Visiting Sonoma has been a two-fold treat: we were able to visit California wine country and everything it offers, but more importantly we had our first Doha reunion with Denise and Ron who live in Santa Rosa. They welcomed us into their beautiful home and were tour guides extraordinaire as they introduced us to the vineyards, woods and beaches of Sonoma.
Our tour started with wine tasting at Woodenhead Wines, a local winery with beautiful views from their sunny deck. A picnic prepared by Denise paired with wine tastings including chardonnay, sparkling, pinot noir and zinfandel made for a lovely relaxed lunch with good friends and good conversation and a well rounded introduction to California wines.
From the wide open spaces of the vineyards, we visited Armstrong Woods, home to California’s coast redwoods, the world’s tallest living trees. Like the sequoias, these trees are breathtaking as they soar up to the heavens. The silence that surrounds you as you walk amongst the trees is testimony to how tall these trees are, as any birds or wildlife resident in the treetops are so far out of earshot you can’t hear them on the ground. We also met sequoia General Sherman’s redwood counterpart, Colonel Armstrong who, at 1400 years old, is a whopping 308 feet tall.
Next was a visit to Duncans Mills, a village on the Russian River, 6km/4mi inland from the Sonoma Coast. Formerly a lumber mill town, there are beautiful little shops with gardens and window boxes and connected by wooden walkways. From Duncans Mills we headed out to foggy Goat Rock Beach to see the seals relaxing on the sand.
Dinner was at the River’s End restaurant and yet again, California cuisine did not disappoint. Showcasing local king salmon, the food was good accompanied by a fine pinot noir. In fact the salmon chowder was so good it may have disappeared before I remembered to take the photo.
One last thing we managed to fit in during our time here was a visit to the Charles M Schulz Museum. Dedicated to the creator of the Peanuts comic strip, this museum gave us a great couple of hours to hang out with Charlie Brown, Snoopy and the rest of the Peanuts gang. A special exhibit dedicated to Woodstock the bird is currently in place, celebrating the 50 year anniversary of the famous music festival after which the yellow fellow was named.
Denise and Ron, thank you so much for your warm hospitality, the great home cooking and an amazing time in Sonoma. We leave with great memories as we wrap up our California chapter and head north to Oregon. P&S
