February Nature Adventures
I love to hike, take photographs of nature “the way God made it”, AND I love to eat healthy food! Combine them all together and I call it a self-care adventure. I hope that everyone who reads this page feels inspired to create your own nature adventures. ENJOY!
Even though it can have great benefits for our mental and physical health, spending time outside often comes in the form of a quick walk sandwiched in between other activities. We owe it to ourselves to take a break from the busyness of life and spend some extended time walking, hiking, or taking in the sights, sounds, and smells of nature - to remind ourselves of who we are and what we want.
I started the month off with FIVE hikes scheduled with the Sonoma County Go Wild Hikers. The up side of that is that winter is my least favorite time of year and I probably wouldn’t do much hiking otherwise - as evidenced by my normal almost daily 3 mile walks on the West County Trail being almost non-existent this time of year - and I NEED my nature fix! The downside is that most photos I take are simply “snapshots” rather than “photographs” as I’m trying to take them on the go and then keep up with the group - so please bear that in mind.
Our first hike was at beautiful Lake Sonoma in Geyserville. It was foggy and occasionally misty, but at least the rain held off until we were done - literally started raining when we got back to the parking lot! Our group of 18 hikers did a loop hike that combined Dry Creek, No Name, North Slope, and Bummer trails for a total of 5 miles and 900 feet elevation gain - a moderate hike. It’s always a pleasure to hike with this wonderful group of people and to experience this hike’s diverse landscape of magical madrone forests, flowering manzanita, streams running, the lake so full after all the rain, and incredible views along the way.
Nestled in the beautiful coastal foothills of Sonoma County, California, Lake Sonoma is surrounded by world famous vineyards and land that is rich in history. Created by the construction of Warm Springs Dam in 1983, the lake provides for flood control, irrigation and recreation. When full, the lake has a surface area of more than 2,700 acres and 50 miles of shoreline, forming the perfect setting for a wealth of recreational activities - hiking, swimming, riding, boating, camping, or fishing.
It was definitely time for lunch by the time we got finished, so I headed to Oakville Grocery in Healdsburg for an OMG AMAZING lunch - Thai Crunch Mezzaluna - cabbage slaw, apple, orange, peanuts, & Thai dressing folded into a warm pizza crust. GENIUS combo and SO good! This was my first time there and I can’t wait to go back!
Oakville Grocery - founded in 1881 - is the oldest continually operating grocery store in California. Since its opening, Oakville Grocery has been a destination for locals and visitors alike - offering a highly curated selection of the best products from farmers, artisans and purveyors in the Napa and Sonoma Valleys. Open daily 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the Healdsburg plaza.
The following weekend we had a bonus hike to the waterfall at Sugarloaf Ridge State Park (to make up for being rained out in January) in addition to our regular hike. This is a very popular hike with rolling hills, dense forests, and a chance to experience the awe and tranquility of the falls. Our group of 15 hikers did a loop hike that combined Stern, Pony Gate and Canyon Trails to Sonoma Creek Falls for a total of 3 miles and 700 feet elevation gain - a fairly easy hike although the stairs that climb out of the falls are definitely a challenge! I’ve done this hike many times in the past, but it never gets old. The sights, sounds, and smells at the waterfall are truly a delightful and spiritual experience!
Sugarloaf Ridge State Park contains the headwaters of Sonoma Creek. It runs through gorge and canyon, across the meadow floor, beneath scenic rock outcroppings, and is surrounded at times by redwoods and ferns. A 25-foot waterfall flows after the winter rains. Within the oak woodland and chaparral, the park has 25 miles of trails for hiking and horseback riding. In spring, wildflowers provide a colorful palette across the green hills. On a clear day, visitors can see views of the Sierra Nevada and the Golden Gate bridge from the 2729-foot summit of Bald Mountain.
After the cold and dampness on our hike, I was definitely ready for a hot cup of tea and something warm for lunch, so I headed to a long-time favorite restaurant, East West Cafe in Santa Rosa for a delicious turkey burger. It had been awhile since I’d been there, but I fell in love with it all over again! Excellent food and the service was wonderful.
A favorite among locals and visitors alike, East West Restaurant has been prospering in Santa Rosa for over 30 years. This culinary heaven is best known for their creative menu that combines food styles from the Eastern and Western part of the world, and includes a large variety of tasteful, fresh and local ingredients which embrace vegan and vegetarian options as well as high quality animal protein dishes.
The second hike that weekend was an easy one at Riverfront Regional Park in Healdsburg. Our group of 18 hikers enjoyed a stroll through the always beautiful redwoods, a short climb to a ridge, then an easy walk around the lake for a total of four miles and only 200 feet elevation gain. Normally this park provides incredibly beautiful views (and photos), but muddy trails and brown water this time meant not so much. Still, it’s always a pleasure to get out in nature, breathe the fresh, crisp air, and enjoy the camaraderie of these wonderful folks.
Riverfront Regional Park is located along the Russian River, just minutes from downtown Windsor and Healdsburg, and surrounded by classic Wine Country scenery. What once was a gravel quarry is now a beautiful 300 acre park with a redwood grove picnic area, two serene lakes for fishing, kayaking or canoeing, and features 3 miles of trails for hiking, biking, and horseback riding.
Since Riverfront Park is very near my home and I had a gift card that I wanted to use up, I went to Sonoma Pizza Company in nearby Forestville for lunch. This is a new business that just opened last year, so I’m just getting to know their menu. Today I enjoyed their Veggie Sandwich while basking in the sunshine on their patio. While iced tea wasn’t the best choice on this cold day, I just went across the street to Sunshine Roasters for a cup of organic coffee and a Health Nut cookie for dessert!
Sonoma Pizza Co. is a wine country pizzeria serving wood-fired pizzas, signature pizzas, tapas, salads and more, showcasing the finest organic ingredients from local farms and the very best vendors. Their naturally leavened sourdough crust is made from 100% organic blends, locally sourced in Petaluma, and cold-fermented for 72 hours before service. The result is an incredibly flavorful crust that is highly digestible. All produce is local from Sonoma County and 100% organic. Every pizza can be made gluten free or vegan with no extra charge.
Next, we went to Bothe - Napa Valley State Park near Calistoga. (While it’s a bit of a drive to this park, it’s such a treat to see all the wild mustard growing in the vineyards, and Spring blooming EVERYWHERE along the way.) This a BEAUTIFUL park with 1900 acres of redwoods, bay laurel, madrones and moss covered Douglas fir, springs, creeks and ferns. Our group of 16 did a loop trail on Coyote Peak Trail to Ritchey Canyon Trail for a total of 6 miles and 1100 feet elevation gain - with narrow, steep, and rocky trails, and some challenging stream crossings. This hike is at the top of my difficulty range at the best of times, pretty much kicked my butt this day (see above explanation about being out of shape due to winter weather), and I definitely felt it later. Still, it’s an incredibly beautiful place and our group was so much fun and very supportive, so it was worth it in the end.
Located in the beautiful Napa Valley, Bothe-Napa Valley State Park is the perfect getaway and community park. Hike amongst the redwoods, enjoy the creeks and scenery, join up with friends and family for a picnic, or enjoy the swimming pool on a hot summer day! Bothe Park has something for everyone and has become a popular park with locals looking for recreation & visitors to wine country alike.
I was SO ready for food when we were done hiking, so a fellow hiker and I headed into Calistoga for lunch. We tried Palisades Eatery and I had their Napa Valley Veggie Sandwich and she ordered the Thai Chicken Salad - which we enjoyed while sitting and chatting outside in the warm sunshine before heading home.
Palisades Eatery was founded in Fall, 2019 but its roots in Calistoga extend back decades with origins in two of Calistoga’s favorite local eateries, Checkers founded in 1987 by Ron Goldin and Palisades Deli founded in 2002 by Eddie Yanez. In the spring of 2019, these two longtime friends and business owners began discussing merging their two established, local favorite businesses into one and Palisades Eatery was born. Combining the best of the two establishment’s menus and sourcing local, farm to table ingredients, the resulting menu is a veritable smorgasbord of savory deliciousness.
Our final hike for the month was cancelled due to weather - rain, hail, and SNOW in Sonoma County - all resulting in many parks and roads being closed and advisories to “stay home”. But on the plus side, I very much enjoyed a cozy day puttering around my home - which is another of my favorite ways to practice self-care.
So that’s it for my February self-care adventure days - WHEW! I definitely feel so grateful to have access to such incredible beauty here in Sonoma County and the impact that being in it has on my body, mind, and spirit - ESPECIALLY this time of year! A few of the March Go Wild hikes are too difficult for me, so I look forward to choosing some destinations myself - perhaps the coast since it’s been awhile since I’ve been there. We shall see - LOTS of rain forecast in the next couple of weeks. In the meantime, I hope you are inspired to create your own uplifting experiences. I’d love to hear about them in the comments below.