May 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 of May off with a hike at Shiloh Ranch Regional Park in Windsor with the Sonoma County Go Wild Hikers. Our group of 12 braved the misty fog and then full out rain for a total of 3.5 miles and 650 feet elevation gain. With pretty much ALL the elevation gain in the first mile, that was a bit of a challenge. But after that, we hiked the ridge top trails and enjoyed beautiful views - when clear skies would briefly break through. That being said, hiking in the rain is not my favorite (the weather app did say that the rain was supposed to stop when we were scheduled to hike - oops!) and downhill muddy trails scare this 70 year old - especially when trying to keep up with the rapid pace of this group. I’m thinking that I may just need to become a fair weather hiker in the future.
Shiloh Ranch Regional Park features a rugged landscape in the foothills of the Mayacamas Mountains and offers nearly 8 miles of trails for hiking, bicycle, and horseback riding. The 850-acre park includes oak woodlands, forests of mixed evergreens, ridges with sweeping views of the Santa Rosa Plain, canyons, rolling hills, a shaded creek, and a pond. Much of the park burned in the 2017 Tubbs Fire. Burned trees are clearly visible in some areas, and hiking here is an opportunity to see how a landscape regenerates after a wildfire.
It was still early when we finished and I was pretty wet so, rather than get food locally, I decided to drive towards home and stop at one of my favorite places that I hadn’t been to in awhile - Pascaline Patisserie & Cafe in Sebastopol. My pastry chef friend says that they are by far the best Pattisserie in Northern California. I ordered my favorite lunch of course - a Grilled Veggie Sandwich. YUM!!! I may or may not have had a cookie to go with it - after all I had just hiked in the pouring rain!
Pascaline Patisserie & Café is a charming French gastronomic gem, nestled among world-class vineyards, and Gravenstein apple orchards. At Pascaline buttery brioche, croissants, and flakey Kouign-amann are rubbing crusts with quiches and tartine. They serve earthy and healthy salads, gourmet sandwiches, classic Croque Monsieur and home made soups. Refined and elegant desserts and cakes, chocolates & caramels are crafted daily delighting their patrons from near and far.
This month’s highlight adventure day was when my dear friend came to visit from the Bay Area and we logged in 5 miles hiking at some of my favorite places on the Sonoma Coast. She had never been to any of them, so that made it extra special. We started with the The Bodega Head loop trail (1.7 miles and 187 feet elevation gain) which is an easy route and has the most stunning views (in my opinion) of the entire Sonoma Coastline. My friend is an artist so she took almost as many photos as I did! When we got to the top (since the bluffs are my happy place), instead of going back down the regular inland loop trail, we just came back down the way we’d gone up. Then we crossed the parking lot and headed up the Bodega Head Overlook Trail (1.1 miles and 190 feet elevation gain) to the Horseshoe Cove Overlook - more absolutely incredible views and wildflowers everywhere! After lunch we drove North and visited Duncan’s Landing Overlook - a 1/4 mile loop that features spectacular views and where the ice plant flowers are always amazing this time of year, but this year they went on as far as the eye could see. Then North again to Goat Rock for some more stunning views and actually getting down to walk on the beach for a bit. All in all, an awesome day of incredible beauty and cherished memories.
Sonoma Coast State Park (17 miles of coastline that extends from Vista Point near Jenner to Bodega Point) is a collection of coastal parks spread across a jagged coastline composed of headlands, crags, coves, and sandy beaches - all created from the rough nature of the Pacific Ocean. Gazing out across the expansive ocean and seeing it merge with the sky at the horizon or experiencing the enveloping fog burning off and give way to a picture perfect sunny day, one can’t help but feel humility and wonder. The park is a beautiful place to visit and the experience you can have there will be better than any brief description can convey.
OF COURSE, I took her to the Fishetarian in Bodega Bay for lunch - where I had my favorite fish tacos - and we enjoyed our yummy lunch and a glass of champagne to celebrate her birthday sitting at a picnic table by the water. Absolute heaven!
Shane and Dana Lucas started Fishetarian out of a passion for fishing, cooking and eating delicious, health conscious seafood. Together, they share a belief in sustainable fishing and farming practices. In order to protect the natural beauty of our oceans, all of the tableware is recyclable, biodegradable and compostable. They source all ingredients locally and organically-grown whenever possible.
And then last weekend, it was back to Moore Creek Park in St. Helena again with the Go Wild group. This time our group of 12 hikers did a loop hike consisting of Valentine Vista and Moore Creek trails for a total of 4.75 miles and 800 feet elevation gain. I have been wanting to do this hike for months since it’s an incredible place to see Spring wildflowers - and it didn’t disappoint. While already past “peak season”, there were still plenty to enjoy and, at times, it was absolutely breathtaking.
Moore Creek Park includes 1,600 acres of rugged terrain including Oak woodlands, Douglas Fir & Madrone forest, grasslands, and chaparral. Wildlife in the park is plentiful, including large mammals such as black bears, mountain lions, bobcat, gray fox and coyote. The Moore Creek section offers miles of trails for hiking, cycling, and equestrian use and offer beautiful views down the canyon and shaded walks along Moore Creek itself.
We were definitely ready for REAL food by the time we were finished hiking, so a fellow hiker and I headed for La Luna Market & Taqueria in nearby Rutherford for chips and fresh pico de gallo, and I had a chicken super burrito (dairy-free due to allergy season). Just as good as I remembered - YUM!
Known for its loaded burritos, La Luna Market & Taqueria offers Mexican cuisine in a casual setting. A favorite among vineyard and cellar workers of all nationalities, La Luna keeps the Napa Valley workforce fed. It’s fast, it’s cheap, it’s the best burrito around. There are picnic tables out back with vineyard views, real Mexican Coca-Cola, and not a limo or pair of stilettos in sight. In Rutherford, off Highway 29, it makes for a convenient pit stop whether you’re wine tasting or shoot thinning. Also, if you need a hat, a harvest hook knife, or a giant bag of chicharones, La Luna has it.
So that’s it for my May self-care adventure days. I’m not sure about June at this point. As of this blog post, I only have one hike scheduled at Healdsburg Ridge Open Space Preserve - since either I have other commitments or the group hikes are too difficult for me. We shall she what unfolds - I’m hoping to get up to Salt Point State Park to see the wildflowers there. 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.