Sonoma Mission Inn -- July 24, 2023

At a school auction we won a two-night stay at the Sonoma Mission Inn. It was a nice place to visit, but to visit it we had to make our way through miserable traffic caused by a man threatening to jump from the Richmond/San Rafael Bridge. The eastbound lanes were closed from about noon on Friday to 7:00 am on Saturday. Traffic on the Black Point Cutoff was virtually stopped. We went up to 116 and found that traffic very slow.

We had to take the cat because we had no one to feed her. I think she was traumatized by the three-hour trip. She spent some time inside a pillow and then his under the bed until about 1:30 am, when she came out and jumped on the bed. 

Saturday, we had a nice ride on the Napa Valley Wine Train. All the people on our car were getting off at Grgich for a winery tour. We had the salad and entree on the northbound train. The tour was educational, and we got to taste a bottle of wine that sells for $220. We had desert on the southbound train. 

The cat was happy because the drive back on Sunday took a little over an hour. 

California Republic Proclaimed 175 -- June 14, 2021

June 14 is Flag Day and it is also the 175th anniversary of the 1846 Bear Flag Revolt, in Sonoma, where foreigners, mostly American and some Californios, led by William B Ide rose up against the Mexican government of California and declared a California Republic. Some time around this date, William L Todd, nephew of Mary Todd Lincoln, created the original Bear Flag, which the rebels raised on a flagpole in the Sonoma Plaza on 15-June-1846. 

The California Republic faded away when the rebels learned that the United States had declared war on Mexico in June. The original Bear Flag burned in the 1906 Earthquake and Fire in San Francisco. The California state flag is based on the Bear Flag.

I took the photo of the second Bear Flag monument in Sonoma Plaza on 08-April-2010. I have not been able to find the name of the sculptor.

Where There is Smoke -- October 12, 2017

Big wildfires have torn through Napa, Sonoma and Solano Counties since Sunday night.  Mendocino and Lake Counties also have big fires.  Santa Rosa got hit hard.  Relatives have had to evacuate.  The air in San Francisco is full of smoke.  We could smell it in Pacifica when we left the house this morning.  Kids are being kept in the classroom at recess and lunch time. 

I took the shot looking down Fremont towards the new Transbay Terminal.  

Sonoma and Pacifica -- August 2, 2017

I had the day off so we took a leisurely drive to the town of Sonoma.  We parked behind the Plaza and had lunch at the Cheese Factory.  We bought some Pesto Jack for our daughter.  The weather was in the mid-90s.  We took a walk around the Plaza, and then decided to head back.  Traffic was heavy above Sausalito. 

The blessed fog was still here in Pacifica.  We went to dinner at Pedro Point, where I took this photo. 

Winery Tour -- August 10, 2013

Today we drove to Rohnert Park to take a winery tour.  There was a sign advertising SMART by a stretch of track along the freeway.  I could see where some of the new crossing signals had been installed for SMART and the NWP. 

Our tour guide was Jeff Mathy, proprietor of Vellum Wines (http://www.vellumwines.com/).  It is always nice to talk to someone who is passionate and full of knowledge about his work.

The weather was not as warm as I would have expected in Sonoma County in August.  

Our first stop was Truett-Hurst Winery on Dry Creek Road.  This area has changed a lot since my father was building Warm Springs Dam up the road.  There may have been one or two wineries, but now the valley is full of them.  Truett-Hurst is right on Dry Creek and everything is done in an eco-friendly way.  They have a vegetable garden, fruit, goats, and chickens.  We enjoyed their wine and bought a bottle of their Swallowtail Chardonnay.  All of their wines are named after creatures from the estate.  We would go there again.

We went across the creek to the Raymond Burr Winery.  The setting was pretty but the tasting room was rather small.  Two of his Emmys were on a shelf and people were welcome to take them down and pose for photos.  The wine was good but we were sorry their port will not be available until November.

We drove into Healdsburg and had lunch at the Wild Sage Deli.  The sandwiches were good.  We sat in the outdoor area to eat.

We drove through town and across 101 to visit Merriam Vineyards.  They have a nice new tasting room.  The owners were friends of Jeff and they had an interesting discussion about wine making.  We bought a bottle of Rosé of Pinot Noir. Then we went and sat outside and enjoyed the sun and the breeze.

After that we went to Rodney Strong Vineyards.  They had a very modern, imposing tasting room, and BB King is coming to play September 1, and the man who spoke to us about the wine we tasted was very knowledgeable,  but the operation was very commercial and we didn't like the wine.

Our last stop may have been the best, at Harvest Moon Estate and Winery, near River Road.  It is a small family operation, with a Model A Ford parked out front.  Jeff and the winemaker, Randy Pitt, gave us a wonderful lesson on the way they like to make wine, bucking the trend to make wines with higher alcohol content.  Randy was very enthusiastic about the flavors in his wine.  He let us taste a 2011 Zinfandel and a 2002 to compare. We bought a bottle of dry Gewürztraminer. I took the photo at Harvest Moon today. 

We drove by the Sonoma County Fair to pick up two people, then back to Rohnert Park to get our car.  Traffic was clear all the way to San Francisco.  We stopped in San Rafael to have a light dinner.

It was a nice day. 

Fall Colors -- November 24, 2012

I took yesterday off and we drove up to Sonoma.  The Fall colors were pretty, as we see here in a photo taken at the Buena Vista Winery.  The courtyard has been completely changed since we were there last.  We stayed over at the Best Western, in a room with a fireplace.  The weather was good. 

Train Station #47 -- June 8, 2012

Schellville Station is the traditional junction between my favorite railroad, the Northwestern Pacific, and the outside world, originally the Southern Pacific and now the California Northwestern.  When I took this photo on 28-July-2011, the Northwestern Pacific had not resumed operations.  Now it is running and SMART is preparing a section for commuter operation. 

Sonoma #3 -- April 9, 2012

I took the day off so we drove up to Sonoma.  The weather was cloudy, but relatively warm.  We parked behind the Plaza and got lunch at the Cheese Factory.  We ate a picnic in the Plaza.  We visited Ravenswood, Buena Vista and Gundlach Bundschu wineries.  There was construction work going on around Buena Vista.  On the way back, we stopped at the outlets in Petaluma.  Traffic was light. 

I took the photo today at Gundlach Bundschu. 

Train Station #24 -- July 3, 2010

The original Northwestern Pacific Railroad depot in Sonoma burned down in 1976. This replica opened in 1978 as the home of the Depot Park Museum, operated by the Sonoma Valley Historical Society (http://www.vom.com/depot/). The museum has a nice collection. A string of freight cars and a caboose sit by the platform. I took the photo on 08-April-2010.

Firehouse #33-- July 2, 2010

I took the photo of Station 1 of the Schell-Vista Volunteer Fire Department, near the town of Sonoma, on 08-April-2010.

Work was quiet today. On the way home, the 5-car Millbrae train was very crowded.

Happy Flag Day #3 -- June 14, 2010

June 14 is Flag Day and it is also the anniversary of the 1846 Bear Flag Revolt, in Sonoma, where American and other settlers led by William B Ide rose up against the Mexican goverment of California and declared a California Republic. Some time around this date, William L Todd, nephew of Mary Todd Lincoln, created the original Bear Flag, which the rebels raised on a flagpole in the Sonoma Plaza. The California Republic faded away when the rebels learned that the United States had declared war on Mexico in June. The original Bear Flag burned in the 1906 Earthquake and Fire in San Francisco. The California state flag is based on the Bear Flag.

I took the photo of the second Bear Flag monument in Sonoma Plaza on 08-April-2010. I have not been able to find the name of the sculptor.

Sonoma #2 -- April 8, 2010

I took the day off today and the weather was beautiful, so we went for a drive to Sonoma. The hills were all green. The creeks had a lot of water in them, but it was cloudy.

We went around the plaza, then got lunch from the cheese store and ate at a picnic table. We went over to the train station and I took some photos. Then we went on to wineries. I took this photo at Ravenswood. We bought some wine there.

I made a wrong turn going to Buena Vista and we wound up at Bartholomew Park winery, which is in a former hospital building on top of a hill. They have a nice history exhibit.

Then we went on to Buena Vista and bought some more wine.

From there we went on to the Petaluma outlets, then headed home. We made it without any delays.

Sonoma -- April 17, 2009

Today the whole family had the whole day off so we went for a drive to Sonoma and played tourist. We went to the Sonoma Cheese Factory and got some food and ate outside in the sun. We had a walk in the plaza and saw only one duck. We went to the Ravenswood Winery and bought two bottles. We went on to Buena Vista and bought two more. I took the photo of the caverns today. We drove on to Petaluma and visited the outlets. It was warm, but not excessively. Traffic was light on the way back.