One of the great things about living in the Bay Area, is the close proximity of mountains, beaches, redwood forests, rolling hills, vineyards – all within a few hours of San Francisco.  Sonoma County is a prime location for a weekend getaway in the Bay Area.  I have to admit until a few years ago, I had never even heard of, much less been to Occidental.  Friends of the family have a home there, and my parents have visited often.  My mom mentioned it one day in passing.  Once I heard about the food, wineries, the beach nearby and an amazing spa – a weekend getaway in Occidental sounded perfect!

Road Trip!

Just over 60 miles north of San Francisco (about an hour and a half drive), is the beautiful and peaceful town of Occidental.   The girls and I hopped in the car one Spring weekend and headed north.  As we got further from the city, it got quieter.  Turning off of Highway 101 to Highway 12, the freeway became a two lane highway, surrounded by farms.  As we got closer to Occidental, we lost radio reception (and periodically our GPS), and started seeing more trees than people. Going off the grid! Anyone who lives in a city and rides a packed commuter train (or sits in rush hour traffic) can probably appreciate how attractive the idea of open space and quiet can be at times.

Being that I am a city girl,  I may have the tendency to exaggerate what counts as  being in “the country”.  However, in this case I think it’s fair to say that Occidental, California is a country town.  The farms we passed, the animals we saw (and smelled) and the huge wild turkey that ran across the road in front of our car… yea, that’s country!  I had to remind myself we were less than two hours from San Francisco; it felt like a different world.

After the drive up, we settled in at a cozy house nestled in a forest.  A weekend in late March, the weather was mild; perfect for a night in the jacuzzi and wine under the stars.

Pancakes and Biscuits and Bacon, Oh Myyyy

The next morning, we set out to explore.  First stop: brunch at Howard Station Cafe. Howard’s is a great spot.  I love breakfast at any time of the day, and have been known to have waffles and bacon for dinner.   Needless to say, I can’t resist a place that is consistently on the ‘best breakfast’ list, year after year.  We ordered all types of yummy deliciousness – pancakes, bacon, fresh buttermilk biscuits, an egg scramble.  Little did we know, we would need the energy for our upcoming hike!

An ‘Easy’ Stroll through the Redwoods

After brunch, we made the drive to Armstrong Redwood State Natural Reserve  in Guerneville for a hike through the Redwoods.  I had read about a hike that seemed to be about our speed – approximately two miles, a “moderate” hike that was referred to as “short, easy stroll through the Redwoods”.

Piece of cake, right?  Famous last words. We parked in the lot and headed out on the East Ridge Trail.  We walked for a bit, strolled really, and it was well, easy… just as advertised.

And then, the path split.  We could have taken a trail to the left or another to the right.  As we stood there debating which way to continue, a group came down the trail from the right- two adults with three or four relatively small children (all under age 10). The man greeted us and started telling us about a waterfall that they had seen in that direction and how it “wasn’t too far.”  We looked at them and thought, ‘Well the little kids just made it so we should be fine.  Let’s go see the waterfall!’

(Don’t Go) Chasing Waterfalls

30 minutes later, we were scaling hills covered in thick tree roots, sweating profusely, and no waterfall in sight.  Oh and my sister, KT had stopped speaking to anyone about 10 minutes in. Silent and deadly, seething… seriously, her side-eye was epic. When we got to yet another steep incline, legs burning, I suggested that we turn back.  I started thinking of those stories where people disappear in the forest, with dead cell phones and no water. I did mention I’m a city girl, right?

We made it back through the forest, thankfully without breaking our necks and had a good laugh in the parking lot.  My sister, thawed out and started talking again once she made it back to a paved road, everybody survived.

So the lesson here fam: when in doubt, take the path to the left!  If you are feeling brave (and have hiking boots, water and snacks), then by all means go find that waterfall.  I will say that it was a beautiful hike, adventure and all. Climb every mountain and whatnot. I’m pretty sure little sister disagrees with me on that, but hell it makes for a good story.

Wine Tasting in Freestone

After our grand adventure in the forest, a little wine seemed like a great idea.  We headed back toward Occidental and made a stop at Joseph Phelps Vineyard in Freestone.  A cute tasting room with a nice outdoor patio space, we sat and sipped wine and relaxed in the sun.  It seemed to be a relatively slow day and we had much of the space to ourselves.

After wine tasting, we decided to head right across the road to Wild Flower Bread to pick up some fresh bread and pastries; it came highly recommended by our family friend.  If you are a bread person, hell even if you aren’t… this place smells amazing. We got some fresh bread (still warm!) to go with our dinner and some sweet buns to have for breakfast in the morning.  It was awesome to see them baking in the wood fired brick oven and again, the smell of fresh bread… just, yaaasssssss!

A Perfect Pairing

The next day we had more wine tasting and spa treatments on the itinerary.  First up, the tasting room at Graton Ridge Cellars in Sebastopol.

One of my favorite things about Graton Ridge was that their tasting menu included recommended food pairings.  The only down side?  Reading about how well their wines paired with roast turkey, short ribs and chocolate made me sooo hungry!  The day we visited, they had 8 wines available to taste- including Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, dessert wine and a Petite Sirah Port.  A little bit of something for everyone.  We met and chatted with Greg as he poured for us; he was super friendly and we had the place pretty much to ourselves. This trip I picked up the A+ Apple dessert wine and the Petite Sirah Port- the Apple dessert wine with vanilla ice cream- ridiculously good.  And the Port with chocolate?  Craziness.

The Power of Osmosis

In addition to Wild Flower Bread, our family friend also recommended a spa near their house.  Osmosis Day Spa sounded amazing and it didn’t disappoint.

With outdoor seating areas and walking paths, before or after your massage you can take a beautiful walk through the grounds.  In the treatment room, I could hear water from a nearby creek, really awesome.  After a fantastic massage, I went for a quiet walk to the garden.  It was really peaceful- meditative spaces,  a Japanese Tea Garden, Zen gardens. I had a really difficult time leaving Osmosis.  Next time I’ll know to save the whole afternoon for the spa.  Once you’ve had your massage, you’ll definitely want to spend some extra time in this tranquil space.

Dinner at Hazel

For our last night in the country, we decided to go out to dinner.  Hazel, a relatively new restaurant in the area was a great choice.  Wood fire ovens, fresh seasonal ingredients, and a super cute dining room- rustic yet polished.  Fried brussels sprouts and pizza fresh from the wood fire oven, the perfect meal to end our trip.

I have to say this city girl had a ball on this girls’ weekend in the country.  My only regret? I can’t believe how long it took me to discover Occidental!  I’ve got to make up for lost time.  Next trip North, I’m looking for fish tacos on the coast.  Any other favorites in Sonoma County I need to know about?