Trip: Sonoma Coast (With Pictures, and ahem, a “video”!)
avatar

[slideshow w=640 h=480 id=14]

SLIDESHOW!

Sonomads: n. People prone to wander around Sonoma County in search of new adventures.

Ideas for “On-the-road” reference:

Sonoma County (http://www.sonomacounty.com/)(http://inside-sonoma.com/)(http://sonoma.com/)
Sebastopol (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sebastopol,_California)
Enroute (http://www.enroutewinery.com/home.html)
Bohemian Highway (http://inside-sonoma.com/bohemian-highway/)
The Great Petaluma Treasure Hunt! 2-5 Sat (http://inside-sonoma.com/sharpen-your-deduction-skills-for-the-great-petaluma-treasure-hunt/)
Breweries (http://inside-sonoma.com/weekend-brewery-tour-of-sonoma-county/)
Soft-core biking (http://inside-sonoma.com/cycle-sonoma%E2%80%99s-finest-backroads/)
Cedar Enzyme Treatment (http://www.osmosis.com/cedar-enzyme-bath/)
Ferrari-Carano (http://www.ferrari-carano.com/visit/)
Rodney Strong (http://www.rodneystrong.com/)
DeLoach (http://www.deloachvineyards.com/About-Us/Visit—Tasting-Room)
Wine (http://www.sonoma.winecountry.com/)(http://sonoma.com/visitorsinfo/Sonoma_County_Winery_Map.pdf)(http://sonoma.com/wineries/)(http://www.sonomavalleywine.com/)(http://www.sonomavalleywine.com/pdfs/SVVGA_map_April2011_final.pdf)
 

 

 

 

FRIDAY

STAYING: Bodega Bay Lodge (http://www.bodegabaylodge.com/)

The Scene: The Bodega Bay Lodge is the quintessential California coastal retreat… romantic and serene. From its seaside perch, the Lodge offers sweeping views of the Pacific Ocean, the calm Bodega Bay and the rugged shoreline. A beautiful one-hour drive north of the Golden Gate Bridge, the Lodge is the only AAA Four Diamond hotel on the Sonoma Coast. Our warm and cozy rooms have private balconies, down comforters, and real fireplaces. The Duck Club Restaurant highlights local seafood and farm fresh ingredients, and our Spa relaxes the mind, body and soul.

EATING: The Duck Club (http://www.bodegabaylodge.com/)

The Scene: Enjoy award-winning California French cuisine, relaxing ocean views and superb service in an elegant setting. Menus change seasonally to highlight fresh local seafood and regional ingredients. The Duck Club features fine Sonoma County wines, special holiday menus throughout the year and winemaker dinners.  The Duck Club Restaurant celebrates the local bounty of Sonoma’s spectacular coastal region. Your dining experience will be highlighted by the seasonal availability of local, sustainably farmed produce, seafood and meats. Chef Jeff Reilly has established close relationships with local organic family farmers, ranchers and artisan cheese producers to create a fresh and innovative menu. Savor the seasonal offerings, serene views and culinary experience of our Sonoma Coastal Cuisine.

 

SATURDAY

PLAYING: 7:30am– The New Links at Bodega Harbour (http://www.bodegaharbourgolf.com)

The Scene: The New Links at Bodega Harbour is one of Northern California’s most impressive golf courses. Perched along the spectacular Sonoma County Coast, the New Links at Bodega Harbour combines breathtaking natural beauty with a recently remodeledRobert Trent Jones II design. Located in beautiful Bodega Bay, California, just an hour’s drive from San Francisco and a two hour drive from Sacramento, The New Links at Bodega Harbour makes for an ideal golf getaway.Experience the beauty and challenge of a true Scottish style links course. Combining spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean from all 18 holes, rolling fairways, undulating greens, and native coastal rough, this golf course is sure to take your breath away.
Took my breath away to the point I must have suffocated.  Shot a 98 and Crystal took me 16 points to 6!!!

EATING: French Garden  (http://www.frenchgardenrestaurant.com)

The Scene: French Garden Restaurant offers Farm-to-Table, French-inspired Sonoma County Regional Cuisine featuring daily harvested produce from our 30 acre certified organic farm. Our menus, expertly prepared by Executive Chef Patrick Quillec, are designed around the seasonal bounty of Sonoma County. FRENCH GARDEN RESTAURANT & BISTRO blends the elegance of classical Europe with the warm, relaxed atmosphere of Sebastopol. Dan Smith and Joan Marler opened French Garden in 2006 to feature the year-round harvest from their 30 acre Sebastopol farm and to create a beautiful environment for people to come together in celebration of community..
 

TASTING (Winery): DeLoach  (http://www.deloachvineyards.com/)

The Scene: DeLoach Vineyards pioneered Pinot Noir wine growing in the Russian River Valley when Cecil DeLoach, a firefighter from San Francisco with a passion for winemaking, first planted the grape in 1973. In 2003, DeLoach Vineyards was purchased by the Boisset Family from Burgundy, France, when Jean-Charles Boisset fell in love with the Russian River Valley on his first visit to the area, immediately recognizing the similarities between Sonoma County and Burgundy: each boast a confluence of river, mountains, and soil that is perfect for growing world-class Pinot Noir.
They made us a Brick-oven Pizza!!!
 

TASTING (Winery): Ferrari-Carano  (http://www.ferrari-carano.com/)

The Scene: Ferrari-Carano Vineyards and Winery
Don and Rhonda Carano invite you to visit the beautiful home of Ferrari-Carano wines, the spectacular Italianate hospitality wine center, Villa Fiore, set in the midst of our 70-acre Dry Creek Valley estate vineyard. Here you can taste the critically-acclaimed Ferrari-Carano wines, stroll through five acres of exquisite gardens, view the magnificent underground, double-vaulted barrel cellar,and sample limited and reserve wines in the Enoteca Reserve Tasting Bar and Lounge. Be sure to browse our Wine Shop where you’ll find wine country’s most distinctive gift selections, gourmet foods, and of course the entire portfolio of Ferrari-Carano wines..
 

DRIVING: Bohemian Highway  (http://inside-sonoma.com/bohemian-highway/)

The Scene: The Bohemian Highway is one of the most scenic drives to be found anywhere in California. This special 10-mile roadway winds through towering redwoods, gorgeous pastures, rocky ravines, and three charming townships forgotten by time: Freestone, Occidental and Monte Rio. Buffered from the extremes of the marine fog and inland heat, this corridor is a gem of benign climate and was one of the very first areas to be settled in the entire region. Today, a Mecca for artists, and nature lovers, this special region has attracted a soulful community with a milieu all its own. Here you will find organic farms and wineries, specialty nurseries, and all kinds of innovative shops and restaurants. It’s also a gateway to superb hiking, biking and paddling.
Bohemian Highway, Monte Rio Hotels
 

EATING: Union Hotel  (http://www.unionhoteloccidental.com)

The Scene: Surrounded by wooded hillsides, meadows and creeks, Occidental is located in one of the most beautiful and richly natural areas of Sonoma County. As the ocean fog retires over the forested ridge and the sun warms the town of Occidental; the Gonnella family welcomes you to be our guest at the Historic Union Hotel Restaurant.  Since 1879, the Union Hotel has served Occidental patrons. Within its walls are a rich history of the beautiful area in which it stands. The beauty of the hotel is the ease in which you can stop in for a bruschetta and a glass of local pinot noir, a pizza and beer, or cozy up to our tables adorned in red-checkered tableclothes, dining by Chianti bottle dripped candles, while lingering over our traditional
family style menu. They also do catering and host special events.
The Union Hotel cafe proudly opens its doors at 6am daily, serving award winning pastries and freshly roasted coffee. Its pizzeria and restaurant are open daily from 11am to 9pm, and the saloon is open from 11am until the party is over.
 

STAYING: Inn at Occidental  (http://www.innatoccidental.com/)

The Scene: INN AT OCCIDENTAL, OCCIDENTAL, CA: Our gracious Sonoma Wine Country Inn is not just another Sonoma County Wine Country bed and breakfast. Secluded beneath towering redwoods in the charming village of Occidental, this bed and breakfast in Occidental is centrally located to the spectacular vineyards, orchards of Sonoma wine country, the stunning beaches and cliffs of the Sonoma Coast and the meandering Russian River.

SUNDAY

TASTING (Bakery): Wild Flour Bread  (http://www.wildflourbread.com/)

The Scene:Wild Flour Bread – as featured on CNN (may require Internet Explorer browser) – features organic sourdough breads, scones, biscotti and coffee drinks. Working with a wood fired brick oven we produce beautiful hard crust breads that our customers come from miles around to taste. At 8:30AM we open with 4 breads only, our sticky bun, cheese fougasse, goat flat bread and either the Bohemian (apricot, orange and pecan) or the Egyptian (pear, fig and candied ginger) and 1 or 2 out of 4 or 5 daily kinds of our organic whipping cream scones which have become a daily sellout with flavors like apricot, white chocolate, ginger or double chocolate, espresso, hazelnut.By 10:30 AM we usually have the remaining breads arrive by the hundreds (we make up to 900 loaves daily and sell only in our bakery!) and the remaining kinds of scones. Generally we have 10 to 12 kinds of bread daily. Each day the variety of breads changes. Like wine tasting we sample all of our breads so that you can experience a huge variety of tastes and its fun!
 

TASTING (Cheesery): Cowgirl Creamery  (http://www.cowgirlcreamery.com/)

The Scene: In 1997, Sue Conley and Peggy Smith opened Cowgirl Creamery in Pt. Reyes Station, a picturesque postage-stamp-of-a-town on the coast about an hour north of San Francisco. They started with an old barn, made it beautiful, put in a small plant for making hand-crafted cheese, bought organic milk from the neighbor, Straus Family Creamery… and before long the world found them! From the beginning, they wanted to make delicious, artisan cheese, to be environmentally responsible, and they also wanted to support their cheesemaking friends in being sustainable land stewards. Today, Cowgirl Creamery continues to make just a small collection of cheese — four, soft aged and three fresh, totaling about 3,000 pounds per week. However, their circle of cheesemaking friends has grown like wildfire and they now distribute extraordinary artisan cheeses from over 60 of America’s and Europe’s most prized producers.
Check out Cowgirl Creamery’s LIBRARY OF CHEESE
 

TASTING (Cheesery): Marin French Cheese  (http://www.marinfrenchcheese.com/)

The Scene: 
Specializing in Handmade Brie & Camembert
Marin French Cheese Company is the oldest cheese manufacturer in the USA and a unique part of American history .  Known by locals as The Cheese Factory and by its brand name, Rouge et Noir , Marin French has produced hand-crafted Artisan soft-ripened cheese since 1865.  Rouge et Noir cheeses are similar to French and European varieties but reflect the characteristics of Northern California, producing its own regional style. We produce  America’s original California Brie and Camembert, along with other delicious and award-winning cheeses.Marin Cheese
 

HIKING: Point Reyes National Seashore  (http://www.nps.gov/pore/index.htm)

The Scene: From its thunderous ocean breakers crashing against rocky headlands and expansive sand beaches to its open grasslands, brushy hillsides and forested ridges, Point Reyes offers visitors over 1000 species of plants and animals to discover. Home to several cultures over thousands of years, the Seashore preserves a tapestry of stories and interactions of people. Point Reyes awaits your exploration.  Oh, and we saw Elk, Elephant Seals, and a Minke Whale!  (Not to mention a million cows!!!)
 
 

EATING: Vin Antico  (http://vinantico.com/)

The Scene: Chef Ed Vigil creates a menu featuring local, organic products many of which are created in Marin county. The menu reflects the seasons and changes often. Vin Antico is intimate and cozy and has a San Francisco feel. We make our own pasta by hand every day. We cure our own meats. We make our own sausage. We make everything to order. Yes we really do! Our food is always seasonal. Food raised with love tastes better. See you at the Farmers’ Market!
 
This entry was posted in SanFran, Travel. Bookmark the permalink.

Leave a Reply