California, Part 2

The gardens @ Fort Ross

Every place we stayed was wonderful....bar one.  I am talking specifically about our lodgings now.  Timber Cove Resort on the north side of Jenner, a quirky, outdoorsy, "bohemian" feel was my absolutely fave!  That's where we started our adventure. I hope to stay there on our next California vacation.

Fort Ross

And, the quaintly-decorated, yet spacious B&B cottage, where we spent our last four nights was lovely, too.  The delectable breakfast meals were presented to us, by the owner, in our private cottage promptly at 8am each day!

Fort Ross

We had a little mishap in the middle, though.  The place Don reserved had been artfully advertised on-line with a few very strategically-captured photos, as a "riverside resort".  We should've kept driving when we pulled up to the cheap-looking, poorly-lit 12 x 14 sign at the end of the driveway, but we decided to give it a chance. (The bed and pillows had to be thirty years old. The sofa, dingy and stained. The bathroom, so teeny that Don could hardly turn around in it, let alone get a decent shower!) Lesson learned!  If the price and the photos don't quite "match", it has less than 4 stars on Google, and the sign looks "fishy", we probably shouldn't stay there!

Don found a terrific replacement on the fly, though.  Called Vinters' Inn.  Absolutely Spectacular!  Surrounded by the beautiful vineyards of Santa Rosa.

Sea Ranch Chapel

Inside Sea Ranch Chapel

The first half of our week we did our own sight-seeing, visiting places like Fort Ross, Salt Point State Park, The Sea Ranch Chapel (a unique little structure, "non-denominational" prayer chapel designed and built in the early-1980's by architect, James Hubbell), Armstrong Redwoods Reserve and more.

Driving the snot out of our cool convertible rental car, of course!

 

The second half of our adventure, orchestrated by our B&B host, Carol Tate, included visits to three vineyards and the famous Korbel champagne cellars, as well as zip-lining with Sonoma Canopy Tours and a 5-hour canoe trip on the Russian River.

The huge sequoias made for some terrific hikes.


None large enough to drive through (those live further north), but magnificent nonetheless!

Ha!  I became a tree-hugger in CA!  LOL

The wineries we visited were all lovely in their own way.


But, our favorite, by far, was Gary Farrell.

The view was fantastic.

Our tour guide, Jessie, was so hospitable and incredibly knowledgeable.

Our tour, very personal.

Don, with his pioneer spirit, loved learning about how Gary Farrell got his start.  And, greatly admired his ingenuity.











And, with our background in agriculture, we enjoyed learning about how the differing soils and microclimates across Sonoma County determine the type of grapes grown in a specific area, when the grapes are harvested, and how the end result, WINE, will taste!

Soil samples from the grape growers that supply Gary Farrell!

The sampling room.

I think this is a good place to wrap up today's blog post.  Hope you enjoyed my photos and commentary!  Next post, the last about our California adventure, includes some fascinating photos of the petrified forest and Safari West in Santa Rosa, CA.  Watch for it this weekend!