Room is downstairs with private garden outside the room. Common areas upstairs include living room, dining room, kitchen, and other outdoor areas. Guests love the peace and quiet, as well as the woodsy feel of our location. The house looks over a canyon with lots of birds. The house has numerous sustainable features, including a solar system. The room has a queen-sized bed, refrigerator stocked with breakfast items, microwave oven and a coffee maker. Children over the age of 5 are welcome to stay with us. We don't have dogs or cats and we request that travelers do not have pets. We are sensitive to people's allergies. The house is on the end of a cul-de-sac on "sand islands". Sand islands are protected areas with 13 species of plants and animals which are endangered. The house is a haven for deer, many kinds of birds and other wildlife. Beautiful Loch Lomond is just a 15 minute drive away. Paddle boat, row boat, and canoe rentals, fishing for stocked trout and indigenous bass, picnicking, and hiking trails. Loch Lomond is open from March-September. Other attractions are the famous Roaring Camp Railroad attraction, Henry Cowell State Park with old growth redwoods, Fall Creek and Big Basin Redwood State Park. Mt. Hermon Conference Center is 10 minutes from here (with it's ZIP line though the Redwoods) and Santa Cruz and ocean activities are a 20 minutes drive. The downstairs bedroom, bathroom and garden are your private domain. You are welcome to share the common areas mentioned above with us. We're around most of the time. Roger's office is at home. The layout of the Eco Haven is such that if you want to have privacy and be by yourselves, you can. On the other hand, we are available for any directions or just visiting. Check-in is 4:00 - 10:00, or later by request. We have a lockbox in case we're not around. We are located in the mountains of Santa Cruz County with the city of Santa Cruz just a 20 minute drive away. There are numerous attractions and activities in the area including hiking in old growth redwoods or to the Lime Kilns, the Santa Cruz Boardwalk, ocean beaches and cliff walking, paddle boating in the reservoir, and Kayak rentals. University of California, Santa Cruz is nearby. Near the border of Scotts Valley and Santa Cruz lies the Mystery Spot, where the rules of gravity are seemingly altered. There are excellent restaurants in the small towns in the valley where we live, as well as in the larger county. And, speaking of Santa Cruz County, locals know that the Santa Cruz Mountains Appellation is one of the oldest wine-growing regions in the United States. Family-owned wineries here produce stellar lots of Zinfindel, Cabernet Savignon, Pinot and Chardonnay, and the area has existed before Napa Valley became a wine region. Near here are Hallcrest, Zayante, Kissed by An Angel, and Beauregard vineyards. Twenty minutes south of Santa Cruz, in a temperate valley of redwoods and olive groves, the Corralitos Wine Trail winds its way to Alfaro Family Vineyards, owned by a former artisan bread maker, and Windy Oaks Winery, with views of Monterey Bay. At the top of the Santa Cruz Mountains, the Summit to Sea Wine Trail passes Loma Prieta, a vineyard that produces the rare pinotage grape, a more robust, thicker-skinned version of pinot. On Santa Cruz’s urban west side, oenophiles sip vino in a lively courtyard setting, with numerous vineyard tasting rooms nearby. The big, elegant sailboat sloop, the Chardonnay, has wine tasting with its coastal tours. It leaves from the Yacht Harbor in Santa Cruz. You can take the train from Roaring Camp in our mountain valley all the way to the Beach Boardwalk for a day of fun rides, mini-golf, and sun. Nearby, the Felton Commons Park boasts the tallest covered bridge in the United States, (Guinness Book). You'll need a car to get around comfortably. Ecological features of the Eco Haven: 1. The house is solar powered. It creates excess power which is used by the neighbors (courtesy of PG&E). 2. We have two Prius', both of which are plug-in electric. 3. We have highly efficient appliances including the refrigerator, dishwasher and clothes washer. 4. We have 2 grey waters systems from our clothes washer and the tub/ shower in the master bathroom. 5. We used non-VOC paints throughout the house. 6. The bedroom carpets are made from corn oil, not synthetics. 7. The kitchen and bathroom cabinetry is made from fast-growing Bamboo. 8. Long-lasting slate and travertine are used in the bathroom and in areas not covered by the corn rugs. 9. The wood flooring in the upstairs "great room" is made from recycled oak floors. 10. We use low-flush toilets. 11. We grow our vegetables hydroponically with Atmospheric Water Machines providing some of the water. 12. In addition we have two 5,000 gallon water tanks that capture winter rainwater. 13. We get many of our vegetables from the garden. 14. We replaced our gas furnace with a heat pump which is the most efficient way of providing both heat and cool air. Ask to see a demonstration of all the features of the house!