The spring/summer issue of Specialty Travel magazine...

The spring/summer issue of Specialty Travel magazine is in the mail. Tells all about nature expeditions, New Zealand farm holidays, treks in the Himalayas, bicycle tours, private island rentals, sailing, guest ranches, sport fishing, yacht charters (Athens to Sydney). Dozens of other vacation ideas: roaming Ireland in a horse-drawn wagon, sailing junks off the coast of Thailand, following humpback whales in Baja.

Specialty Travel, 305 San Anselmo Ave., San Anselmo, Calif. 94960. Call (415) 459-4900. Rates: $5 for the spring/summer issue; $8 for spring/summer and fall/winter copies. Includes handling, postage.

Yosemite: For those who missed our item on private cabin/home rentals in Yosemite, we’re repeating the details for summer travelers, along with a bit of added information. Dozens of properties are available by the day/week in the southern areas of Yosemite/Bass Lake. Rates vary from $45 to $350 a day. Contact:

--Redwood Guest Cottages, P.O. Box 2085, Wawona, Calif. 95389, (209) 375-6666.

--Camp Chilnualna, P.O. Box 2095, Wawona, Calif. 95389, (209) 375-6295.

--Yosemite West Cottages, P.O. Box 36, Yosemite, Calif. 95389, (209) 642-2211.

Bass Lake Land Office lists 60 homes (some on the lake) at weekly rentals ranging from $450 to $1,200. For a directory, write to Land Office, P.O. Box 349, Bass Lake, Calif. 93604. Call (209) 642-3126.

--Bass Lake Vacation Rentals (cabins $85/$105 per night). Telephone (209) 642-2211.

Rafting: Wild Water Adventures is offering a new baggage support system for hikers on the Rogue River trail this summer. Besides delivering personal gear to drop sites, Wild Water provides meals (including trail lunches). Rental camping equipment is available, along with fishing tackle. These are three/four-day hikes along a wilderness trail with glimpses of black bear, osprey, deer, bald eagles.

Wild Water is also scheduling 10 different river trips in Oregon. Half-day to weeklong adventures. Time out for fishing, swimming, hiking. Inflatable kayaks available. Raft operators will arrange to have your car waiting when you finish your trip.

Wild Water Adventures, P.O. Box 249, Creswell, Ore. 97426. Call (503) 895-4465.

On the Trail: If you’ve had it with ordinary trekking, Will and Renee Gavin of Montana are signing up recruits again for llama pack trips this summer in the northern Rockies. Three to six days in Wyoming’s Yellowstone and Montana’s Crazy Mountains and the Tobacco Root Range. Opportunities to fish, photograph wildlife. You needn’t be an Olympic marathoner to join one of these trips. Groups do leisurely five-to-eight-mile hikes a day. The llamas carry tents, sleeping bags, camping gear. Will Gavin is a licensed outfitter and professional geologist. Renee is an ex-attorney who traded her law office for the wide-open spaces. “Our llamas are gentle, our cuisine is sensational and the scenery is superb,” says Renee.

Yellowstone Llamas, Box 5042, Bozeman, Mont. 59717. Telephone (406) 586-6872. The $135-per-day tab includes airport pickup in Bozeman, meals, camping equipment, guides.

Colorado: Kate and Jim Carey of Boulder, Colo., have updated their 74-page B&B; directory. Covers the state from Alamosa to Vail. At Estes Park eight rooms are up for grabs in a cottage with the melodic name of Riversong. Hidden in the woods at the end of a country lane, Riversong features antiques, old-fashioned furniture, a private trout stream. Rates from $50 single/$60 double. At Talbot House in Glenwood Springs, singles go for $27, doubles for $42. The directory names B&Bs; throughout the state. Kate and Jim Carey also operate a B&B; reservation/information service. Dial toll-free (800) 373-4995.

For a copy of their directory, send $5 to Bed & Breakfast Colorado, P.O. Box 12206, Boulder, Colo. 80303.

Mexico Insurance: I wouldn’t drive a block in Mexico without car insurance. Get into an accident and the odds are fair to good that you’ll wind up in the pokey. This could happen even with insurance, but your chances are better with proper coverage. Several years ago I got into a minor fender-bumping episode in Mexico City. I called the rental man.

“Should I call the police?” I asked.

He panicked. “No, senor , do not call the police!”

“But it wasn’t my fault, the accident.”

“Doesn’t matter,” he said.

“What’ll I do?”

“We’ll send another car, but please . . . don’t call the police, senor !”

Things work out differently in Mexico when you have an accident. Not infrequently, you’re guilty until proved innocent. Particularly if you don’t happen to have insurance. Which brings up Sanborn’s Mexico Club. Sanborn’s issues policies along with membership cards good for discounts at selected hotels, restaurants, RV parks. Plus they’ll mail you a quarterly newsletter, a list of RV campgrounds, a travel planner, health guide, road maps.

Membership: $19 a year. Applications from Sanborn’s Mexico Club, P.O. Box 310, McAllen, Tex. 78502, (512) 682-1354. Note: Check with your own agent about insurance coverage in Mexico.

Canadian Adventures: “Design your own vacation” is the invitation being extended by Western Canadians to U.S. travelers. It’s set down in a free 48-page guide. Information on heli-packing, houseboat vacations, mountain bike trips, kayaking, river rafting, motor-home rentals, guest ranches, city/resort packages. One itinerary suggests taking in Vancouver, Victoria, Port Hardy, Prince Rupert, Prince George, Jasper, Banff and Kamloops, with a return to Vancouver. Day-by-day details are included. Other tours by ship, rail, horseback. A dozen fishing lodges are listed.

Copies from Canadian Adventures, 10711 Cambie Road, Suite 103, Richmond, B.C., Canada V6X 3G5, or call toll-free (800) 873-7999.

Go It Alone: Americans are becoming more adventurous. There was a time when it seemed everybody joined an organized tour. Now the go-it-alone idea is catching on. To assist travelers, European Car Vacations has published a helpful little booklet (36 pages) with 27 planned itineraries (7 to 14 days). Information on nightly reservations, transportation, sightseeing. Other trips use reserve-as-you-go vouchers and a hotel-only program with hundreds of choices. The go-it-alone program offers flexibility with time to travel at a leisurely pace. Sleep late or rise early. Picnic in a meadow or stop at a pub/cafe.

For copies of the “Complete Guide to Self-Drive European Vacations,” write to European Car Vacations, 9 Boston St., Suite 10, Lynn, Mass. 01904, or call toll-free (800) 223-6764.

Reader Recommendations:

California--Joseph and Janice Pehl, Hemet: “Chalfant House B&B;, 213 Academy St., Bishop, Calif. 93514. Very conveniently located in downtown Bishop. Outstanding breakfasts. Fred and Sally Manecke serve old-fashioned ice cream sundaes each evening. Six rooms (all with bath): $45 single, $55 double. There is a suite for $75.”

Mexico--Carol L. Lisec, Burbank: Recommends Cafe Primitivo in Boca de Tomatlan area of Puerto Vallarta. “Wonderful fish and Mexican food at reasonable prices. Just south of Mismaloya Beach. Take the No. 02 minibus south to the end of the line. You can pick it up anywhere on the highway to Mismaloya.”

France--Antoinette M. Dungan, Visalia: Enjoyed Le Gourmet Gourmand, decribed as “an excellent small restaurant on Paris’ Left Bank, 72 Rue du Cherche Midi. Paid about $30 each for a five-course dinner, complete with excellent wine, service, tip.”