SFO Trip 9/1-9/8
 

Howdy Gents,

My SO and I will be visiting friends that live in Walnut Creek next week. We have some rough intinerary that we will hammer out in the next few days. I will be renting a vehicle so that will not be an issue. I know that she has selected a few vineyards to go to and I have picked out some breweries. I need help with day hikes though. Moderate distance just to see the sights and smells. Bonus points for coastal hikes 5-8 miles.

Also, I have always dreamed about getting a sack of oysters and shucking them on a park bench overlooking the bay. Where can I do this with a cold muscadet? I'll bring my oyster shucker. SmileWavy

Vineyards:
Peju
Jarvis
Mumm

BreweriesL
Russian River
Lagunitas

Anything else I am missing?

NO!!!!

i am not gonna be here!!!

oysters..easy. hit highway one. i like Tomales Bay oyster company.

no check that. you could go to Bodega Bay oyster company. (i was there Saturday - $55 per 50)
buy a bag..they have free ice, but you will need an ice chest or something..

then go to Gleason Beach on Hwy 1..there are some park benches i NEVER seen used. you are right next to the rocks, and beach.

OR..you could do Tomales Bay oyster company..they dont allow picnicing anymore since the neighbors *****ed. but they have great product. you could find a beach bench north or south pretty easy. they make you buy ice.

BEER. definately go to russian river..downtown Santa Rosa. my hood!! they are supposed to open there new location soon..in Oct. it will be great. my fav IPA is Blind Pig..in case youre interested. :)
Laguinitas is getting pretty huge. but they do have a great vibe still.

i wish i was here when you were here!! i would blitzkrieg your liver.

on the way to Russian River, you could stop in at Bear Republic brewing in Cotati. it is next to a lake and very fun.

if you like Bread.

check out Wild Flour bakery in Freestone. pretty close to everything you listed.

the sticky bun is "big as you face" and great for sharing with complete strangers. their "wonder bread" sourdough will make you rethink all that you considered holy with respect to bread.

they have free samples..

Damnit Vash. I was really hoping you would be in town. And yea love me some Pliny and Blind Pig. I would have brought you some hazy IPA's from Htown to trade.

Sweet looks like oysters are settled. And say no more about bread. I am easily going to gain 10 lbs this trip.

Lots of great trails: https://www.alltrails.com/us/california/berkeley

https://www.traillink.com/cityactivity/berkeley-ca-walking-trails/

Thank you sir.

Our family did spring break in San Francisco this year and received excellent advice here. https://forums.pelicanparts.com/off-topic-discussions/987508-spring-break-trip-san-francisco-northern-california-3.html

We had a wonderful trip and discovered an authentic Italian restaurant and a super local happy hour place (diifetebt places) with authentic $3 pints within walking distance of Fisherman’s Warf. PM me if you want details.

Silverado has some pretty good views, for a place you can drink wine. I like Clos du Bois, nice people. Duckhorn has good wine, but they are not all that friendly. Peju they were nice

I like Jack London State Park. Nice grounds, miles of trails, gives you an excuse to take Trinity Rd/Dry Creek Rd/Oakville Grade.

Weather should be good, probably will be smokey.

MRM,

Thanks for the link. That was a treasure trove of info.

My SO and I are both big into biking. Specifically gravel grinding. Can anyone recommend a bike shop that would rent by the day?

this is my jam!

if you are coming to Russian River..call Trailhead cyclery in Santa Rosa. they rent bikes and they are right near Annadel park..which is where i ride. it is fantastic. lots of trails. i see gravel bikes there all the time. but mostly mtn bike.

i dont know if they rent GB's..but they also see BEER! usually offerings from RussianRiver.

coming off a big mountain..nothing knocks the dust from the back of the throat like a cold, freshly pulled from the tap...BLind pig. they have cool hooks to put the bikes on INDOORS.

Don't forget Sears Point (Sonoma) Raceway is in wine country. The Porsche Racing Club will be there September 8-9. Check the NASA web site for the event schedule.

Breakaway bikes down the blocks rent bikes as well..

but they dont sell beer.

What kind of cyclist doesn't sell beer? Heathens.

I am pretty sure my platform bike rack has a bottle opener on it. :)

Hell, my bug had an opener where the door latch hooked...

Marin Headlands on a bike is a freakin' hoot, Marine Mammal Center is a nice place to check out, if you are into that sort of thing. Mt Tamalpais is a bit over run, or used to be.

Walnut Creek is pretty cool these days as well. that place has blown up.

it is a great place to shop if you're into that kinda thing. i missed it immediately after we moved away from there. it was like, "cliff's gone! okay, lets start building coolass chit"

(shouldnt have sold my home, and rented it out instead - BOO!)

I attended a conference in SF city and stayed in Walnut Creek/Pleasant Hill for the week. There a couple BA stations in the area that make trips to SF easy. Obviously you need a car for the winery/beer visits but I highly recommend using BA to get in/out of the city.

Relatively close to Walnut Creek is the Blackhawk Auto Museum. I did it in 30 minutes, but I have the attention span of a cranky two year old.

I have endless advice on wineries and restaurants in the North Bay (and SF). For wineries, to quote Tommy Smothers, "Napa is for Auto Parts, Sonoma is for Wine." As a Sonoma County Vintner my advice is hopelessly biased.

Domaine Carneros has a nice setting; Other sparkling options are Gloria Ferrer (close to Sears Point) and J Vineyards (nice tour). NOTE: Sparkling has become quite popular such that many wineries are offering a sparkling option. The vast majority are produced in a custom crush about 5 miles from my home (because specialized equipment is needed). If you are going to visit a domestic sparkling house, find one that produces in-house.

If you visit Napa for wine, consider Frank Family, Corison, Bouchaine, Sinskey, Chateau Montelena.

Sonoma County Winery options:
Lambert Bridge - Healdsburg/Dry Creek
Ridge Vineyards - Lytton Springs. Iconic California Legend; nice tours
Passalacqua Winery
Arista Winery
Copain - Windsor
Gary Farrell - RRV - beautiful setting

A few Sonoma County restaurants:
Chalkboard - Healdsburg
SHED - Healdsburg
Barn Diva - Healdsburg
Campo Fina - Healdsburg
Diavola - Geyserville (great wood fired foods, no reservations)
SingleThread - Healdsburg (an extreme splurge, but worthwhile)
Brass Rabbit - Healdsburg
Valette - Healdsburg

Glen Ellen Star - Glen Ellen
The Girl and the Fig - Sonoma

The Spinster Sisters - Santa Rosa
Jacksons - Santa Rosa
Bistro 29 - Santa Rosa

K&L Bistro - Sebastopol - French Bistro

There's a nice beer/cider scene evolving at The Barlow in Sebastopol


If I'm eating in Napa, the I go to Bouchon, Ad Hoc, Redd Wood, Oakville Grocery (for sandwiches), Gott's Roadside (big lines on weekends), Lovina.

I have links to the restaurants/wineries, easier to paste into an email if you are interested.

Have a fun trip.

Don

Oakville Grocery is still there?