Dry Creek Valley

With temperatures in the low '60's and the spring breeze blowing our way, we rented a tandem and set out on a twenty-five mile bike ride that took us past mature vineyards, apple orchards, stands of cypress trees and splashes of purple wisteria and bright orange poppies. The sky was a deep blue and there was not a cloud in sight. It felt good to get some exercise after a succession of three-course meals. How do cyclists stop and taste wine on these routes?! It seems like taking a chance, given the narrow winding roads, and the trucks that blaze by every once in awhile. We saved our tasting for later after we had lunched at the Oakville Grocery and wandered around the town of Healdsburg. Although Bella is worth a visit as it has good zinfandel and a gorgeous view, Preston Vineyards has delicious voignier and barbera. They also sell their sourdough bread, balsamic vinegar, olive oil and olives.

Healdsburg

Highway One took us along the shoreline from Point Reyes Station to a spot north of Bodega Bay. As we cruised along Tomales Bay, we passed oyster vendors and launches for hire. To our right were rolling green hills dotted with grazing cattle, sheep, goats and horses. The surf at Miwok Beach on the Sonoma Coast was wild, and the jagged rock outcroppings resembled pieces of modern art. The soaring eucalyptus trees continued to impress us but they were rivaled by the redwoods in the Armstrong State Reserve just outside of Guerneville. Guerneville, by the way, is a perfect lunch spot. The Main Street Diner has noteworthy veggie pizza slices. They also have a full dinner menu and cabaret performers. The town feels like a piece of the frontier with a Rexall Drug Store, a saloon, a mercantile selling everything from bathing suits to slickers, and a Granite 5 and 10. The aging hippies lining the sidewalks could have been us if we had stayed in '68. As we approached Healdsburg, we crossed the Russian River into the Alexander Valley and began to see vineyards as well as wineries offering tastings. We checked into Madrona Manor which is on the border of Dry Creek Valley and Alexander Valley. This Victorian nineteenth century estate welcomed us with the scent of freshly baked pastries. We happily took a bottle of Navarro pinot noir up to our room to sip.

Inverness, CA

We arrived in Inverness, California late yesterday after a lunch of sliced salami, cheese, onion and tomato on baguettes at Viansa Winery in Sonoma, and a stroll through the town. We are staying in a renovated 1911 boathouse on Tomales Bay at Point Reyes, near Sir Francis Drake Bay where Drake dropped anchor for awhile to repair his ship while attempting to circumnavigate the world in the 1500's. From our Adirondacks chairs on the dock, we can watch the swiftly travelling tides and gaze at the rolling, green Marin Hills. A small skiff is tied up at a pier nearby. A dog barks in the distance. We inhaled the strong scent of eucalyptus as we wandered into the Olema Inn for a dinner of Hog Island oysters, shrimp gumbo with crunchy risotto cake and okra, and black cod garnished with locally foraged mushrooms. The chefs here cook with organic ingredients and fish that is freshly accessible. Today we did our own exploring as we hiked the Earthquake Trail as well as the Point Reyes National Seashore. We are on the San Andreas fault, the epicenter of the 1906 earthquake. We learned about the North American and Pacific plates and contemplated the friction that causes gentle as well as disastrous natural events. Our Abbotts Lagoon hike meandered through fields of lupine, buttercups and European beach grass. Winter ducks alighted on the water while raptors swooped, and western snowy plovers nested. Several historic ranches dating to the mid-1800's, share the national park land. The tableau of cattle and horses punctuating the grasslands is stunning.