The main claim to fame here is for folks doing the Highway 1 or going to Dillon Beach. Side…read morenote.... Highway 1 is also known as Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) even though I usually use that term for the highway in the south state. This is really the only way to Dillon Beach unless you're a cow or enter by boat/kayak/canoe/swim. Given that, the very few businesses in Tomales get busy. Real busy. So here are your option: -Route One Kitchen and Bakery -Tomales General Store -Out the Door, seafood -William Tell House. Hotel open, Bar and Grill closed -Tomales Hotel -A food truck -And for all'z y'allz so inclined a Catholic church so you can confess your sins you committed over the weekend get away on the beach. So that is about it. There is a post office and an event center where they hold cow beauty pagents and not sure what else. Getting a 5 cause there is nothing to compare it to and it's the only coffee/champs/beer regroup around.

IPA10K is a beautiful beer run up at the Barlow in Sebastopol that I am glad to have done thanks to…read moreYelp! After returning back to running events since COVID, I have been happy that Yelp has been working on getting me back into it. Sure, yummy food events are always welcome, but a healthy run gives an excuse to eat more! Especially when it takes place at the Barlow which already itself has its fair share of great food eats. The website was not kidding when it says that it starts the race with a beer/cider toast! I thought it was an electrolyte drink :D So if you see a table full of drinks at the starting line, beware! For those who have not spent too much time in Sebastopol, there is some rural parts with beautiful countryside to run through. I would say that the course was overall easy to moderate with several inclines. However, for those casual runners or just getting into it, I would highly recommend the 3k option. After the race, there was a brewfest with plenty of vendors for people to drink and sample different brews. Although not a big drinker myself, it was a popular post race activity. If not, many of the restaurants at the Barlow and the surrounding area were open to get your fill of breakfast foods and coffee. Overall, I was happy to have participated in the IPA10K and hope many more of these events become available!

The IPA10k was a whole new experience for me that I am grateful to have been able to be a part of…read more Being able to experience it with my fiancé and pup made it even better! I have never run more than a mile or two and that was back in high school. Signing up for this race motivated me and pushed me to do something outside of my comfort zone. And what better way to celebrate than at a brewfest afterwards. Focusing solely on the race - pickup for badges, etc. was made nice and easy and I was ready to go the morning of race day. Parking, of course, was an ordeal, but that's a given for any type of event like this. The organization was impressive. Everyone working was very helpful, encouraging, and just in such a great mood. The route was beautiful. It was such a perfect morning for the run as well. It was just a nice feeling being able to run freely through the wonderful city of Sebastopol with great views of nature along through. There was some mild uphill/downhill, but seemed mostly flat for the 6.2 miles. When we were finished, we were greeted with some Lagunitas soda water type cans and some healthy snack bars and fruit. And then, of course, lots of beer! We definitely talked about making this a tradition. Such a fun day! Thank you so much for the opportunity!

Rocky Road isn't just an ice cream flavor- it aptly describes Petaluma's roadways. Interestingly,…read moreI've heard that Petaluma's roads were rocky all the way back in the 60s. They've always been rough, especially if you're headed into downtown. If you take Petaluma/Pt. Reyes Road (it begins as the D Street Extension), there aren't only granitic outcroppings that hearken back to New Hampshire.. but they're in the road as well. The road improves as soon as you reach Marin County... because, Marin. Back in 1906, Petaluma attracted San Franciscans fleeing the earthquake. The city is built on solid bedrock, preserving its Victorian heritage. Gen. Vallejo's stately adobe on the east side largely survived. Despite its solid footing, Petaluma's roads tend to be an adventure. However, its main thoroughfares- McDowell, Washington, Petaluma (Boulevard) are quite good&get frequent maintenance. Sometimes, I treat Petaluma's roads as a destination- but for the most part, Petaluma's roads are paths to other places- Pt. Reyes Station, Guerneville, Sebastopol, Fort Ross.

After a weekend of rock crawling in the Sierra's, we were referred to the wonderful town of…read morePetaluma. We were not disappointed. The roads are a testament to the sport, and very challenging. We simply couldn't get out of numerous potholes (luckily we had a crew with a winch), and others were bone jarring fun! The city even provides additional obstacles to progress, particularly those parts of the trails deliberately narrowed to challenge even the most advanced. Wonderful stuff. They also allow street cars I understand, but presently this isn't a problem as there are no practical ways to cross town so the residents sportingly stay home while they wait for some sort of train to take them to the outskirts of the next town to shop or simply stand around. Our rock crawler took a real pounding so will need some serious work before we attempt this category 5 challenge again! Kudos to the city leadership for such a visionary recreational opportunity. We'll be back with the entire club as we understand more features are being added every week. The metal plates course will be of particular interest to extreme sports enthusiasts.

This is the 124th Luther Burbank Rose Parade. The parade route has changed since the last time I…read morewent. It's centered around the new Courthouse Square on 3rd and 4th Streets. I was on the 4th street side and since it's a wider street than 3rd, the Santa Rosa Motorcycle unit was able to perform their trick maneuvers. The parade included local elementary, middle school, and high school bands. The band that came the furthest was Compton High School from southern California. Compton HS band was led by 3 drum majors with the band in full uniform and team of cheerleaders. There were too many floats and participant groups to name here. There were a few long "gaps" in the parade where people thought the parade was over. I was one of them, so I walked over to courthouse square looking for something to eat. There were plenty of food vendors including Thai, Greek, hot dogs, specialty sausages, and more. I walked over to the 3rd street side of the parade discovered Ted Williams of KZST radio was the parade announcer underneath their own tent booth. He did a great job in announcing the parade groups and I found out the parade wasn't over as there was a huge gap. So next year, I'm setting up a portable chair with drinks on the 3rd street side near the KZST booth. It's a parade worth attending!

We went to the 119th Annual Luther Burbank Rose Parade & Festival on Saturday, 5/18/13. It was my…read morefirst time hearing of it, it's one of the oldest & largest event of its kind in Northern Calif. Parade theme this year 2013 was "Surf 'N Safari" so lots of Hawaiian shirts, Hawaiian hats, surf boards & animal balloons. The grand marshall was The Campions. Lots of marching bands, local businesses, local banks, local schools & local politicans & clowns. Parking: city parking garage on 1st & B; 5th & Beaver; and 7th between Mendocino & B St. Plenty of portable bathrooms available. Juilliard Park was where the festival part after the parade was held. We walked in the park & saw the famous church that was made out of One Redwood Tree! Supposedly featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not. The park is located on Santa Rosa Ave across the street from the historic Luther Burbank Home & Gardens.

Sonoma County is diverse compared to the small Napa Valley. One can enjoy the vineyards of the…read moreSonoma Valley, see the Sonoma Plaza (the largest Spanish plaza in California), St. Francis Solano in Sonoma (the youngest mission), the redwoods along the Russian River, Luther Burbank's experimental gardens in Santa Rosa&Sebastopol, go to a yerba mate factory/cafe in Sebastopol (as well as a Japanese Buddhist temple), a raw vegan restaurant in Healdsburg... and the spectacular Russian settlement of Fort Ross out by Jenner. In Sonoma, one can indeed see Russia from one's front porch. In Sonoma County, one can go to an ashram, a Buddhist temple built in Chicago for the World's Fair, meditate in an otherwise bland office building, and go to a Zen Center atop Sonoma Mountain. Jack London called Sonoma County home. Some have speculated that his spectacular Wolf House was burnt down because of his socialist views (his capitalist dystopia in "The Iron Heel" has been cited in the OWS protests) There is the Petaluma Adobe, the largest adobe in California, that lasted only a decade. The only Revolutionary War veteran buried on the West Coast is at a cemetery outside of Sonoma. Other than Detroit, Cotati is the only city with a six-sided plaza. Sonoma County has PLENTY to offer locals&tourists!

Sonoma is the new Napa, the relaxed Napa…read more I prefer to call it- Nuevo Boho Gourmo ( New Bohemian Gourmet)

I have a newfound obsession with finding and visiting old, abandoned, historic schoolhouses. I…read morerecently visited the Potter School house only down the road 3 mins away. The Watson Schoolhouse operated from 1856-1967 and is an example of a one-room school in Sonoma County. It is in it's original site and condition. It was opened to serve the farmers and dairymen's children in the 1800's. It served the communities of Freestone, Bodega and Valley Ford. Walking around, it is a very small but simple school. The simple gable (Greek revival origins) with a small bell tower was a typical design of one room school at the time. This is a small historic park with a few parking spots. There was nobody else when I arrived around 930 in the morning. Parked and was able to walk around and take photos There are several picnic tables for you to enjoy your lunch. FYI BEWARE there are Yellow Jackets flying everywhere with nests nearby. I did enjoy looking at the school from the outside but would like it even more if it was open for a peek inside. For those who are looking for the running fence, it has been taken down a long time ago. It was up in the 1970's as an art piece and taken down shortly after. There is a sign here designating this area to commemorate the fence. Hubby and I was able to do some drone flying here and got lots of aerial views or the school, surrounding areas, Bodega Highway and you can see as far as Potter schoolhouse. Worth a visit for the history as it is admission free!

This statue is right next to Russian River Brewery on 4th st…read more The life-size basalt sculpture, a gift from the city's South Korean sister city, Bukjeju - as I found out from a quick Google search. The cobblestone lined fountain really does look beautiful and adds some flavor and class to the downtown Santa Rosa area. I don't know the meaning behind the statue itself - but enjoy it every time I visit the area. Public art is something every city strives to incorporate - this was executed here very well. Blends in with harmony to the surrounding area and Jeju Way - the tiny park located directly behind the statue. Russian River and the Chinese restaurant next door, Ting Hau are the closest business - on either side of the statue is diagonal street parking.

While visiting Bodega Bay this summer, my daughter sent this place to me and I knew I wanted to go…read moreand see it. We pulled into the parking area and it first I did not see the memorial but then I saw a large towe and dedicated plaque in the distance I and headed over to it. This is the Nicholas Green Memorial. While he and his family were vacationing in southern Italy on September 29, 1994, their car was hijacked by armed robbers who shot and killed Nicholas. Their car was mistaken for a car that held jewelry. His parents made the decision to donate their son's organs. This donation managed to help seven Italian patients awaiting transplants. This organ donation was huge and helped launch more organ donations around the world. Italy is now considered one of the top countries in Europe for organ donations. The Children's Bell Tower is dedicated to children everywhere and it was inspired from Nicholas' untimely death. The center bell is so beautiful and has Nicholas' name inscribed. Many people donated bells from Italy to be hung on the tower. In the same area, there is a large tree with many wind chimes hanging from it and the sounds are so lovely. We stood there for some time just listening to the bells ring from the coastal breezes blowing. A very peaceful and tranquil place to visit. This beautiful memorial is right off Highway 1 near the Community Center. Not advertised so you need to look for the memorial.

Every visit here is magical. The walk there is quite…read morepleasant and at the end of the trail is the spectacular & symbolic Bell Tower. This tower is so well done and a beautiful tribute to the children. Also special and magical are the creative wind chimes in the trees near by. When the wind picks up you can hear the chimes make lovely and unique sounds.