Magical Wine Country weekend

There are a number of cute little town such as Bodega Bay, Jenner, Gualala, Guerneville, and Healdsburg along the Russian River. Just a couple of hours north of San Francisco all along one of the most scenic routes in the world, these towns are ideal for a weekend getaway. This is the perfect vacation for wine and nature lovers.

We stopped at Bodega Bay (pictured in Alfred Hickok’s movie –‘Birds’) on the way to Healdsburg where were we stayed. 

We were planning to drive up to Jenner to see the sunset. On the way, we found this beautiful beach:

In Healdsburg we had an amazing seafood dinner at Willis restaurant.  The ambience is great and the food is fresh and delicious. The fish was buttery and the lobster roll was out of this world.

At night we had fun playing Monopoly. Of course it ended in a mini war over who won, and after no consensus was reached, we went to bed!

The next day we headed to Guerneville, and loved the brunch at Boon Eat and Drink.  Restaurants here take their food very seriously, and the ingredients are very fresh and organic. I am still dreaming of the flash fried brussel spouts and the beet & goat cheese salad!

We headed out to the Russian Gulch State Park where we strolled for a few minutes and returned because Yam was scared of the many dogs that were running around and playing.

We were driving back to the bay area, and stopped at a vista point. From here we could see Blind Beach and Goat Rock. It is very easy to miss these as they are not visible from Hwy1. We decided to turn around as we saw a lot of cars in that area.

Blind beach is one of the most amazing beaches I have seen. Here, the Russian River meets the Pacific Ocean and the different shades of green and blue water looked so beautiful on this sunny day. There are beautiful rock formations in the water as well as on the coast. This is part of Sonoma Coast State Beach – a 13 mile coastline stretching from Russian River to Bodega Bay. It is easy to miss these beaches that are tucked away in rocky coves, and hidden by steep bluffs. The ocean is very rough, and there is a rip current that is generated due to a steep gradient along the shore. It is extremely dangerous to enter the water. However, we did see some daredevil surfers.

We stood on the coast and watched the huge waves crashing on the shore and the rocks. The beach is a regular nesting ground for seagulls, otters, sea lions, and elephant seals. It was so nice to watch them in their natural habitat.

After spending a few wonderful hours sinking in all this beauty we left with some pictures and lots of amazing memories. Happy Travels Everyone!!

-Dee