Our Pinot Express zipline is a showstopper for a variety of reasons. It’s not just the fifth and final zipline on our tours, it’s also the highest, longest and fastest of our lines. Even better, it flies right over a Pinot Noir vineyard!

Then there’s the end of the zipline, which was recently remade into the “P.W. Murphy Mining Company,” a replica gold mining camp built by the stars of the Animal Planet television show The Redwood Kings.

But wait, there’s more!

Indeed, just around the corner from the mining camp is a field of ancient oyster fossils found right here on the historic Santa Margarita Ranch. These fossils date back millions of years, to when our mountainous terrain was actually submerged beneath an inlet of the Pacific Ocean.

These oysters are known as “ostrea titan,” an extinct and appropriately named species, considering that some of them are as large as footballs.

During your next tour, we encourage you to take a minute to check out our display and put your hands on one of these majestic fossils.

Oyster_Plaque