We just came back from a great vacation to northern CA. We flew into San Fransisco and quickly made a beeline north to Bodega Bay. Bodega Bay was beautiful and the most scenic part of our trip. We hiked around Bodega Head where you can see both the bay and ocean sides. Then we drove up the Sonoma coast and hiked along the shore.
Our second day, we visited the Armstrong Redwood Reserve and hoofed a 400ft elevation from the valley floor to the canopy of the redwoods. The height and size of the trees are fantastic. We cooled down at a Bistro (there is only one) in Guerneville for a great lunch that was worth the visit. I can say is this is one friendly town!
The third day we wandered our way toward Napa. Explored more of the northern coastal beaches, visited the Sonoma-Petrified Forest and Calistoga and wound our way through the vineyards on the Silverado Trail into Napa. There we met up with my brother Steve and sister-in-law Leslie. Saturday was a fun day of wine tasting visiting two wineries. One very large and one small. Sunday in the wee hours of the morning, we took a balloon ride with beautiful views. In the afternoon, Gordon and I learned to standup paddleboard. No pictures of us doing the SUP as we anticipated falling in and cell phones are too expensive to lose in the river…surprisingly we didn’t fall!! As far as you know.
Monday the four of us were on the road taking the very scenic rt1 coastal highway south to Carmel. We stopped in Halfmoon Bay for some fruit, saw random driftwood art and passed a carnivorous plant nursery that I’m sorry we didn’t stop to see. It’s still calling to my inner Morticia Adams!
The Inn we stayed in Carmel was a 3 min walk to the beach with stunning views, and a peek of the Pebble Beach golf course. From there we went to the Monterey to see the famous aquarium and cannery district. We took the 17 Mile Drive through Pebble Beach on the way back.
The following day Steve and Leslie headed home to LA. Gordon and I went to the Refuge Spa. No pictures were allowed, but if you get a chance, visit https://www.refuge.com. The place is stunning, all thermal pools AND we experienced the “Thermal Cycle.” First, you heat up in the Himalayan salt wall sauna or eucalyptus steam room for 10 min and then move to the cool/cold pool. In this case, even the cool pool is friggin cold, and the cold pool is like ice water. You’re supposed to stay in there for 10-60 seconds. HAA! It’s a very shocking experience. There is no way you can do this and not question the wisdom of it. The recommendation is to repeat this 3-6 times with a 15 min rest in-between. We did 3, and surprisingly, it got easier AND we were VERY relaxed.
Our last day we meandered our way back to San Fran for a flight home the next morning. We made a day of it. Had a picnic at one of the coastal state beaches and stopped in Santa Cruz to visit the Beach Boardwalk and Pier.
It was a great vacation.
