An absolutely lovely day today. I was delayed about half an hour getting out of San Francisco this morning because I had a couple errands to run - stop at the bank to deposit my apartment move out refund check (all those hours of cleaning paid off by getting a full refund on my security and pet deposits) and replacing the ice in my cooler again. All that cheese that I bought yesterday had to stay cool somehow.
My first stop this morning was Muir Woods. It wasn't actually on my plan until last night when I had a second person recommend that I go there. It was on my route and there are only so many wineries that a person I can go to in one day. So I got to Muir Woods and it was beautiful. I'm not what you might call "outdoorsy," but the trees were incredible. I did the 2 mile loop walk. The first half mile or so was overrun by people (lots of kids), but once I got through all of them, it opened up into this beautiful, quiet, serene experience. It was amazing to see how the trees grow. I know that sounds obvious, but their desire for the sunlight is obvious. There was one tree that at some point fell, partially ripping up the roots. It somehow managed to fall right between 2 trees that trapped it from falling all the way. The roots were still partially in the ground, and, somehow, the tree still got nutrients and survived, with the tip of the trunk slowly bending up towards the light. It was pretty amazing to see.
After Muir Woods, I started up into Sonoma. I started with Homewood Winery. They were pretty busy, but I tried some good wines there. While there, a couple of other patrons recommended that I try Fremont Diner. I had planned to go to a different place, LaSallette, for lunch, but my plan is nothing if not adaptable. Fremont was fine - nothing that was worth writing home about, but it seemed quite popular.
I then went up to the town square within Sonoma and went to Charles Creek Tasting room and Adobe Hill Tasting room. Adobe Hill was a last minute addition just because I was walking by. I got some great recommendations for other people to check out on the remainder of the trip, and I also heard about a local cheese place to try, Vella Cheese, so I walked over there and picked up a Monterey Jack (because the one thing I need is more cheese). I then stopped by Premiere Wine Shipping - Oh my goodness - so easy to arrange for shipment home of the few bottles that I've picked up along the way. I was so worried about that. There will be another place to stop in Portland if I have more wine to ship.
Because I added an additional winery and the cheese shop in at the last minute, I was running a bit behind on my planned schedule, so I skipped Little Vineyards and went straight to Eric Ross Winery. I loved talking with Eric at the tasting room about wines, photography, and the directions our lives take. Finally, I headed over to Mayo Family Winery, another great winery where I had some amazing wines. I ended up ordering 6 bottles there that were all super yummy.
Spending the night in Santa Rosa tonight and moving on tomorrow.
No comments:
Post a Comment