AboutWilliam Conde Expertise I wish to serve as a sort of guide to the North Bay area, with extensive experience in Sonoma County proper, and abilities to help with more general questions regarding the Marin and Napa County areas. For questions regarding what the area is like, what to bring, where to stay, etc., I'm eager and capable to help bring forth solutions to your regional queries.
Please note that while I can suggest many wineries to visit in the area, there are so many to choose from that I wouldn't be able to answer questions about each and every one. I can also suggest non-winery-related sights to see and locales to visit, depending on whatever sort of vacation, business trip, or other excursion you may have in mind.
Also, I am not a wine expert (I don't drink alcohol), so please don't ask me specific questions about such-and-such labels of wine.
Experience I have lived in the Sonoma County region for 10 years and wish to help others understand and appreciate the unique experience that is being part of this area. I am goal-oriented and love to help "fill in the gaps," so to speak, of the plans and ideas of those who are considering visiting this beautiful region.
Education/Credentials Licensed Pharmacy Technician; B.S. degree in Chemistry (Biochemistry Emphasis).
Expert: William Conde Date: 7/2/2007 Subject: we're coming!
Question William,
Last time I wrote we were deciding on when to visit Wine Country. We are coming the week of August 19th-25th, and spending at least 3 days in the Sonoma County area.
You gave me some very good recommendations for things to do, and was wondering if you could answer a few more questions:
1) Where would you recommend staying in Bodega Bay? If you could give us some of the "best value" options, that would be great.
2) You mentioned the Russian Gulch Beach. Is this easy to find once we get in the area?
3) Restaurant suggestions in Bodega Bay? Also, are there any neat cafes or bakeries that would be nice for breakfast or lite lunch?
4) Later in the week we are going to either Yosemite or Sequoia National Parks. Do you have a recommendation on which is better?
5) Also, being in our 20s, we are looking for some adventure/thrill type stuff to do. Is there anything that you could recommend. (To give you an example, while in Costa Rica last year we went white-water rafting and bridge-jumping).
That's about all I can think of for now. Any info you can provide will help us A LOT!
Thanks in advance,
Edward
Answer Hello again!
I'm quite glad to hear that you're coming--I'm sure you'll enjoy it!
Regrettably, however, I have never spent the night in Bodega Bay, and as such I have never had to find lodging there--so my experience with that is slim. Bodega Bay is home to a large number of small inns, rather than vice versa (which is the case in larger cities). Thus, I'm afraid I can't really give you a "best value" option; however, I'd recommend talking to your local AAA agent, as I imagine they have a listing of most or all of the inns in the area. The selection of bed-and-breakfast inns in that area is immense, so you have a lot of potential places to choose from.
As for the Russian Gulch Beach, it, like most beaches in that area, is directly tied to the main coastal highway (Hwy. 1, I think, but I could be wrong; you can't miss it once you're there, either way), but is somewhat tucked away in a curve in the road. So, it's relatively easy to get to, but you'll have to watch carefully for it so as to not miss the turnoff.
For lunch, I might suggest the Tides Wharf, which is a seafood complex reminiscent of Fisherman's Wharf, but on a much smaller, quieter scale. It houses a somewhat upscale restaurant as well, but I imagine you can find lunch there if seafood is alright to you. As for breakfast, you'll likely be able to procure it at the place where you stay; having never spent the night in Bodega Bay, I've never eaten breakfast there myself. If you were looking for breakfast restaurants in the main part of the county (the Santa Rosa area, for example), I could give you more specific suggestions.
Having never been to Sequoia National Park myself, I'm afraid I can't offer advice on which is better. However, if you've never been to Yosemite, I'd recommend you visit, as it's quite an interesting place.
Incidentally, if it's thrill-seeking you're looking for, Yosemite probably has more to offer than we do in the Sonoma County region. We have canoeing and so forth, but during the summer, the Russian River is rather sedate, so there won't be many white-water areas on it. I think we have a number of skydiving places around here, however, along with a sizable rock-climbing center, and hot-air balloons. On the more adventure-like side, you could visit Safari West, which is a local wildlife reserve that is home to a number of animals generally only seen in the African savannah--in large, spacious enclosures, which you enter while in a double-decker safari jeep. You'll likely never get as close to a giraffe (or a Cape buffalo) anywhere else.
I hope that these answers help you plan your trip to be the absolute best for the two of you. If there's any more that I can help you with, please don't hesitate to let me know. Best wishes!
