Sonoma County Part 2

I’ll be doing a separate post about the wineries we visited while in Sonoma County. But first, there are a few other highlights and a few more photos of old buildings!

On Sunday, June 9, we spent most of the day in and around the city of Sonoma. We had two wine tasting appointments, the first of which was downtown, so we explored the downtown area first, then headed just south of the city for our second tasting.

Downtown Sonoma is laid out around a beautiful central plaza, which was part of the original plan for the city prepared by by Mexican Lieutenant Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo in 1835. Originally, the area was the site of the last Spanish mission outpost in California, which was completed in 1823. By this time, however, Mexico had won independence from Spain and had begun asserting its control over all the missions in California and Mexico.

Vallejo governed Sonoma, under the authority of the Mexican Governor of the California territory, until a rebellion in 1846 by a rag tag group of individuals, who overthrew and jailed Vallejo and declared the Bear Republic of California. The Republic was short lived, however, and less than a month later, the US military had assumed control of the territory and claimed it for the United States. Soon after they freed Vallejo and other jailed Mexican authorities. Sonoma became part of the state of California when it joined the United States in 1850.

It appears that the Plaza is still the center of civic and social life in the city. City Hall and the Visitor Center are located within its boundaries, and it is also the location for the many festivals, concerts and other community events that are happening every time I visit. While we were downtown on Sunday, there was a concert about to take place at the amphitheater in the plaza; apparently there is series of free jazz concerts every Sunday throughout the summer. People were arriving hours before the 2 PM start time to set up awnings, blankets, and chairs and enjoy picnics. I loved the festive vibe.

There are many other historic buildings in the plaza area, most of which are now home to tasting rooms, restaurants, hotels and shops. I wanted to include just one more of my favorites.

On Monday we stayed around the RV Park, taking care of business. Tuesday, we drove over to Point Reyes National Seashore, which is only about 45 minutes from Petaluma. It was cool and still a bit foggy when we arrived, so we didn’t stay long. But we did take a short trail to the beach and our dog Fiona frolicked a bit and chased a few gulls. Then it was back to the RV to prepare to move on down the road on Wednesday.

We moved to an RV Park on the Russian River, just outside the town of Forestville, which is still in Sonoma County about 45 minutes northwest of Petaluma. While there, we explored the “beaches” along the river a bit (little sand, lots of gravel), did a little hiking, and went to a few wineries.

We also visited the city of Healdsburg, which is becoming quite a tourist destination, especially for weekenders from San Francisco and the surrounding area. I can understand why; there are beautiful buildings in the downtown area, the streets are tree lined and pedestrian friendly, and the area is known for its excellent food and wine. It is also decidedly upscale. We had lunch at a reasonably priced restaurant, but when I stopped to admire a pretty scarf in one of the shops, I was astounded by the price tag. I got the impression that this would be the case, at least for me, in most of the shops surrounding the square. Not my scene but to each his own.

A few of the more interesting buildings on the square in Healdsburg. I love the use of the vines, even on the more modern buildings to remind visitors that they are in wine country.

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