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Looking for the beauty of California north of San Francisco in March! Advice wanted!

Looking for the beauty of California north of San Francisco in March! Advice wanted!

Old Jan 13th, 2006, 08:01 AM
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Looking for the beauty of California north of San Francisco in March! Advice wanted!

My husband and I are flying into San Francisco in mid March. We get in mid-afternoon on Wed., and fly out early Sun. morning. We are interested in perhaps seeing the Napa area, some of the coastline, and whatever other beautiful countryside people may advise us on. I'm guessing that Wed. night we will spend in Napa ( any suggestions on B&Bs?), and Saturday night we will have to spend in SF because our flight leaves at 6am on Sunday. Any advice for where we might spend Thurs., and Fri. nights? We enjoy driving and seeing the countryside, but we don't want to spend the entire 3 days in the car. Redwoods? Mendocino? We also enjoy hiking. We would like to head back to SF in the am on Sat., just to catch a quick glimpse of the city. All advice is appreciated.
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Old Jan 13th, 2006, 09:53 AM
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The coast north of SF is gorgeous. The Point Reyes area is an especially nice place to spend time-there are lots of good hikes at the National Seashore, and good restaurants and b and b's in the towns of Inverness, Olema, and Point Reyes Station. You could then head up Hwy 1 and take the beautiful back road from the town of Tomales to Hwy 101; from there you could go to Napa or go a bit north to the state parks in the Russian River area that have redwoods. The "best" redwood areas (along the Humboldt Coast) are too far for your trip but these state parks (like Armstrong) are nice.

www.nps.gov/pore for more info.
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Old Jan 13th, 2006, 10:12 AM
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I'll re-post something I wrote about a year ago:

Day 1
North of San Francisco

Head north across the Golden Gate Bridge. Just past the bridge, take the Alexander Av. exit towards Sausalito. When you get to the stop at the end of the freeway off ramp, turn left & go under Hwy 101. Continue on like you are going back across the bridge to SF, but take the road to the right that goes up-hill, just before actually getting on 101. There will be a sign that says you are entering the Golden Gate National Recreational area. Continue up on this road. You will see what is (in my opinion) the best views of San Francisco – The GG Bridge in the foreground & The City behind it.. This area was formerly a military area that is still laced with bunkers, gun turrets, underground tunnels etc. It was opened up in the ‘70s. The views of The City, the Bridge, and the Golden Gate are breathtaking. You can see all the way down the San Mateo Coast from up here. Go all the way to the top and you hit a much smaller one-way road. On the way up, get out & enjoy the sights. The kids will love the bunkers & gun turrets. At the top where the main road ends, there is the largest gun turret, where you can climb up to for an almost 360 degree view. This view is best in the evening when the sun is in a better position to light up the bridge & highlight downtown. If you plan to pass this way again later in the day, skip this venue now & do it later. If there isn’t any fog, perhaps do it now because you never know when the fog will roll in & make viewing impossible.

Return the way you came up to this area. When you get to the junction just past the tunnel under 101, head straight to Sausalito. Just follow your nose (bearing right whenever possible), until you end up on Bridgeway – the main road along the bay in Sausalito. Drive along Bridgeway, enjoying the views back to the City. Sausalito has gotten a little tacky in the last few decades with all it’s mediocre art shops & cheep souvenir stands, but the setting is lovely & there’s some nice architecture. Continue North on Bridgeway until it joins 101 North again (towards San Rafael).

Take the Blithdale exit off 101 to Mill Valley. M.A.S.H. fans will recognize this place as the hometown of B.J. Hunnicut. Keep following Blithdale as it worms around a little in some not-so-picturesque areas before it reaches the center of Mill Valley (you’ll know when you get there). Turn left & park the car where you can. Walk around the area – there are some interesting shops. There’s kind of a central square in town (a good place for a latte if you’re ready for one). The south-west side of the square is Miller Ave. When you’re finished browsing, take Miller Ave. South. Shortly after the double road section of Miller Ave ends, take a right on Shoreline Highway – this is also the famous Ca Highway #1. Follow this to Muir Beach & Stinson Beach. This is a pretty drive. After a couple of miles past the Miller/Shoreline junction, there is a turnoff to Panoramic Hwy and the Muir Woods redwood grove. If you want to visit Muir Woods, do so but remember that it gets overwhelmed with day trippers from SF in the summer.

Continue on Shoreline (Hwy #1) past Muir Beach & on to Stinson Beach. There are some nice views of the ocean along this route. There’s a lookout over Muir Beach.

Stay on Hwy #1 past Stinson Beach. You will start to see a large land mass to your left (ocean side) This is Point Reyes National Seashore, where you could spend several days exploring the wildlife & natural beauty of this area. Drake’s Bay, on the west side of Pt Reyes, is where this Northern California area was first discovered – long before San Francisco Bay was discovered by Spanish explorers. Hwy #1 will go past a long lagoon (Tomales Bay). Just past the lagoon, Hwy #1 will turn inland.
Continue on Hwy 1 past Valley Ford. When it intersects the Bodega Highway, turn right (inland/east) & go to Bodega. This is where Alfred Hitchcock filmed several scenes from “the Birds”, including the schoolhouse scene.

If you are touring in the summer, there is a very good chance that you will be inundated by fog & not much of the coastline will be visible. If you have had enough fog, continue east on the Bodega Highway to Sebastopol. This is actually a nice drive (at the beginning). At Sebastopol, head north on #116 toward the Russian River. Just before Forestville, stop at Kozlowski Farms (on your left) if you want to pick up a sandwich. They have a large selection of jams, jellies, vinegar & other gourmet delights. Continue on #116 until it hits the Russian River at Guerneville (somewhat of an interesting town). Turn right & proceed east along the Russian River on River Road. I will continue to describe the remaining drive in the Wine Country section.

Back at Bodega, if the fog isn’t so bad & you want to see some more coast, stay on Hwy #1 to Bodega Bay. Continue north on #1 until it reaches Jenner. At Jenner, you can go north on #1 to Fort Ross to tour an early Russian fur trading fort – it is quite interesting. After visiting Fort Ross, return to Jenner & head east along the Russian River to Guerneville.

Wine Country
From Guerneville, head east along River Road. Stay on River Road as it crosses over the Russian River just past Hacienda – which will still be River Road. About 4 miles past crossing over the river, turn left on Wohler Road. You will start to see some vineyards now & there are some cute B&Bs close by. Stay on Wohler Rd as it crosses the river (again) on a very narrow 1 way bridge. Just past the bridge, turn right on to Westside Rd towards Healdsburg. You will see lots of vineyards on the way to Healdsburg.

You are now in the Sonoma County Wine growing area. In contrast to it’s more famous neighbor to the east (Napa), you will find the Sonoma wineries more inviting & less hectic – I actually like them better. In the Napa Valley, there are very few wineries where you can take a picnic lunch & spread out on the lawn. In Sonoma, they seem to go out of their way to invite you to use their facilities. On Westside Road, stop at Rochioli (one of the best Chards in Calif), Hop Kiln to see an interesting former kiln turned into a winery, and perhaps Armida, or Mill Creek. Just past Mill Creek winery, Westside Road will turn right (east) to head into Healdsburg just in front of the Madrona Manor. Turn left into the Madrona Manor Hotel, park the car & explore the lovely gardens & the exterior of this fantastic Victorian manor house. Go inside & poke your nose into some of the common rooms & pick up a brochure for your next visit to this area. It has a lovely dining room with excellent cuisine. It’s a popular wedding spot. Exit Madrona Manor and turn left and head north on West Dry Creek Road (not straight to Healdsburg).

You are now in the Dry Creek appellation of Sonoma County & it’s my favorite area in the wine country. Continue north on West Dry Creek Road (there’s a Dry Creek Rd which you will follow later). Stop at Lambert Bridge winery – this is one of the wineries that “invites” you to picnic on their lawn (they have lots of picnic tables). Just past Lambert Bridge winery, turn right on Lambert Bridge Rd & proceed a couple 100 yds to Pezzi King Winery. Stop & explore this winery too (great Zins). Return to West Dry Creek Rd & head north again. Continue on this road until you see a sign for Preston Vineyards. This is another winery that “invites” you to picnic. It has very pretty grounds – explore the outside bread oven, boules court, vegetable garden, flowers, and cats. The tasting room is quite nice – my wife likes their Rose wine. Return to West Dry Creek Road & continue north until the road ends. This is a pretty drive – would you like to own one of the houses near this dead-end? Turn around & head south. Turn left on Yoakim Road & then turn left (north) where it dead ends at Dry Creek Road. Proceed north on Dry Creek Rd & stop at Ferrari-Carano winery. This is the most "extravagant" winery in this area – it received a lot of criticism from locals (we know a few) when it was built. However, it is quite impressive. It has lovely gardens, a large “Tuscan” type villa, and a pretty tasting room (good Sauvignon Blanc). Exit Ferrari Carano & turn right (south) on Dry Creek Road towards Healdsburg. This is another pretty drive.
Healdsburg is our favorite town in the wine country – including anything in Napa. When you go under the freeway (on Dry Creek Rd) turn right when you hit Healdsburg Blvd & continue south until you see the town square – it’s obvious. Park the car & get out & explore. Tour the square & several blocks north & south of the square on Healdsburg Ave. There is a produce market Saturday morning west of the big hotel. This is a wonderful town to spend the night in. There is a new (overdone, in my opinion) large hotel (expensive) on the west side of the square – I think it’s called Healdsburg Hotel or something like that. There is also a B&B on the south side of the square & there are other B&Bs scattered throughout town. For dining in Healdsburg, we like Ravenous, Bistro Ralph, and Charcuterie which are all very popular with the locals. We also like Manzanita. Madrona Manor is less than 5 mins away, by car.

Day 2

If you’re staying near the square in Healdsburg, go to the Downtown Bakery (on the east side of the square) early in the morning & rub elbows with the (lucky) locals. Have a sticky bun &/or a scone. This bakery is very well known throughout the area. There are benches outside the bakery where the “bench bunch” meets each morning to chew the fat.

On to Napa Wine Country

Here is a beautiful drive that will get you to the Napa Valley. Head out north on Healdsburg Ave and once it gets out of town, it will curve to the right and connect with Alexander Valley Rd & passes Jimtown. This route goes through the beautiful Alexander Valley & Knights Valley. Turn right on Hwy #128 towards Calistoga. This section is lovely. Hanna is a nice winery to visit while driving through this area.

Proceed on to Calistoga.

Most tour books describe the Napa Valley thoroughly. As far as driving through this area is concerned, drive down Hwy 128 from Calistoga to Yountville and then east on Yountville Cross Rd to the Silverado trail & go south to Chimney Rock Winery. Turn around go north back to Calistoga on the Silverado Trail. Oakville Cross Rd, Rutherford Cross rd & the others linking #128 with the Silverado Trail are quite pretty.

There are lots of world famous wineries in this areas. I recommend visiting:

Robert Mondavi for the most complete tour on the grape growing & wine making process. Reserve a couple of days ahead at 707 968-2166 www.robertmondavi.com

Berringer for some lovely grounds & a very pretty Victorian “Rhine House”, but they don’t make wine at this site.

Sterling for the best views, but the line for the gondola ride to the tasting room will sometimes have a long wait.

Domaine Chandon to learn how Champagne (sparking wine) is made and for nice grounds & a lovely terrace to buy & taste some champagne & relax.

Neibaum-Coppola for the best gift shop & movie mementos (Francis Ford Coppola owns the winery) and very pretty buildings & grounds.

Silver Oak to taste the best Cabs (if available for tasting).

Clos Pegas for some unusual art & a lawn where you can picnic.

Silverado Vineyards for another good view of the Valley.
There are scads of great restaurants in the area. I find myself going back to:
Terra
Mustards
Martini House
Tra Vigne to wander around & pick up a picnic lunch (not a real fan of the cuisine). The building & grounds are quite nice. If you are not a “foodie”, this probably be the most fun place for a nice dinner in the Napa Valley.

Reserve at least a week ahead for all the above restaurants – perhaps more than 2 weeks ahead on summer weekends. Serious foodies will like Terra & Martini house the best & they are a little more formal. Families with kids will probably prefer Mustards or Tra Vigne.

Day 3

Perhaps catch a final winery on your way out of the Napa Valley. Mondavi opens at 9:00 and the first tour is a lot more calm & relaxed than later ones.

Go south on #29 towards San Francisco. Where #29 hits #121, go west on #121 (follow the signs to SF). A few miles before Sears Point raceway on #121, stop at Via Viansa Tuscan Market & Winery – you’ll be able to spot it. My wife loves to stop here – and unfortunately, so do the tour busses, so arrive early or late or off season. It has nice vistas, picnic area, and gift shop. Connect with #37 & then #101 back to SF.

Stu Dudley
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Old Jan 13th, 2006, 10:36 AM
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My favorite stretch of coastline is from Bodega Bay to the South up to Goat Rock State Beach to the north just before Jenner. There is a coastline trail that you can pick up around Goat Rock that takes you south along the rugged coastline. There are numerous state beaches in this area that are worthy of spending some time.

Point Reyes is a not to be missed area as well. You could spend all day there exploring the area.

Olema has some good places to stay. Druid's Hall gets good reviews. We've eaten at the Olema Inn and liked it.

-Bill
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Old Jan 13th, 2006, 12:10 PM
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Napa is too crowded. Sonoma is better and Healdsburg is best.
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Old Jan 13th, 2006, 12:55 PM
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Will add ony this to StuDudley's suggestions re Muir Woods area: If you're in the mood for refreshment (liquid only, or otherwise) near Muir Woods/Muir Beach, stop at Pelican Inn. Great cozy atmosphere. I think the owner built it to duplicate a pub in his native England?
SD, I'm printing out your entire itinerary for future ref. Thanks for re-posting it.
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Old Jan 13th, 2006, 01:01 PM
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Wed thru Friday, returning to SF on Saturday should not be crowded in Napa Valley at all in mid-March.

I also prefer Somona & Healdsburg, however.

Stu Dudley
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Old Jan 13th, 2006, 02:19 PM
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jorda, although Stu's trip is very detailed, it's just WAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYY too much
to do in the your specific time frame,IMHO.

For me, Day 1, even if I started at sunrise, would be a blur attempting to see
all of that from SF to Healdsburg, especially using Highway 1 ! Yikes !
Pt. Reyes (National Seashore)is a destination in itself
that you will miss if you simply skirt through Olema. Stinson Beach is marvelous for at least an hour's worth of strolling (and just about the only beach up here for finding sand dollars)

Especially since you won't even arrive
in SF until mid-afternoon....A more realistic tour for your time frame might be:
Wed mid-afternoon-you could explore the headlands GGNRA, take a peek at Sausalito and stroll around the quaint downtown of Mill Valley. (A truly lovely hike can be had to Tennessee Beach via Tennessee Valley Rd in Mill Valley. This is part of the GGNRA.)
The Mill Valley Inn would be a nice place for the evening.

On Thursday, get up early,
take in the Muir Woods, then maybe Stinson, yet I think I would get myself up to Pt.Reyes and out to the lighthouse
as you will be here in March and may be able to get in some fantastic whale watching!

Thursday PM you could continue up Hwy 1
to Jenner, east on 116, and follow Stu's route on into Healdsburg-catching a winery or two on the way.
Thursday night in Healdsburg. Yes, Manzanita is very good, we just had dinner there. We also favor Willi's
and Barndiva. Madrona Manor could be fun for the night, as well as the Honor Mansion.

Friday AM you could explore around
Healdsburg. Friday PM you could wander over to
Napa, via Alexander Valley and Jimtown
(plan your lunch stop at the yummy
Jimtown store!)and on over into Calistoga. Calistoga is my favorite spot in Napa County and you may well be tempted to spend the night at Indian Springs Resort -which must include a massage and a divine swim in the mineral springs pool.

Saturday AM have breakfast at Sarafornia with the Calistoga locals.
Now you can head south on the Silverado Trail-which parallels Hwy. 29 (what Stu is calling Hwy 128)-and use the "cross" roads as Stu suggests
stopping at wineries along the way.
A fabulous lunch can be had at Cindy's Backstreet Kitchen in St. Helena if you miss breakfast.

Stu's directions from Hwy 29 back over to Hwy 101 through Sonoma via 121/37 are fine. I would not stop at Viansa
as it is crowded with tour busses and the place has suffered through a family fued and corporate take-over.

You may be surprised how much more crowded Napa will be than Sonoma, even in March mid-week, yet nothing compared to summer !

Enjoy!
R5
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Old Jan 13th, 2006, 04:56 PM
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>> I would not stop at Viansa
as it is crowded with tour busses and the place has suffered through a family fued and corporate take-over.<<

Thanks R5 - I agree !!!

I just re-posted from what I wrote a year ago with no updates. Viansa went downhill fast. All the neat "stuff" my wife liked to browse through is now replaced with condiments that tourists can fit into their suitcases. Skip it. The outside Tuscan Grill is gone, they moved the picnic tables, and it's no longer a good place to stop.

Sine I wrote this piece, we've dined at Willi's (great), Barndiva (only OK), and Ravenous again (great).

Stu Dudley
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Old Jan 13th, 2006, 07:44 PM
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Wow...four nights? I would take a wine tour from San Francisco for a day and spend the rest of the time in the city. Why go to San Francisco if you aren't going to be there to enjoy it? Save the countryside, north coast for another trip. Way to crowded for my taste. Three days in San Francisco would not even begiin to see and enjoy it.
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Old Jan 13th, 2006, 08:30 PM
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If it's a clear day, go to the top of Mt. Tamalpais for a view over the bay area and the ocean. But be warned that this is a white knuckle road for many drivers.
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Old Jan 16th, 2006, 05:33 AM
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Wow! Thanks everyone for the wonderful advice, it will really help me narrow down where we'll go and what we can do in our short amount of time. The help is appreciated.
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Old Jan 27th, 2006, 05:07 AM
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See, I could easily do Stu's route, and probably more. We each move at a different pace in life and have different interests. While in Paris, we went to the Louve, saw the Mona Lisa and left. LOL! or We took in 3 parks of DisneyWorld in 1 day. Crazy to some. Normal to us. Ok, so...
I wanna hear your *in* the city San Fran plan Stu, jtrandolph, or any one else. Don't let me pull this tread in a different direction - please stay on topic of BEAUTY NORTH OF SF. You can email info at [email protected] We'll be in SF Mar 14-23. F-Wharf type stuff doesn't thrill me. 10 Cent trash. The native or unusual does. Thanks, Connie.
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Old Jan 29th, 2006, 03:22 PM
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OK, I'm going to sound in on the redwoods, if you're going along the Russian River you should go to Armstrong Redwoods, two miles north of Guerneville. It's less well known than Muir Woods, but has bigger trees and is much less crowded, for now at least. Trees there get up to 300 feet, at Muir they're only 250.

You should aim for midday, as the redwoods grow in deep canyons where the light is pretty dim mornings and afternoons.

If you drive along the Russian River from Healdsburg to Jenner, you'll pass through several different vegetation zones, from pines and chapparal around Healdsburg, through the redwood and douglas-fir forests around Guerneville to finally coastal sage when you get to the coast at Jenner.
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Old Feb 6th, 2006, 10:49 AM
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Just want to suggest a little known area (unless you live here)called Sea Ranch. About an hour a half north of Bodega Bay. You can rent a home for a couple nights (fairly inexpensive for what you get) and enjoy a huge expanse of coast - just gorgeous! Many rental agencies, such as Sea Ranch rentals that you can fine online. A great place to relax and walk and take photos!
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Old Feb 15th, 2006, 08:56 PM
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Topping
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Old Feb 16th, 2006, 10:58 AM
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Cool Whip.
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Old Feb 17th, 2006, 08:55 AM
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I thought I would chime in on this post as my wife and I are heading to SF are in mid march also. We are staying at the SFO airport sheraton on Saturday Night and dining at Fallon with a big group that night also. We then have Sunday and Monday free and are tentative plans are to travel to the russian river valley and stay at the Farmhouse Inn, which seems to be a favorite here. Our flight leaves SFO on Tuesday lunchtime.
I like Stu's northern itinerary but we want to arrive in Forrestville with some time to relax on Sunday Afternoon. The trip up hwy 1 does not look that far but from descriptions not a speedy one.
We also plan to visit Armstrong SP on Monday morning. Anytime Sunday afternoon and monday afternoon would be in pursuit of some great wineries, any favorites around the russian river/forrestville area, please chime in as there appear to be dozens to choose from.
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Old Feb 21st, 2006, 01:39 PM
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CaliNurse,
Can you walk to the Pelican Inn from Muir Woods?

Sandy
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Old Feb 21st, 2006, 01:51 PM
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If you had a very good map, and some local familiarity of the area, you could hike the Redwood Creek trail
parallel to Muir Woods Road to the intersection of CA Hwy 1. Where you would have to hike along Hwy 1 to the Muir Beach turn-off.
I think it ill-advised for someone unfamiliar with the trails in the area.
R5
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