Blogs from Sonoma County, California, United States, North America - page 2

Hello, I am new to this blog... and am a travel bug so very excited :D I went to Sonoma Valley last summer and I just need to share with you guys how amazing it was. It was one of the most beautiful places I have ever been and is located just outside of the beautiful city of San Francisco. You do need to have a car (which means that one sorry person cannot engage in all of the wine-tasting activities). Pick the first winery (just look online) and pick up a map at your first stop. Most people are very friendly and will point out all the hot spots to check out. I heard that Sonoma was half the price of Napa but just as beautiful and with equally fine wine. Has anyone here been ... read more

By Melisse. Taking flight… We humans do it when we travel to some far-away place and want to get there quickly. Birds are the earth’s experts. I love flying in my dreams, a pleasant and liberating experience. Recently Dave and I were fortunate to go flying in a little plane over Sonoma County with Bill’s son, Ethan, who is a steady and competent pilot. We met at Petaluma Airport, walked across the tarmac and watched Ethan carefully and systematically examine the Cesna before climbing in and taking off. Seeing the world from a bird’s eye view and moving through three- dimensional space is magnificent. Observing the topography from that distance gives clarity to the roads we are accustomed to traveling; the hills and valleys so easy to see. Ethan asked us where we wanted to go. ... read more

We celebrated Yom Kippur, the Jewish day of atonement, with the Russian River Jewish Community this year. Once again, it was wonderful. I say, "once again", because we celebrated with them 10 years ago right before we moved back to St. Louis from Sonoma County. I say, "wonderful" because the celebration is so completely inviting, accessible and natural. We gathered at sundown on the bank of the Russian River around a campfire, said meaningful prayers about being mindful of our transgressions against others as well as nature, asked forgiveness and ate a delicious pot luck breaking of the fast. Those who have been involved with the group regularly asked about us and hoped that we would continue being part of the community. We also met Mark and Nina who live just down the block from us ... read more

In an effort to take full advantage of our adventure, we headed to Napa and Sonoma crossing possibly the worst road in California, Mountain View Road. Arriving safely at the Good Nite Inn (hey, we are poor grad students) 20 minutes outside of Sonoma, we were afforded a pool day and a chance to remedy our cycling clothes/farmer tan. The next day, bright and early at 11am, we headed to Napa Valley, CA to see what destiny had in store for us. We had decided to cycle in Sonoma not Napa due to the crowds and less than ideal roads. Napa, for those who have not yet had the chance to visit, is the Disney of Wine Country. Very very touristy and very little about the wine. Eric being a wino (wine snob) was greatly disappointed ... read more

Today we visited the town of Sonoma. We wondered around town looking at all the cool houses and had lunch at a place called Boulangerie Cafe. At the cafe we had delicious food and met a sweet guy named Shane with whom we discussed prop 8 which is a crock of $%^&! He pointed us in the direction of this really crazy graveyard call Mountain Cemetery, with windy roads and beautiful mausoleums. From there we went to Sugar Loaf Ridge and hiked Hillside Trail. And we didn't get lost this time! Woohoo! On the way we saw deer, humming birds, lizards, lots of huge ants, and tons of lichen which is always a good find. We hiked up to huge rock formations and took lots of pictures. And then I took Jordan's night session of Alchemical ... read more