Trip report, Sonoma Valley
Sep 28th, 2006 | 02:38 PM
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Trip report, Sonoma Valley
Just returned from there, yesterday evening, to Phoenix.
Our objective was to get in some cycling around the Healdsburg area. We rented hybrid bikes (I would have prefered the Trek Pilots they also offered, but since we were in a group of four and limited to the pace of our slowest person, I went with the less expensive hybrids) from Wine Country Cycling in Healdsburg. We picked up the bikes Monday morning and it was suggested by John at WCC that we cycle the Dry Creek area. We followed his advice and enjoyed the ride very much. The roads were well marked, well shouldered and relatively flat, the traffic low-density and considerate (mind you this was during the workweek...what it the traffic might be like on weekends is something else) Easy cycling, really, on those low-geared Trek hybrids. There are lots of wineries along the way, most with tasting rooms. Word of advice...ask if your B&B or hotel offers 'tasting cards'...this gets you off the $5 fee a lot of the vinyards have taken to charging (refundable on a bottle purchase, of course). Our B&B did, but we didn't know about it until the next day.
Oddly, virtually all of the wineries north of Healdsburg charged five bucks, but of the ones at which we stopped south of town, not one did.
The next day we transported our bikes in the rented minivan to Monte Rio, and rode north, to Cazadero. Beautiful ride...like a cathedral, those redwood forests are, in places. Some of the cycling books recommend an inn up there for lunch, but don't bother looking...it's closed. Lunch was a loaf of bread and some cold cuts on the porch of the local general store. <grin> Delicious, really. My front wheel fell out of my fork up there...retaining bolt and nuts had fallen off somewhere along the trail.. and of course there isn't a bike shop within miles and miles. The local auto parts store owner, though, had enough basic hardware around that we were able to effect improvised repairs, enough to get me back down the hill. Nice man, quite generous with his time in helping me out.
We stayed at the Haydon Inn in Healdsburg. I recommend it highly. One of the co-owners, John, is a trained chef, and the breakfasts were worthy of a four star establishment. Don't miss the wine hour with the other guests, either...some of them are a lot of fun. I do believe that the Haydon Inn offered, in its Rose Room, what is I found to be the most comfortable mattress on which I've ever slept. Gotta get me one of those. Chapeaux to John and Keren! They really do put themselves out to make one's stay there memorable.
I can't say that I found any notable or exceptional restaurants in Healdsburg, though...the Cerra Luna (Italian cuisine) and the Healdsburg Bar & Grill were adequate at best, the latter a much better value than the former! There's a little breakfast place on the west side of Healdsburg Ave (sorry, but I can't recall the name, just as you come into town from the south...the corned beef hash is worth a try, and the omelets were very good indeed.
We thought to run the bikes out to the costal area around Bodega Bay to get some miles in there, but simply didn't have time. We did return to SFO via that route, though...I was very glad we didn't do the ride, the hills in that area looked like absolute murder to anyone other than an expert cyclist. Magnificent coastline, though, and well worth the detour to drive it. Leave time enough to picnic on one of the many beach spots along the coast highway...there's not many folks there during the week, and plenty of places where one may light a fire.
Why is it that the workweek seems to drag on forever, yet one's small travels to be gone in the blink of an eye?
Our objective was to get in some cycling around the Healdsburg area. We rented hybrid bikes (I would have prefered the Trek Pilots they also offered, but since we were in a group of four and limited to the pace of our slowest person, I went with the less expensive hybrids) from Wine Country Cycling in Healdsburg. We picked up the bikes Monday morning and it was suggested by John at WCC that we cycle the Dry Creek area. We followed his advice and enjoyed the ride very much. The roads were well marked, well shouldered and relatively flat, the traffic low-density and considerate (mind you this was during the workweek...what it the traffic might be like on weekends is something else) Easy cycling, really, on those low-geared Trek hybrids. There are lots of wineries along the way, most with tasting rooms. Word of advice...ask if your B&B or hotel offers 'tasting cards'...this gets you off the $5 fee a lot of the vinyards have taken to charging (refundable on a bottle purchase, of course). Our B&B did, but we didn't know about it until the next day.
Oddly, virtually all of the wineries north of Healdsburg charged five bucks, but of the ones at which we stopped south of town, not one did.
The next day we transported our bikes in the rented minivan to Monte Rio, and rode north, to Cazadero. Beautiful ride...like a cathedral, those redwood forests are, in places. Some of the cycling books recommend an inn up there for lunch, but don't bother looking...it's closed. Lunch was a loaf of bread and some cold cuts on the porch of the local general store. <grin> Delicious, really. My front wheel fell out of my fork up there...retaining bolt and nuts had fallen off somewhere along the trail.. and of course there isn't a bike shop within miles and miles. The local auto parts store owner, though, had enough basic hardware around that we were able to effect improvised repairs, enough to get me back down the hill. Nice man, quite generous with his time in helping me out.
We stayed at the Haydon Inn in Healdsburg. I recommend it highly. One of the co-owners, John, is a trained chef, and the breakfasts were worthy of a four star establishment. Don't miss the wine hour with the other guests, either...some of them are a lot of fun. I do believe that the Haydon Inn offered, in its Rose Room, what is I found to be the most comfortable mattress on which I've ever slept. Gotta get me one of those. Chapeaux to John and Keren! They really do put themselves out to make one's stay there memorable.
I can't say that I found any notable or exceptional restaurants in Healdsburg, though...the Cerra Luna (Italian cuisine) and the Healdsburg Bar & Grill were adequate at best, the latter a much better value than the former! There's a little breakfast place on the west side of Healdsburg Ave (sorry, but I can't recall the name, just as you come into town from the south...the corned beef hash is worth a try, and the omelets were very good indeed.
We thought to run the bikes out to the costal area around Bodega Bay to get some miles in there, but simply didn't have time. We did return to SFO via that route, though...I was very glad we didn't do the ride, the hills in that area looked like absolute murder to anyone other than an expert cyclist. Magnificent coastline, though, and well worth the detour to drive it. Leave time enough to picnic on one of the many beach spots along the coast highway...there's not many folks there during the week, and plenty of places where one may light a fire.
Why is it that the workweek seems to drag on forever, yet one's small travels to be gone in the blink of an eye?
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