A Week in Wine Country (cont.)

After teasing Shawn about her hats for nearly an hour, I had to take this photo. Had. To. 

Day 5

We had a special treat planned for Wednesday. We'd booked ahead with Flytographer to have our official vacation photos made! Our photographer, Kelly, had suggested nearby Peju Winery as a gorgeous location, so we'd reached out to them ahead of time to get permission and also book tastings for afterwards. We gussied up and hit the road!

Cheers!

We arrived just before 10 a.m., and we spent a fun hour with Kelly. We had the grounds largely to ourselves, and she gave us lots of good direction. We took photos in the gardens, in the vineyard itself, all around the property. (Shawn had somehow packed two GIANT hats for this photo shoot. I have no idea how she got them in her suitcase without crushing them! After teasing her for nearly the whole photo shoot about her hats, I had to stick one on my head for a few reeeally cheesy photos at the end of the shoot. The result is above.) 

When we were finished, we filed into the tasting room, where Robert, one of the winery's employees, expertly led us through about six different wines. He was so knowledgeable, attentive, and friendly! We ordered a cheese and charcuterie platter to accompany, and it was delicious! When we opined to Robert that we couldn't ship wine home due to Mississippi's ridiculous liquor laws, he presented some easy alternatives. We purchased several bottles here (some we drank later in the week, and some we brought home), and I particularly loved the Carnival, a light white that tastes like a party in your mouth! 

Though the winery didn't have many other guests at the beginning of our visit, there were a few other parties in the tasting room by the time we left. I loved that this winery felt a bit off the beaten path while still offering a world-class experience. Highly, highly recommended. 

Once we'd finished at Peju, we drove to a reserved tasting at Domaine Carneros. We'd chosen this winery because they offered flights of sparkling wines, which we knew Caron would love. (In addition, the facility is basically a palace, and they conduct the tastings on the lovely terrace, so the atmosphere is also nice.) 

Domaine Carneros is impressive. 

We were seated immediately and ordered flights of bubbles! We also ordered food to accompany - another cheese/charcuterie platter, the smoked salmon platter, and then Caron splurged on the caviar platter! For the next hour and a half, we delicately sipped our bubbles, nibbled caviar, and tried to figure out how we could make our vacation in wine country permanent. I took photos of our troupe in front of the impressive edifice of the winery, and Caron found true bliss. 

Unlike Peju, this winery seemed to be operating at capacity for the duration of our visit. It was certainly lovely, but I think all of us preferred the slightly slower pace at Peju or perhaps St. Francis. Both of those locations felt a little more like something we'd discovered - a secret. 

When we'd drunk the last drop at Domaine Carneros, we had one final stop to make. I wanted to poke my head into Oxbow Public Market to see what all the fuss was about and re-stock our home larder. We found tons of goodies here! We bought fixings for our own cheese and charcuterie platter back at the rental, sampled some gorgeous ice cream, and also bought the ingredients for a spaghetti and salad night. They had tons of fresh, local products. We replenished our breakfast supply of eggs and fruit as well. (Susan had bought plenty of sourdough in San Francisco, so we were good on bread.) 

After such a busy day, we were pooped! We headed back to our home-away-from-home and spent a quiet night in, munching on our purchased goodies for dinner.

Bubbly and caviar? I don't mind if I do!

Day 6

This was "free day." I find that, when making a vacation itinerary, there comes a day when everyone just wants to do their own thing. There are typically attractions or activities that you want to do that no one else wants to do. And sometimes, you just want to do nothing at all. So, I try to plan for a "free day," when there are no big plans and everyone can chart their own course.

To the top on the trails at 
Bartholomew Park!

I'd originally planned to bike a 14-mile route on free day, but the route (and the bike rental shop) were located in Sebastopol, which was about an hour away. We'd driven so much on this trip that I was loathe to get in the car again. Instead, Shawn and I put our heads together and identified some good nearby hiking at Bartholomew Park. (We noticed that signs at the trailhead warned of mountain lions. When we brought this up to Caron, she opted for a morning by the pool. Susan had already decided on a day of sleeping in and reading, as is her custom.) 

After a bit of breakfast, Shawn and I set out. We navigated to the trailhead, which is located in a lovely area that also houses a vineyard and winery. (Proceeds from the winery support park and trail maintenance.) Our AllTrails app helped us get on the right trail, and we were off! We'd chosen the Grape Stomp and You-Walk-Miwok Loop, which is about 2.5 miles up to a summit/lookout area. The trail system here is well-marked, and there was a little bench at the top, so you could sit in the shade and admire the view after your climb up! 

After our hike, we were starving. We swung by Whole Foods and picked up a heat and eat lunch of salmon, roasted potatoes, and asparagus. We got home, popped it into the oven, and gratefully devoured it. After a bit more relaxing, we decided to head back to Sonoma Plaza for more wandering and shopping.

We stumbled upon Tiddle E. Winks and fell in love. Fruit Stripe Gum! Sparkly birthday cake candles! Candy cigarettes! They placed our little purchases in a vintage paper popcorn bag. So cute! We also found treasures at J. James Sonoma - cards, gifts, fantastic soaps, so many great hats!

After shopping a bit, we ambled over to The Girl and the Fig, where we had a dinner reservation. They seated us outside, and we started with cocktails. I had a delightful lavender mojito, and then I ordered the steak frites with a glass of red. So yummy! We split the salted fig caramel trifle for dessert. The service, food, and prices were all great here, and the atmosphere - sitting outside with a view of the plaza - can't be beat. 

We headed home, and Caron and I soaked in the hot tub for a couple of hours before bed. 

Beautiful views from the lookout point at the top of the Bartholomew Park trail

Day 7

On our last full day in Sonoma, we had a late breakfast, then drove the scant 15 miles to Jack London State Historic Park. The park sits on what was once London's Beauty Ranch, which he shared with his second wife, Charmian. There's an on-site museum, located in The House of Happy Walls, a stone-built custom home that Charmian lived in for years after London's death. We started there, learning all about London's life and work, his adventures, and his marriage to Charmian. 

Then, we took the short out-and-back trail to the couple's grave (which is marked only by a large natural stone) and the ruins of Wolf House, London's dream home. He'd plowed all of his resources into building a sprawling home that he hoped would stand for 1,000 years. Unfortunately, the structure burned down right before he was to move into it. He died before he had the chance to rebuild. 

Mementos from some of London's travels

The ruins are tragic and beautiful, in their own way. There's a little staircase and an overlook that allows
you to peer into what would have been the inside of the four-story structure, which featured a reflection pool, a sleeping turret, and oodles of fireplaces.

We took our time on the walk back and stopped in the museum's gift shop before leaving. As I was perusing a shelf of merchandise, I noticed a small doorknob obscured behind a pile of books. When I pointed it out to the store attendant, he encouraged me to (carefully) try turning it. The book case swung from the wall to reveal a small hidden library behind it. When I exclaimed, he showed me a second movable book shelf, which opened to reveal a small spiral staircase on one side (which led to Charmian's bedroom on the second floor) and a doorway to the outdoors (behind the house), on the other side. These clever additions allowed Charmian to come and go quietly from the house when she wanted to and also provided her with a place to store things that she didn't want prying eyes to see. Genius. 

After enjoying the park, we drove 5 miles or so to Salt and Stone for lunch. We didn't have a reservation, but they were able to seat us inside. We started with the fries with truffle aioli, and then I chose the prawn and scallop pappardelle, a mix of wide noodles, savory scallops, shrimp, and veggies with a light sauce. I had to have a wine, so I chose one of the lovely whites we'd tasted earlier in the week at St. Francis. Delicious, delicious. Plus, service was great here. 

The ruins of Wolf House

When we were finished, it was back to the car and back to the house for a nap and a lazy afternoon. We started making moves to clean up and pack, and we made spaghetti and salad at the rental for dinner. An early night!

The next morning, it was clean up-drive to airport-return rental car-fly home! (Note: There was some EXTREMELY creative car packing/loading involved in this endeavor, as we had considerably more to get back than we had set out with.) Again, we were lucky, as our flights were on time and smooth. 

We had a fantastic time in wine country, and I'd recommend at least a week in the area to anyone. The wine! The food! The hiking! The shopping! The glorious outdoors! We even learned a thing or two. Until next time, California!