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!

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.

This is a neat tower of bikes crushed together into a unique art piece. The sculpture, designed and…read morecreated by artists Mike Grieve and Ilana Spector, is made up of recycled bike parts from 340 bicycles (including one tricycle). It's definitely a colorful and creative display, well-preserved, with a couple of benches conveniently located right next to it. The artwork was cool to check out, despite its odd location in front of a Kia Dealership.

Santa Rosa has a requirement that construction projects must put 1% of their budget towards public…read moreart and while that's made for a bunch of murals and benches and sculptures, there's nothing quite like this column of bicycles that were paid for when the nearby car dealership was constructed. Cyclisk - "cycle" and "obelisk" was installed in 2010 with the parts of 339 bicycles and one tricycle that were all beyond repair and destined for landfill. Instead, they were donated by non-profit groups and assembled by the artists. Yes, Mark Grieve and Ilana Spector came up with this concept and managed to get it approved by the city, built and then installed. The artwork is 65 feet tall and yes, look closely and you'll spot handlebars and frames and pedals and wheel forks and sprockets. I've never seen anything like it. Access is free. There is parking at the car dealership and next to the car wash. Zoom in to show the pieces involved. [Round number review 21000 overall - 517 in California - 1985 of 2023.]

I absolutely love the Town of Jenner! Jenner is a coastal town where the Russian River meets the…read morePacific Ocean. It has several beaches that are beautiful with spectacular sunsets and lots of opportunities to soak in the nature all around you. You can see harbor seals during certain times of year at the Goat Rock Beach or if you kayak there from the Jenner Visitor Center. You can kayak, swim, or stand up paddle board in the Russian River. I absolutely love hiking along the Kortum Trail in Jenner and at the Jenner Headlands Preserve. The views are stunningly beautiful! There are several hotels and vacation rentals that you can stay at and several restaurants. I love the Rivers End Restaurant for the sunset views and incredible food as well as Jilly's Real Food Roadside.

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.

I enjoy crafts way too much to want to make major investments for supplies in any more new ones…read more But still, I like to try new things, plus I love the honeyed scent of warm beeswax. Randy Sue's beeswax candle making class at "Thank Nature" filled the bill. Trust my daughter to come up with the perfect gift for me. Randy Sue's both an excellent teacher (her first career was as an art teacher) and an experienced wax worker. Not only does she craft her own commercial candles, several made from her own specialized candle molds, she is also a beekeeper and hive builder. She knows the business of bees inside and out, and it made our hands on work with the insects natural byproducts a lot more meaningful. While prepping our molds for the pour we learned about the worker bees special honey/nectar stomach, bees bread and pollen gathering. I never knew that individual groups forage in specialized gathering patterns that maximize the potential for delivering diverse nutrients to the hive, which also means that agriculture's use of bees to pollinate specialized crops can impact hive health. Quite a lot of ideas to take away with me from a two and a half hour pour and roll my own candle, hands on session. In addition to teaching us the basics, Randy shared ideas, techniques and resources for people who want to start their own beeswax candle making businesses. It almost makes me want to shell out the $200 she said it would cost to get going. Well, almost. Breathing problems and asthma are a major health challenge in my family. Though I regularly buy beeswax candles at my local farmer's market, I'd never before heard that they are the only candle recommended by the American Lung Association. To quote Randy, "Why use beeswax candles? They clean the air of dust, molds, viruses, bacteria, and other pollutants The ONLY candle recommended by the American Lung Association They burn 3 times longer than paraffin candles They are perfect for people suffering from asthma, allergies or sinus problems You breathe what you burn!" http://thanknature.com/Hex_Hive_and_Candles.php

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.

Truly breathtaking views of the Napa Valley from high on Pritchard Hill. Takes a bit of time and…read moreeffort to find and is understandably, by appointment only, but well worth it. Magnificent setting and exceptional wines. I highly recommend coupling a visit to David Arthur with Montagna as they boast the same winemaker, but each offer their own style of wine. Call for an appointment. Go. Take your camera! Enjoy.