Happy Cows Really DO Live in California

We took a road trip today starting out from Calistoga through the mountains to Occidental, making a large loop stopping at Bodega Bay, Dillon Beach and Petaluma before heading back to Calistoga. The drive is very scenic through rolling hills dotted with cattle (lucky cows) and sheep, and even a llama or two. There wasn’t much happening in Occidential, so after a short walk around we headed on to Bodega Bay.
We made a brief stop in Bodega, which is very bohemian with a good size artist community. We happened into an Artist Co-Op where the “artist of the day” was Annie, a 60ish, white-haired woman with braids who shared with us that the old school building across the street was used in Hitchcock’s The Birds.

Bodega Bay is incredibly beautiful. We parked at N. Harbor and followed a path to the bay through a bird habitat and marsh restoration project. Crossing over a bridge, we could hear sea lions even though we couldn’t yet see the ocean. Once we made it through the marsh to the beach we could no longer hear them and realized they were on a small rocky island off-shore. The beach has gray sand and even though is was fairly cold there were a few people in sweatshirts sitting in beach chairs with blankets over their legs and a cooler by their sides. There was even a family with two small children in swimsuits playing at the water’s edge. And a couple with their horses.

From here we headed south to Dillon Beach where the houses are not a grand as those in Bodega Bay, but the view is just as beautiful. We eat a late lunch at what seemed to be the only cafe at the beach and soaked in the view.

Petaluma is one of California’s oldest cities with a large downtown with beautiful old buildings. The egg industry started here due to high demand as a result of the gold rush, and Petaluma became known as “the world’s egg basket.” When we stopped in a garden shop Mr. Man asked if the chicken is the official bird of Petaluma. The woman running the shop informed us that they are trying to preserve this but with the passing of Proposition 2 it is hard. We must have had questioning looks on our faces because she proceeded to explain that chickens now have to be “free range,” and that her uncle has an egg business where the hens are in cages where the eggs drop onto a conveyor belt, but that people “want them to be able to spread their wings,” here she spread her arms out and rolled her eyes—at this point that Mr. Man very discretely (and gently) stepped on my foot— “and they only live... they only lay eggs for a few years,” as if the length of a chicken’s productive life is a measurement of the quality of life they should have—increased pressure from Mr. Man. She told us her uncle is loosing his business, and while I sympathize (okay, not really), I’ll be happy when all industries that profit from cruelty become extinct.

Calistoga

Calistoga is a quaint, charming little town within easy driving distance of all the Napa Wineries. We are staying at the Cottage Grove Inn which consists of 17 separate cottages, each beautifully appointed with everything you ask for. They serve breakfast each morning—wonderful made to order waffles, quiche, scones, fruit, cereal, yogurt—and regional wine and cheese each evening. If you are thinking about taking a vacation in the Napa area, I highly recommend this place.






























Today we drove into St. Helena—another charming town, but a little more upscale than Calistoga, stopping to see the Geyser on the way. What a disappointment. While this is one of only three “old faithfuls” in the world (the others being in Yellowstone State Park and New Zealand), it certainly isn’t worth $8, for once you’ve seen it erupt, that’s pretty much it. There are some terribly smelly goats, sheep and llamas for those of you with children looking for something to do in Napa other than drink wine, otherwise I’d suggest passing this up.

















We did a bit of gallery hopping in St. Helena and then headed back to Calistoga for our mud masques and massages at Lincoln Avenue Spa. This is what a vacation should be... great wine, good food, and lots of relaxation. The mud masques are prepared with different blends of herbs depending on what you want from your experience. We were escorted into the “mud room” were we slathered ourselves with mud and then laid down in our steam beds wrapped in a sheet. Our attentant then closed us in with only our head sticking out, added eucalyptus and rose oils (again our choice) to the water and then tented a towel over our heads so that we were totally engulfed in the steam. We steamed for about ten minutes when she came back in, added more oil to the beds, and put a masque on our faces, leaving us to steam for another tens mintues or so before showering and heading off to our separate massages. Heaven!

Since we’ve been in Calfornia, we’ve noticed that people don’t really acknowledge each other the way wedo in the South. You know, like when you’re walking down the street and you pass someone? In the South you smile and say “good morning” or “how ya doing?” or something. Our experience so far has been that we rarely get a response. Even in some of the stores the salesperson doesn’t acknowledge you until after you’ve made an effort to engage them, and sometimes even that fails. Tonight while we were having wine on the patio there was a couple checking in, when I went in to refill my wine glass the gentleman and I met eyes he gave me a hearty “How are you?” I went back outside and said, “I think they’re Southern” to which Mr. Man laughingly replied that this was also his first thought as he could hear us from outside. Sure enough, once they joined us on the patio we discovered they are from North Carolina.

Frog's Leap Winery

We spent the morning walking around downtown Calistoga and then went on a tour and wine tasting at Frog’s Leap Winery. They practice dry farming—growing their grapes without irragation. They don’t get any rain between May and October, and planting without irrigation forces the grapes to push deeper into the soil providing a strong foundation. For this reason the vines produce for 60-80 whereas other vineyards replace their vines every 13-16 years. Frog’s Leap is also totally organic, and have been since the 80’s (man, the Southeast has to catch up!), growing without pesticides or fertilizers other than compost and cover corps to build the soil. They grow herbs on the borders of the vineyards to encourage “good” pests, to kill the “bad” pests. Interestingly, they are the only fully organic, dry farmer in the region. They employ 45 full time staff, using no seasonal pickers. And the farm is operated by 90% solar power. The vineyard is absolutely beautiful, and the wine is exceptual... come by the house and enjoy a glass with us when we return.

Leaving San Francisco

When we left San Francisco early this afternoon the sun was shining for the first time since our arrival. Even so we were ready to be on our way to Calistoga. We stopped in Port Costa for a late lunch; Port Costa consists of about a dozen small shops/bars, all of which were closed today except for the Warehouse Cafe; although the restaurant wasn’t serving food, someone had set up an outdoor kitchen under a tent and were selling sauage, chicken wraps, and pulled pork, along with potato salad and sauerkraut. It wasn’t good, but the beer was cold and we were starving.

The place looks like something out of a sixties “Hell’s Angels” movie. Gray haired guys with long beards riding motorcycles along side tourists looking for a quick bite to eat on their way somewhere else. The best thing about this town is the drive in along a winding road overlooking the water and the house-lined mountainside opposite.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t give a shout out to Orange Dog Manor, our excellent accommodations while in San Francisco. If you are headed to the City by the Bay and looking for a place to stay that is convenient to everything, this is the place. Check it out, you won’t be disappointed.