From the Mild to the Wild...
On a day trip or overnight, escape the concrete of the city and reconnect with nature. Incredible Adventures is a privately owned tour company with offices in San Francisco and Las Vegas. We offer small group sightseeing and activity-based tours to a variety of national parks and natural areas. Our company mission is based on a triple-bottomline which emphasizes social, environmental and financial responsibility. In the pursuit of sustainable tourism we run our vans with cleaner burning Biodiesel fuel to preserve the beauty of the destinations we visit. We also travel in smaller groups to minimize the impact of our tours. To contribute to our community we co-sponsor the San Francisco Biofuels co-operative to give people local access to alternative fuel options. Incredible Aventures has been offering travelers a safe and reliable way to connect with nature since 1993. Join us on a trip in a relaxed, fun-filled atmosphere to one of the Incredible destinations that we visit.
Who are Incredible Adventures?
Jolie Ginsburg Owner
Brian Deninger President
Amin Saidi Marketing Director
Jolie Ginsburg is co-owner and CEO of Incredible Adventures. She started guiding for Incredible Adventures in 2000 soon after moving to San Francisco and 2 months later bought the company with her business partner Brian Deninger. She used to be on the road several days a week; now Jolie just does the occasional trip, but still likes that she can travel and interact with people while working. She grew up mainly in Houston and Pittsburgh, the oldest of a younger sister and brother, and has traveled to all 50 states and to every continent except Antarctica.
Jolie is an active member and coordinator of two local biodiesel collectives, raising awareness of alternative fuels, making it more accessible and advocating its use by public transportation and other large fleets. Her favorite van is #3 because it’s the first van to be run on Biodiesel. She strives to be self-sustainable and environmentally conscious, both in her personal life and in her business operation. Jolie loves almost all outdoor activies – hiking, climbing, biking, anything that ends with “-ing.” Her favorite wine is beer, and her favorite foods are Japanese and Mexican. She’s been kissed by a black bear in Yosemite, and has spotted a few bobcats. Cloud’s Rest is Jolie’s favorite Yosemite hike because it’s like a slide that she’s tempted to ride down.
Brian Deninger is co-owner and President of Incredible Adventures and is responsible for marketing and business development. Brian moved to San Francisco in 1999, worked temp jobs and wore a suit to his job at Citibank until buying the company with his business partner Jolie Ginsburg. He grew up in Fontana, about 45 minutes east of Los Angeles. His love for the outdoors started as a teenager when he and good friend Damon almost froze to death in 14-degree winter weather, with tennis shoes and a living room pup tent. They survived, and Brian went on to lead backpacking trips at UC Santa Barbara. He still enjoys leading trips occasionally, especially the opportunity to interact with people from different walks of life. He appreciates being involved in his community and providing jobs to some pretty amazing people. He loves all Incredible Adventures vans equally.
Brian is on the board of and member of the San Francisco Biodiesel Collective. His hobbies include snowboarding, surfing, rock climbing, backpacking, camping, whitewater kayaking, traveling, and lately has been cultivating a taste for fine wine (especially Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon). His favorite music is alternative rock, and his favorite food, true to his SoCal roots, is Mexican.
Brian’s favorite Yosemite hike is the Hetch Hetchy Grand Canyon because of its amazing camps, few people, wonderful waterfalls, towering cliffs, and an amazing diversity in wildlife. His best wildlife sighting was a coyote chasing a deer – made him think of the trials of life. Homewood is Brian’s favorite winery in Sonoma because it’s his Cheers! He also really likes Ceja in Napa, a winery owned by former vineyard workers. One of his top spots in the city is the weekend drum circle in Golden Gate Park.
Brian has made numerous cross-country road trips and has traveled the world, including 4 months in China, and Korea, Japan, Vietnam, Egypt, Costa Rica, Mexico, and several European countries.
Brian is the youngest of three. His older sister Kellie Flowers is an amazing person, mother, and sister, and his older brother Mike Deninger is a bit crazy but always makes him laugh.
Amin Saidi has worked at Incredible Adventures for years -- initially as a tour guide and now calling some shots as the marketing director. Amin has lived in San Francisco for five years but has been spending time here for over 8 years. His love of movement and fear of monotony has kept Amin touring for over 10 years leading overnight mountain biking tours in Pisgah National Forest and multi-week over land tours throughout North America including Alaska, Canada, the lower 48 United States, Mexico, Belize and Guatemala.
Amin grew up in Orlando, Florida, where he perfected his earlier career of alligator wrastling while his brothers and sole sister marveled. In addition to traveling Amin spends his time mountain biking, surfing, snowboarding and socializing with friends. The strangest thing about Amin is, really, that he is normal and everyone else is weird. He loves all kind of music but gravitates toward downtempo selections. Favorite wine? Well, that would be the no longer available Homewood Russian River Zinfandel and Spanish Riojas which aren’t from Sonoma County. Amin’s favorite hike in Yosemite is poaching the trail to Mirror Lake on a mountain bike and recently saw a mother and her two cubs feasting on a fallen tree. As far as San Francisco sites, Amin thinks the best is Golden Gate Park. He has traveled from the Arctic Circle to Costa Rica, through Australia, New Zealand and Hawaii, Spain, France and the Middle East. This last summer you may have spotted him wandering around Southeast Asia.
And a few of our guides...
Mitch Brown has been a tour guide since 1991.. He enjoys meeting new people and seeing them smile. He moved to San Francisco in 2004 from Minnesota. While growing up, the oldest of 2 brothers and 1 sister, he lived in several places throughout the US and has traveled to all 50 states. He has also traveled around the world, picking up some French and Spanish along the way, but still would like to visit Australia, New Zealand, Scotland, and Scandinavia. Mitch’s hobbies include camping, wine tasting, gazing at full moons, road trips, and reading humorous fiction. His last meal, if he had to choose one, would be a burger with onion rings from the Boar’s Head, with Cabernet Sauvignon to wash it down, or any wine with a screw-top. He enjoys leading Yosemite camping and day trips, American River Rafting, as well as the Muir Woods and Wine Country trip. His favorite wineries are those where he is made to feel like a member of the family, such as Passalacqua in Healdsburg. Not just a wine connoisseur, Mitch also appreciates good beer, and highly recommends the Anchor Steam brewery free tour and beer tasting, one of the best tourist destinations in the city. Also topping that list are the Crissy Field Warming Hut, the Ferry Building, Coit Tower and Treasure Island. Mitch loves his job and can usually be found in good spirits.
Tim Mills leads Incredible Adventures Yosemite camping trips as well as Muir Woods and Wine Country trips. He grew up in Connecticut, the youngest of an older brother and sister. He lives to travel, and has done so extensively since his first trip to Europe at age 13, though he has yet to get to South America and Antarctica. After college, Tim worked as a Peace Corps volunteer in Senegal for 2 years, working as an Agricultural Extension Agent, and living in a village of 300 people.
Tim also works for a local “meet and greet” company, helping cruise ship passengers start their trips, and works to plan extracurricular activities for convention attendees and their spouses. In the Spring he takes kids on California historical tours and orients them to California colleges and universities. He also leads 2-week tours around the Eastern US and Canada.
Tim's favorite Yosemite hike is Vernal and Nevada Falls because there are two awesome waterfalls in one hike. His favorite wildlife sightings are the marmots on the top of Mt. Hoffman. Tim's favorite Sonoma winery is Cline because they have good quality table wine as well as excellent sophisticated wines and there is so much to explore there in addition to wine tasting. He loves working as a tour guide because he can show people the things he loves and because it enables him to travel. He loves outdoor sports, especially mountain biking, and generally exploring.
Becky Lithander leads Muir Woods and Wine Country trips, American River Rafting, and Yosemite Day and Overnight Trips. She grew up as the middle child of 2 sisters and 1 brother in Southern California and Minnesota, finally making her way to the Bay Area in 2003. Like most of our guides she has traveled around the world, and wants to see more. She spent a semester in a small village in Nepal studying anthropology and geology, and earned credit towards her Ceramics major and Anthro minor from the University of Minnesota. She speaks Spanish and some Italian as well. Her ancestors are Italian and the myth is that her mother’s great great grandfather was Pinocchio. No one knows now whether it’s true, but what is definitely true is that the Pinocchio was a guest at the family home.
Before coming to Incredible Adventures, Becky worked for AmeriCorps and the Marin Conservation Corps, where she focused on recycling education, and has done a lot of work as a pastry baker, cook and coffee roaster. She is committed to working towards a more equitable distribution of wealth, conservation and sustainability, loves that Incredible Adventures uses Biodiesel, and uses it in her own VW. She loves to grow food, to cook and share with friends, and she takes permaculture gardening classes. She brews beer and makes ceramics, rides her bike, enjoys good coffee and sitting on the porch on her days off.
Becky’s favorite winery is Homewood, because it is so relaxed and the wine so good. Their 2002 Syrah moves her to tears. Her favorite Yosemite hike is Vernal Falls and anything in the High country. She has spotted bears several times near Crane Flat.
