant Sequoia walk that he had just asked her to marry him; the 85 year old man from Australia that said the highlight of his life was the views of Yosemite and the walk to the Giant Sequoias.  Another special moment was having the opportunity to take a woman that was returning to Monterey for the first time since the sixties when her husband and she were stationed there, to see the same “Dennis the Menace” playground that her young kids had played at and to see the house on the base they had lived in.

I love incorporating music playlists into the drive time of our tours. Embracing that “summer of love” history of San Francisco, the Bay Area, and California and exploring it on our tours.

My roots are in the northwest, growing up near Seattle Washington, on rural Vashon Island in the Puget Sound.  I gained an appreciation for the outdoors and the environment as a child on Vashon. I became politically involved in High School attending Seattle rallies in opposition to the Vietnam War.

I attended both Seattle University and Washington State University, studying Business Administration and Hotel Restaurant Management.  I went on to become a political organizer and activist, founding and organizing walks for peace up the Pacific Coast, across the U.S. and in Europe.

My son and daughter are 20 and 17, and live here in San Francisco. My son attained the rank of Eagle Scout and is currently attending City College of San Francisco. He is taking EMT and Fire Science classes, working toward a career as a Fire Fighter.

My daughter is a HS Senior honor student and is applying to attend college this fall.
I also work part-time for the San Francisco Giants.  Hobbies include “Wine Research”, the search for the perfect oyster, fantasy football, local history and the love of the outdoors.

<< Back to the Guides