“You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy, at your right hand are pleasures forevermore” Psalms 16:11
Once, writing about resilience in the face of adversity, G.K. Chesterton wrote the following: “An adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered. An inconvenience is only an adventure wrongly considered.” As an organization, we have seen adversity as opportunity, and from these “inconveniences” we have created adventure. As the camp struggled through the financial crises of 2008, Bruce Wohlert saw inspiration in Costa Rica, and what would become Sonoma Zipline Adventures was born. As the camp shut down amidst the COVID-19 lockdown, Jim Blake oversaw the transition of our zipline staff to treehouse builders, and the Sonoma Treehouses were completed while staff was kept employed.
In our history, adventure and inspiration and resilience have been intricately linked. We are an organization of dreamers and visionaries, trailblazers and triumphs. Adversity has always bred risk-taking, and our track record of these risks becoming our greatest accomplishments is shining. As we looked to new ways to bring the public to Alliance Redwoods, we thought again of adventure. There are inconveniences to innovation: cost, time, and creativity. Money and inspiration can be limited resources, but God has provided a path for us at every seemingly insurmountable roadblock.
So without further ado: Sonoma Adventure Park.
Bonsai Design has collaborated with our Adventures and Experiences team to create a proposal: “a unique, tree-based challenge course with a large focus on an off-belay, custom-designed entry deck” complete with 19 challenge elements, including a children’s course on the lower level. With this aerial park, we would be able to replace our aging challenge course infrastructure, potentially reducing our insurance costs. Currently we have 6 challenge course elements that allow for 1 participant at a time. Sonoma Adventure Park could accommodate up to 60 participants at a time. This would also give a new option to returning zipline guests, whose number grows every year. This upgraded aerial experience would benefit everyone that comes to Alliance Redwoods: Outdoor Education students, retreat guest groups, corporate teambuilding groups, and on. Visitors to Sonoma Zipline Adventures could expand their 3-hour tour into a full day getaway in the trees.
Estimated Cost: $1.4 Million
As we build Sonoma Adventure Park, we would keep in mind another vision for extending a guest’s time in our trees: the Redwood Forest Cabanas.
Conceptually developed by Plain Joe (a Storyland Studio) in 2023, these have a simple philosophy: a place to be. As people enjoy all we have to offer (Sonoma Zipline Adventures, our Wander and Ponder trails, and the Sonoma Adventure Park,) the forest cabanas provide a place to rest. Much as with a cabana beside a resort pool, these 6 cabanas would be an excellent spot for relaxation, for picnics, for company, and for peace. Those waiting for their party to zipline often wait in our parking lot or on our deck. Instead, they could be watching birds, taking deep breaths, sipping the fog, enjoying the canopy, or sampling a cup of Douglas Fir tea in one of these cabanas. Unlike our treehouses, the cabanas would be for day use, and set alongside the zipline course above Redwood Gulch Creek.