Occidental

A Tour of the “Island of Sonoma”… West County Day Trip

West Sonoma County map

April is usually the time I like to go to Hawaii, but why bother when we live on the beautiful island of Sonoma County? Any time is a good time for a “Circle the Island” trip!

Beginning in Guerneville, we head out to the coast, past cows and sheep, redwood trees, and views of the Russian River, where we reach our first stop: Duncans Mill. There are lots of little shops here and a real old fashioned Country Store where you can buy lemonade, a pickle, a ceramic collectable, or a wind chime. There’s Wine and Cheese tasting (707-865-0566), Pig Alley and Dreamers & Weavers. There is an art gallery too and if it’s time for brunch on a weekend, the restaurant Cape Fear (707-865-9135) where I like to order grits and eggs with smoked salmon. Yumm-me! Duncans Mill is the home of the Russian River Rodeo and some of my best friends. Yee- haw! I love you guys!

Jenner on Sonoma County coast Past more cows, redwoods, sheep, the river and a right turn at Highway One to Jenner where the seals are usually out sunning. Get out of the car here to breathe in the windy salt air and watch the surf crash on the rocks. Don’t get too close – the tides are ripping! Say hello to Hawaii while you’re there (smile). Turn around and head back down Highway One and a right turn to take you across the bridge over the river. If you haven’t eaten yet there’s an Indian restaurant – Sizzling Tandoor (707-865-0625) – that has great views of the river and surrounding hills and serves a wonderful array of Indian delicacies. (Hint: Have a breath mint).

Doran Beach in Bodega Bay Now back on the road and up the hill – Wow! What views! Too bad the driver can’t look – ha, ha. There are many pull outs along the road to Bodega Bay where you can stop and have a look. I hope it’s sunny! The water is glistening and the grass is blowing like green hair in the wind… A few more cows and some horses on the right hand side. There are a series of state beaches all along this stretch of Sonoma County coast where you can stop and kick some sand, watch surfers, or picnic. Fifteen miles south of Jenner, you’ll make your way into into Bodega Bay – stop and buy a wind sock or a kite. More little shops: knick knacks, glass, shells, t-shirts, a surf shop…Now if you’re hungry stop for some oysters and clam chowder or a seafood salad at Inn at the Tides Restaurant where Alfred Hitchcock filmed The Birds starring Tippi Hedron. Try some down home friendly service at the Sandpiper or buy fresh fish off a boat from a real fisherman at Spud Point Marina. Bodega Bay is home to the Fisherman’s Festival April 21-22. Check out their website for the full schedule.

On the road again…just south of Bodega Bay, Doran Beach makes a nice stop for a walk in the sand. Make a sand castle and listen to the gulls. Or take a dip in the safest beach on the Sonoma Coast. This area is also home to some great vacation rentals and golf. On to the actual town of Bodega and a short detour to Valley Ford for a stop at the local watering hole for bar-b-que oysters and a beer – Interesting little village, hmm?

Jump back on the Bodega Highway towards Sebastopol and take a left at Freestone and visit Osmosis Spa where you can bathe Japanese style in organic rice hulls and cedar, get a massage, take in some aroma therapy…. Or buy more bread and baked goods than you know you should eat at Wild Flour Bakery. If you don’t get there early, you’re probably going to miss out. Oh, go ahead! Buy some for later! You could take your last venture for the day into Occidental which has several popular restaurants like the Union Hotel and of course more shopping!

Graton also offers some great places for dinner like Underwood Bar and Bistro or the Willow Wood Market Cafe. Shopping there too – Graton Art Gallery and Far West Trading Company and Tea Bar – the place to buy bulk teas and essential oils. Then back into Guerneville where you can stop by Main Street Station to have a drink and see the last set of whoever is playing there that night. There is always someone good and jazzy! In Guerneville I hope you are staying at one of the charming bed and breakfast inns like the Sonoma Orchid Inn, Creekside Inn, or Fern Grove Cottages. Enjoy your visit to the Isle of West Sonoma County!

Russian River Inns in Sonoma County Check out Russian River Inns for some places to stay in Guerneville and Monte Rio. The Russian River Valley is a great place to make your home base for day trips to the coast, the vineyards, and the redwoods.

I headed up to Occidental where I needed to get pictures of some of the Italian style family restaurants for an article Wild Jane is writing on the main sonoma.net site. I made sure to get photos of both the Union Hotel and the classic Howard’s Cafe two blocks up the street. The Union Hotel is a whole complex of buildings including a pizzeria, saloon, ballroom, and a residence at the end of the street. I had mentioned a few posts back how gates can be used as inviting features within a longer property divider. This mixed residental and commercial fence is a useful reminder that in a town with busy restaurants and saloons, the good citizens living next door probably want some peace and quiet.

There isn’t a residential break apart from the driveway in this long fence. It’s a fairly elegant “stay out” sign. There is, of course, a pretty gate into the restaurant’s courtyard and a driveway gate for the residence.

Howard’s Cafe is a beautifully converted residence with great original detailing on the lower and upper covered porches and eaves. It’s a lovely spot and one of my favorite breakfast hangouts on Sunday when I can get away. If you get a chance to stop by, have a look at the detailing on the upper porch beam where they echo the post-top detailing in the middle of the span. It’s a nice touch that you absolutely won’t see in production building today. Of course, you’re not there just to look at the architecture. The food really is great.

The builders also created a very intricate detail at the eaves that’s a little busy for my taste, but it’s certainly a great example of what pattern books, the power saw and an abundance of wood made possible. Sort of like desktop publishing in 1986…too many fonts, colors, and styles, but hey, see what I can do.

Stone wall revealed…and some far west grapes

I’ve bemoaned the loss of stone and brick as building materials due to earthquakes. We end up with a lot of faux walls where a thin stone veneer is glued to wood framing. This Freestone property has always had one of the most beautiful wooden fences in Sonoma County. They are in the process of adding a stone entrance to the property and we can see the solution for an earthquake resistant stone wall.

If you look carefully at the large image you get from clicking on the thumbnail, you’ll see that the stone being used here is real, and almost half a foot thick. You’ll see the reinforcing steel emerging from the earthquake resistant reinforced concrete block wall that becomes the bond that ties the rock and concrete block together. It’s not cheap to build this way, but it’s the only way to get an authentic stone wall that will pass building codes and remain standing when the next big one rumbles by. I tip my hat to the V bar C folks for doing it right, and for keeping that beautiful fence intact.

One other facet of the changing face of Sonoma County emerged when I was taking a picture of the wooden fence. If you look carefully at the upper right corner of the image (click to enlarge), just past the stump-sliced V bar C sign, you’ll see some of the most westerly grapevines in Sonoma County marching down the hillside. Ten years ago this would have been considered outside the range of grape growing climate. Now it’s home to the lovely Pinot Noir.

Inverted lawnmower in Freestone

Twin Valley, home of the Macmurray Ranch used to have the most wonderful trimmed redwoods. The underside of the trees along the fence line of their western pasture used to be groomed as crisply as a golf course green…just upside down. It was the cows, of course, reaching as high as they could to nibble on the emerging green redwood needles. I’m embarassed to say it, but it took me longer than it should have to see the cause and effect relationship. As I was driving through Freestone today I noticed this willow tree with an equally crisp bottom trim job. Alert observers will see not just the standing cow, but her partner in inverted mowing laying down on the job.

Freestone is a charming hamlet. Osmosis Spa, an inn, a great bakery, a rhododendron nursery across the road, and a classic general store are a few of the businesses here where the road to Occidental intercepts the Bodega Highway. There’s also the world’s most over-built foundation. I’m not sure how this came to be, but I’ve never seen a water tank with such a forest of massive timbers holding it up. It would make an interesting challenge at Berkeley’s school of engineering to see if they could figure out just how much this foundation could hold.

A Tour of the “Island of Sonoma”… West County Day Trip

Occidental

Stone wall revealed…and some far west grapes

Inverted lawnmower in Freestone

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