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| Daddy Von Trapp and his curtain-wearing kids belt out tunes on the side of Mt Tam Gorgeous San Francisco Bay in the background |
Have you ever sat on a real
mountain-top with a cooler of wine and fab cheese instead of in front of
the boob-tube and listened to Maria Von Trap belting out her famous Doe-a-Deer
and Climb-Every-Mountain world famous tunes?
Well, now you can!
Welcome to the world famous, the renown, the 100th
year of The Mountain Play, a spectacular outdoor musical extravaganza located
virtually on top of the Bay
Area’s 2,500 foot Mt. Tamalpais in Marin
County, California.
This is a bucket list item. Write it down and check it off! The
link to the meaty FAQs of the play is below including the fact that it is hike-in-hike-out if you wish, but in the meantime, here are five, HOT TOP
TIPS to make the day extra great:
Tip #1: Make a day of it. Get your families’ fannies and
your friends’ fannies in your cars and get up there at the crack o’ 9am to get
good seats when the gates open. Yes, that’s 5 hours before the play starts.
Yup, FIVE hours. But you’re not stuck at an airport during a 5
hour, hair-pulling, mind-numbing delay during a snowstorm – you’re on the side
of a mountain, surrounded by hiking trails and fresh air and a great group of
friends. Laugh, breathe, connect, consume, hike, and do it all over again.
Tip #2: Gather a great group of friends to do it with you.
‘Nuff said. The more the merrier and it’s a venue that can hold almost 4,000 of
your BFFs so you can invite even the in-laws or your estranged great uncle Bert!
Tip#3: Wear layers like you’ve never worn them before. We went
on Sunday on a gorgeous, blue-bird day. On the way up in the morning, I was in
my black Marmot parka. As we found our seats, I stripped down to my sleeveless
tank. Got even hotter, so on with the dollops o’ sunscreen and cowboy hat.
Hiked over the ridge, oh boy, the fog is coming in, back on goes my purple mid-weight
fleece. Then over to the venue again for show time, back down to the tank. Half
way through the show when the Von Trap kids are wearing curtains illegally and
getting whistled at by their bewildered father, hmmmm, time for the parka
again. Hike back to the car, down to the tank. Be prepared.
Tip #4: Pack snacky food and leave the big meal behind. Yes,
bring lots of food and go wild with fanciness and divine picnic, orgasma flavors galore!
Cheese, olives, baguette, fruit, wine, beer, and stuff for the kiddos. However,
the gang is distracted by the vista and the adventure and no one is really that
hungry for big, heavy food. Keep it more snacky snacky, yummy, yummy. Easy prep, easy
eat!
Tip #5: When the two NFL linebackers come sit directly in
front of you after you’ve been waiting for 5 hours and you now can not see the
stage when the show starts and can only see two, massive, 4 foot shoulder spans
with hats on their heads, laugh it off and enjoy the show! Again, ‘nuff said. We
leaned a little to the left. Then we leaned a little to the right. It is all
good. (And extremely unusual luck!)
And when the fun is all done and Maria and the Von Traps
have finished climbing all their
mountains from Austria all the way to a cross-country ski resort in Vermont,
hike down the 7 miles to the town of Mill Valley, take the free shuttle bus
or find your stashed car.
It’s an experience of a lifetime. An otherworldly view. And an
amazing day with friends in the fresh air.
Bucket list, for sure.
Namaste & Three Cheers! –OM
P.S. It's been announced -- South Pacific in '14!
Find out more about the Mountain Play Tickets, Mountain Play History
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