From Sonoma County to San Francisco


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September 20th 2008
Published: September 20th 2008
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September 16: We enjoyed two hikes further up the coast (even though, after flirting with us briefly, the sun pulled the covers up and went back to bed). One hike took us to the intersection of the San Andreas fault and the creek that comes out at Ft. Ross, settled in 1812 by Russians who came down from Alaska looking for sea otters (pelts) (which they hunted up and down the coast to extinction) and food for their Alaska settlements. Once the otters were gone, and they found that coastal lands were not agriculturally rich, they sold out to a rancher named Call. The area became part of California in the 1840s. The action of the fault - the Pacific plate moving NW against the North American plate) - turned the creek in one area perpendicular to the coast. It’s hard to imagine that standing on the lip above the creek, you are actually standing on the fault line and that the creek below is being twisted as a result. The second hike was into the Pygmy Forest at Salt Creek State Park. This was a hike UP through forest into an area where a hardpan layer underlies a thin layer of topsoil that has been leached of nutrients by the plants growing there. Roots have nowhere to go and no nourishment; so trees, some of them hundreds of years old, are greatly stunted.

That area of the coast is stunning and very empty. The Stewarts Point general store (which is the town of Stewarts Point) was closed when we got there. We finally found a lonely place to eat and ended the day with a long drive on more of these wonderful empty back roads, a swing inland before heading back to the coast. We were especially enthusiastic when we saw the sign at the start of the road: NO SERVICES NEXT 47 MILES. Most surprising sight on this dramatically rustic, empty road: Stewarts Point Indian Rancheria, a tiny Indian settlement of simple frame houses and a pretty, new two room school and playground.

September 17: Today we took more back roads to Healdsburg, a small town in the middle of the three major wine “appellations” of Sonoma county. We found the town pleasant enough, especially the central square. But the establishments are too swank for our taste - no local color. We did enjoy a Kendall-Jackson wine tasting, especially because we learned a lot about the wine industry. Interesting fact: Since the movie Sideways, sales of merlot have tanked and pinot noir is all the rage. Some vineyards can’t even sell their merlot grapes and have chopped the vines down to graft pinot noir stock onto them (they reuse the rootstock!) Ouch! It takes about five years to get a decent crop from new vines, but maybe two years if you graft onto well established rootstock.

Leaving town we took the most spectacular road yet - Sweetwater Springs Road. It’s 10 miles long, one lane wide in some places, and it travels through dramatic scenery from deep down in a creek bed, to a pass at over 1,200 feet, then down again. At a top speed of 20 mph we savored gorgeous views of forest, vineyards and farms. At the end, we drove up (again) to the Iron Horse winery, famous for sparkling wines. At the end of a very informal and fun tasting, we bought a bottle of champagne and drove back home.

As I write this, the sun has come out fully and the sea is sparkling like a huge diamond. We are going to have a sunset tonight - our last night. What a treat!

Robb here: As Barbara relaxed in the hot tub, I drove up to Blind Beach to see if I could get some cool pics of the sun coming out (which I did). I was also able to (finally) do a bit of tidepooling, as the tide was pretty low. I saw a couple starfish, and a whole bunch of barnacles. Then back at Wright’s Beach, I saw a forest of sea palms. I also realized why they call it Death Rock. The little beach between the shore and the seastack there has waves breaking in all kinds of crazy directions, because the seastacks allow some waves to come in almost at right angles to the regular waves. Once I had the wash of a wave hit my ankles from behind; as I watched, I saw some waves break straight into one another, causing surprisingly large splashes from seemingly small breakers. There was a woman painting there; she told me to be careful, as she did not swim.

Here are some random ruminations of past days, in no special order.

We have seen quite a
The Russian River emptying into the oceanThe Russian River emptying into the oceanThe Russian River emptying into the ocean

(Note the seals sleeping on the sand.)
lot of touring bicyclists on the coast, loaded down with gear. Some are women. I really admire them. There are some really brutal climbs. Of course, there are the views and fresh air as compensation, but oh, the legs!!

As we’ve seen in the Midwest and the Plains, we’ve seen many abandoned farm or ranch buildings here. Sometimes new houses, farm buildings, and animals signal that there’s still a going concern. In other cases it’s not clear. In the Midwest and Plains, I know that huge corporate farming operations have swallowed family farms, usually leaving the old buildings to deteriorate gradually - not worth paying to knock them down. Here also? We don’t know. But I find these moldering ruins intriguing. I always wonder who lived in them, and where they went, and who took their place…

Mexican (chicano?) farmworkers are so clearly the foundation of this agrarian economy. In towns like Healdsburg, small groups of young men hung out on streetcorners waiting to be picked up by employers. Out in the countryside, and on side roads driving farm vehicles and trucks, these folks are everywhere. I think that some of the smaller and simpler homesteads we’ve seen, some including vineyards and orchards, where buildings, cars and equipment look more rundown, are owned by farmworkers. Is it true, I wonder. We passed a sign for Muniz Farms yesterday on the coast, and the Robledo winery is well known as the successful business of a former migrant farmworker and his large family. How much and how well have these folks been able to integrate into the economic and social life here? I’d like to know more.

Food: We’ve eaten breakfast and most of our dinners here at the house. The two dinners “out” were rather disappointing quality-wise. We’ve eaten lunch out every day. And it’s been expensive! The most outrageous example was lunch yesterday up the coast, at the one open restaurant in the area. We paid $37 (tip extra!) for two sandwiches, two cups of soup, and one Coke! (We were the only customers in the place.) But food elsewhere has been just plain overpriced as well and it’s been common to spend $25 for a rather simple lunch. We’re not looking for hot and trendy here - just a pleasant place with decent food. The best deal so far: my $1.50 cuppa at Roadhouse Coffee down the way. Now, that’s fair! By the way, supermarket food is no deal either; but at least you’ve got a selection. The word “organic” … is everywhere.

Overheard at lunch one day: “I’m having trouble integrating my tai chi with my family life.” Said by a grossly overweight man inhaling fish tacos and all the trimmings…

Real estate. Would I like to buy a place here? No. But if I did, the price would be right. Robb read an article in a local rag with some very interesting facts regarding housing in Sonoma County: in August 53% of home sales were “distressed” - in foreclosure; the median price was about $350,000, down from a high of $619,000 in 2005. We heard yesterday on the radio that in other area counties the numbers of distressed sales were as high as 60%.

One last soak in the hot tub admiring the stars, and we have The Big Pack ahead of us. As we leave tomorrow, we’ll stop at a Bodega Bay joint for clam chowder before ambling down Hwy 1 all the way to San Francisco, then over the bridges to Oakland and Piedmont.

September 18: What a gift - deep, clear blue sky and sparkling sun. We drove all the way down Hwy 1 to Mount Tamalpais in Marin County. We may hike there some day, but in the meantime, we took the wonderful Panoramic Hwy up one side and down the other, turning off in the middle on a dramatic little road up to a viewing point. From there we hiked up the last 500 yards to the Mt. Tam east peak, around 2600 feet. What a breathtaking, 360 degree view - holy cow! The bay and ocean were sparkling blue, and San Francisco and Oakland looked like toy cities. From up there, you can see the whole bay area laid out, and also (barely) see the north end of Tomales Bay (about 30 miles away).



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Barbara looks out at San FranciscoBarbara looks out at San Francisco
Barbara looks out at San Francisco

(from the top of Mt. Tamalpais)


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