Summer ’86 is our theme today. We’re...

Summer ’86 is our theme today. We’re offering a preview of vacation ideas ranging from barging to bicycling. You’ll tour U.S. guest ranches with Pat Dickerman and visit the nation’s capital with Nancy Belcher. Sharon Dirlam discusses some unusual tours and cruises, and Lauren Tsujimoto tells about a new boom in travel to Hawaii. Betty Martin has compiled a list of U.S. travel offices, and Betty Hughes has come up with the names of economy lodging chains across the nation. You’ll find these and other features in today’s Travel Section, all aimed at helping you plan your coming vacation.

Houseboats

More than 400 houseboats are available in a rental pool on Shasta Lake. Makes this the houseboat capital of the West. Accommodations for up to 12 persons. Boats are equipped with refrigerators, microwave ovens, baths, showers. All the comforts of home. For details, write to the Shasta Cascade Wonderland Assn., 1250 Parkview Ave., Redding, Calif. 96001. Other houseboats available on the California Delta. For a free packet of information, write to the Delta Houseboat Assn., 6332 Pacific Ave., Suite 152, Stockton 95207, or telephone (209) 477-1840.

Alaska Sportfishing

A charter boat company in Juneau, Alaska, is scheduling fishing/sightseeing trips in southeast Alaska. Twenty-five boats. All sizes. The season runs from May to late September. These people also do hunting trips (deer, bear, goat). Write to Alaska Sport Fishing & Sightseeing, P.O. Box 39, Suite 67-P, Juneau, Alaska 99802. (One of their boats does overnight trips to Tracy Arm, a spectacular fiord outside Juneau.)

Cattle Drives

Here’s an opportunity to join a “vacation cattle drive.” Ride with working cowboys. Herd cattle to their summer pastures. A crew breaks camp each morning, sets up tents at a new location in the afternoon. (Sleep in the tents or under the stars.) Meals served chuck wagon-style. It isn’t necessary to be an expert rider, but this isn’t for novices, either. Drives are offered through June. Contact Rock Creek Pack Station, Box 248, Bishop, Calif. 93514.

Yosemite

Reservations are still being accepted for tent cabins at Curry Village in Yosemite. Not your ordinary camping facilities. These tents feature maid service, beds, bedding. And it’s cheap. Only $20.50 for two persons. To book space call (209) 252-4848 or write to Yosemite Reservations, 5410 E. Home Ave., Fresno 93727. For campground reservations elsewhere in the park, call (209) 372-4845. General park information is available by dialing (209) 372-4454.

Expo 86

If you’re planning a trip to Expo 86 in Vancouver, you can obtain a 40-page travel planner (12 pages devoted to Expo), a road map and other general information from John Bateman, Tourism British Columbia, 3400 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 34, Los Angeles 90010. Bateman will also give you information on RV campgrounds, B&Bs;, etc.

More On Expo

Despite all the talk about a full house for Expo, you can still book rooms through Al Tufts of TCS Bed & Breakfast, 937 Delestre Ave., Coquitlam, B.C. V3K 2G7, Canada. Tufts says he can get you into B&Bs;, homes, apartments starting at $50 a night double occupancy. Tufts has other accommodations aboard a 70-foot boat docked one block from Pan Pacific Hotel in downtown Vancouver. Rates, $60-$70 a night. The boat is equipped with a microwave oven, stereo-video system. Features two lounges.

Meanwhile, Dick and Lynn Canon are gearing up to offer cruises to fair-goers aboard their 65-foot yacht to the San Juan Islands. They’ll also be doing six-day sails through the Inside Passage. They call their yacht the Gallant Lady. They’ll also book tailor-made trips. Wherever you wish to go. To contact the Canons call (206) 463-2073.

Note: For vacationers who wish to ride while visiting British Columbia, contact Hap and Joan Keel, Canada West Trail Rides, 530 Arbutur Ave., Nanaimo, B.C. V9S 5E3, Canada. Trips into the Cariboo, Calcotin and Cootenays. Ten ranches are involved in this program.

B&B; by Computer

Seems everything is computerized these days. Even the B&B; reservations system. Northwest Bed & Breakfast books accommodations throughout the United States but concentrates on the West Coast and British Columbia. Other accommodations in Europe (inns, hotels, B&Bs;) plus farm and home stays in New Zealand and Australia and skipper-yourself boats in France and England. Contact Northwest at 610 S.W. Broadway, Suite 609, Portland, Ore. 97205.

Mobil Guides

Wherever you intend to travel in the United States or Canada this summer, you’ll get loads of information from Mobil Guides’ seven regional editions. These books cover 48 contiguous U.S. states plus bordering Canadian provinces. Thousands of accommodations, restaurants listed. Star rated. Everything from “good” to “best.” They also feature restaurants/motel discount information. In addition, Mobil publishes a “Major Cities Guide” that covers 53 of this nation’s top metropolises. Each book retails for $8.95.

Reader Recommendations

England--Jessie Dolezal, Laguna Hills: “Stayed in a charming 17th-Century town house run by Mrs. M. von Marx. It’s called Craigmore House, Broad Street, Somerton, Somerset TA11 7NH, England. Telephone Somerton (0458) 72319. Within easy reach of several lovely National Trust properties: Glastonbury, Bath, Wells, Salisbury, Lyme Regis. With English breakfast the charge was 15 per person. Highly recommended.”

France--Neal and Ann Bertram, Del Mar: “Spent three delightful days at La Renaudiere, a small hotel near Chateau Chenonceaux. The inn is on the main road east of the chateau and backs on a large, quiet, verdant garden. The meals are excellent and prepared by one of the sons of the owner. The family runs the hotel, and they are extremely kind and friendly. A double room is approximately $25 and the address is 24 Rue Dr. Bretonneau, Chenonceaux, France. Telephone 47-23-90-04.”

Italy--Cesare and Jurate Ugianskis, Sherman Oaks: “Stopped for a few days on the fabulous Amalfi Coast in Positano, Italy. Stayed in a small hotel, Covo Dei Saraceni. Built on the cliff. Large rooms with balconies and a view of the sea and the town. Has a swimming pool and a good reasonable restaurant. Run by a father and daughter. Cost is $52 a day. Write to Hotel Covo Dei Saraceni, Positano, Italy.”

New Zealand--Ralph F. Bernays, Oceanside: “Visited Norfolk Island, a 1 1/2-hour flight from Auckland. Restaurants informal, no tipping. Stayed at Fletcher Christian Apartments (Norfolk Island, New Zealand) operated by Birney Christian-Bailey. Rates for two, under U.S.$30. Reservations essential. We were enchanted by the beauty of the 8,500-acre island and the friendliness of the people. A treat awaits you.”

Hawaii--Mr. and Mrs. J. R. Elliott, Pacific Palisades: “Company called Molokini is by far the best charter outfit in Maui’s Kihei/Wailea area. The owner and his wife operate a very personable and friendly cruise--and they take all kinds of safety precautions. We are part-time residents at Wailea so have some real knowledge of what is good and what isn’t. Write to Molokini, P.O. Box 530, Kihei, Maui, Hawaii 96753. (Telephone 242-7026).”

Switzerland--Mrs. Maysel Hazazer, Tucson, Ariz.: “We would like to recommend the famous Hotel Krebs in Interlaken, Switzerland. A very classy old European-style hotel with a concierge and one of the best kitchens in Switzerland. We paid $70 for a double. The address: Hotel Krebs, Bahnhofstr. 19, CH-3800 Interlaken, Switzerland.