Locals Travel Tips

Not too long ago my partner and I were looking for a quiet weekend getaway and after some research decided on Wilbur Hot Springs which was originally established in 1865.  Visit Wilbur’s webpage and you will find the following description:

“Wilbur is an off-grid, solar-powered destination resort with naturally occurring hot mineral springs in the heart of an 1800-acre nature preserve located in Northern California. Our baths and flumes are clothing optional.”

Wilbur prides itself on being rustic.  It contrasts with other more refined and busier hot springs resorts. We were looking for a quiet, restful, and healthy escape and that’s what we found at Wilbur.  As mentioned in the quote above, Wilbur is remote.  You realize just how remote starting with the entrance road. Its long, its dirt and at some point, if you’re like us, you’ll think you’ve taken the wrong turn.  Persevere.  Arriving at Wilbur you’ll find a main building (which dates to 1915) where you check in and a number of modern cabin accommodations.

The rooms are simple.  If you’re looking for high-end comfort you should probably look elsewhere. But they are quiet and very comfortable.   

Before you visit, Wilbur’s website recommends you read their FAQ’s and “Planning Your Stay” pages.  You should. Just a few items of note – 

• No cell phones or other service.
• Bring your own towels (in fact your best bet is to bring everything you need. Don’t assume Wilbur supplies it.)
• Bring your own food.
• Clothing in and around the Baths is optional.

For us Wilbur was just right.

The hot springs were wonderful.  Three adjacent “flumes” offered three temperature levels.  The water emerges from the Wilbur source at approximately 145° F. When it reaches the flumes, it has cooled to about 128° F. The water is channeled into the flumes with average temperatures of 98° F, 105° F, and 109° F. Adjacent to the flumes is a “plunge pool” in the form of a deep old porcelain tub filled with bracingly cold water.   Moving from the flumes to the plunge pool and back is a wonderful wakeup for your body. Also adjacent to the flumes is a large pool with plenty of seating for relaxing and enjoying the sun.

I had never been to a clothing optional spa before and faced it with some trepidation.  But I found it appropriate to the environment and for me it added to the experience.  The clothing optional area is fenced and discrete. Having said that, the choice is yours. There was no pressure to disrobe.

I made a reservation for a massage, which really hit the spot. The massage cabins are well appointed. The masseuse was skilled and listened carefully.  My masseuse worked primarily in San Francisco but had come to Wilbur for the summer. She “lived” in a screened–off part of the cabin.  Her experience showed.

An important note about food – Bring your own. We knew this was the case, but made the mistake of packing simple ready-to-eat fare.  We did not realize that Wilbur has a large commercial style kitchen for its guests to use.  We love to cook and next time will be sure to bring ingredients for dishes we will prepare ourselves.  Localswill be glad to supply wine for the occasion.

Wilbur is remote in the best of ways.  There are wilderness trails to hike, an outdoor pavilion that’s ideal for yoga.  Wildlife abounds. No light pollution – the nights are silent and the stars are bright. 

We left Wilbur relaxed and refreshed knowing we’d return.  As we left Wilbur we had a very fitting farewell as a coyote crossed the road ahead of us.

When you come to wine country, you’re gonna taste a lot of wonderful wine and learn everything you might want to know about wine and grapes. But if you’re in the Russian River valley, don’t let the tastings blind you to so much else is there for you. Here’s just one idea:

Find a Swimming Hole

This isn’t about that one special swimming hole you just have to find. They’re everywhere! And the experience is always different. Is the river slow and lazy or is it spotted with rapids? Is the bottom one of boulders that are knee deep or do you take one step in and feel the smooth bottom drop away? Are clouds of swallows swooping from their nests under a bridge? Is your spot solitary and romantic or full of playful kids and their parents? Bracingly cold or so refreshingly cool?

The answer is yes.

That’s right. The Russian River is all of those and more. And you don’t need a secret map or tip from a local (although you can always get one) to find your spot on your day. Cloverdale, Guerneville, Geyserville, Healdsburg . . . you’re always minutes from the river. Backing up to a vineyard, tracking a road, pouring into the Pacifi or at the end of a dirt road or meandering through town. There it is! Explore! Swim, canoe, kayak, sunbathe, fish, dangle your feet in the water and let little fish nibble your toes. The river is there for you.

Now go taste that wine while the memory of the Russian River is with you. That’s an experience.

Go camping without any gear or hassles and even take your dog. We especially liked Mendocino Grove.

http://www.pressdemocrat.com/lifestyle/8549151-181/glamping-resorts-offer-all-the

As one passes the General Store and heads north along Dry Creek road toward Lake Sonoma grape vines carpet the valley floor and terrace the hills. Our climate which is so synonymous to the Mediterranean allows them to flourish and proliferate there. The richness of the soil, the long summer angles of the sun, the cool breath from passing creeks, these things flavor the grapes and sturdy the vines. Grapes have won the race to dominate the crop market and our shelf space, but the California grape is not alone in these lush oak spotted hills. In the even light of afternoon, the silver bellies of olive leaves flash.
Grapes entered Sonoma County from two points almost simultaneously. Russian settlers came from the coast and Fort Ross to plant grapes in the north, near dry creek. Entering near Petaluma, Spanish emissaries planted vines and olives alongside the white arches of their missions. There are three pillars to cuisine along the Mediterranean coast, grapes, olives and wheat. The Russians, only bordering the Black and Caspian Seas to the south and thus out of the loop, inconsiderately only brought a single pillar to our county. The Spanish were kind enough to bring all three.
Needing even tempered sun, the olive trees thrived along side the vines and spread. Today there are 75 different varieties of olives and oils to be harvested in California, ranging from the heat and dust of central valley to the cool red wooded pockets of the Big Sur coast. The state’s southern slopes and moderate winters provide the olive’s optimal climate. The rich clay soil holds rain near the surface for the tree’s shallow root system.
Today olives coexist quietly in the shadow of grapes along Sonoma’s valleys and while Mediterranean countries like Spain continue to lead the world in production, California olives are gaining traction the world over as a high-end crop used in the kitchen, both in restaurants and at home. In Locals Denier Handal olive oil can be found bottled and resting underneath the densely forested shelves of wine. Here is another layer to the experience of the palate.
The wine we drink and the food we eat, the oil that anoints our bread (Or gluten free substitute) is all building towards another stratum of experience. Perhaps people’s different impressions of wine over the kitchen sink has nothing to do with the changing chemistry of the bottle and more to do with the passing of an experience. The closer these delicacies come to their source the greater the joy in the taste. Wine, oysters, olives, salmon, greens, these wild products are endowed with another level of splendor when enjoyed in the shadow of their genesis. When one finds the specter of memory rising like a tatter of steam from every dish it is time to break free of the home and refresh the senses out in the realms of the things we enjoy.

Tomales Bay resides just South of Sonoma County’s coastal border. There, the summertime crowds line up in undulating throngs along its Eastern bank. They gather in the deep fog that forms between the Petaluma hills and the Point Reyes dairy farms and stay to be blistered in the noon day 90 degree temperatures which spill over the hilly spines of the long Sonoma and Petaluma valleys, drawn by the great heat suck of the Pacific Ocean. There isn’t a winery for miles, so why come? As the tide exits and the heat rises the mud flats loan the air a perfume of wet dog. All along Highway-One, there are flashes of Ferrari red and yellow in the deep blue-green of the twisted cypress trees. Laughter rings across the water, raising Blue Herons. Small barges pull alongside over crowed restaurant patios, driven by men in thick rubber waders, delivering the bay’s treasures in thick rubber buckets, Oysters.

Tomales Bay is the negative space created by the friction of the North American and Pacific tectonic plates rubbing against one another. Over millennia the Pacific plate has pushed farther North into the sea building the great diamond head of Point Reyes. The waters that rushed in to fill the scar of the fault made Tomales bay. In the South, the Petaluma River enters the long narrow bay and dumps its silt, creating vast mud flats. Near the Northern end of Tomales are two small islands, Hog and Duck. Past these, the mud flats deepen and eventually drop off into the cold and notoriously sharky water of Bodega Bay. Just West in the bay is where Sir Francis Drake beached during his trans global voyage.

More locally to the bay, Hog Island is famous for the specific variety of oysters the mudflats grow and for the mythical hog colony which started there after a ship exporting pigs caught fire and crashed, letting its cargo run wild. The parking lots of the town Tomales are as likely to be filled with gun rack toting Fords as they are to host the rearing horses of European made sportscars. But closer inspection of the two-acre Hog Island suggest it couldn’t support a single hog, much less a herd, and the local farmers are all generally friendly to oyster lovers.

Seen from its profile, the oyster looks very comparable to that of a time weathered whale, with its narrow top shell and potbellying bottom shell. The comparison does not stop there. Like a whale, the oyster feeds by drawing water between its lips and filtering out plankton. Its preferred hunting grounds are shallow watered estuaries that stay warm and provide oysters with constantly refreshed water to strip of plankton. Tomales, while small in terms of oyster estuaries, is ideal with its long shallow expanses of bottom. In many places, skinny wooden poles extend from the water like mooring posts forever waiting on a ship to return. The poles stake bag after bag of oysters to the soft bottom and stop them escaping into the wild. On a calm day, it is not uncommon to see small sailing craft moving from South to North with the wind disturbed by waddling brutish little barges charging up and down the estuary, ferrying these bulging mesh bags, recently unstaked, to the waiting maws of nearby diners.

In their final purgatory, the oysters are gracefully shucked and laid out bare to the world over a sandy beach of rock salt. Kept in the ocean until the last possible moment, these oysters are another expression of the deeply historical roots in the area between farmers and a crop.

By Sam Styles

The Luther Burbank Center for Arts is best known by locals for it’s world class Ruth Finley Person Theatre. Praised for its national and international touring performances ranging from shows such as Tony Bennet, Brain Candy, to the Moscow Ballet. With a range live comedy specials taped by HBO to some of the hottest television hits translated to the stage like Move Live on Tour, its no secret that the performers love her as much as we do! But did you know that the Person Theatre is just one of four on-site theaters? With the East Auditorium, Carson Cabaret, and Left Edge theatre there’s something for everyone. Presenting a wide array of performances, the Center’s three resident theatre companies, North Bay Stage Company, Roustabout Theater, and Left Edge Theatre offer reasonably priced entertainment for children and adults alike.

When you add in the 9,000-square-foot Atrium, three conference rooms, the Fireside room, Pavilion, The Anova Center for Education, Santa Rosa Original Certified Farmer’s Market, and outdoor Sculpture Garden, the LBC is as big a figure in square footage as it is in the community. The Luther Burbank Center is a nonprofit organization owned and operated by the Luther Burbank Memorial Foundation, a established in 1979. With revenue generated from performances, venue rentals, concessions, sponsors, and private contributors, their education programs flourish……..going straight back into the center with an emphasis on education the LBC has thirty six school shows during the day with busses provided for the students, a Music for Schools instrument lending library (for low-income students to participate in bands and orchestras), free events including Fiesta de Independence and pre-show crafts for kids. With almost 5,500 members, donors, volunteers (14.000 hours of donated services, and sponsors who help sustain the center its easy to see and feel the love many have for the center.

Written by Rachel Wilcox

Written by Barbara Barrielle

There are two distinct restaurants in Healdsburg beginning with the word “Single.” They could not be at farther ends of the spectrum in style and in price.

Singletree Café is a longtime Healdsburg breakfast and lunch destination. Their scrambles and early bird $2.99 breakfast special are legendary among locals. Food is fresh and borders on gourmet for a diner. Go there anytime and you will see someone you know. It is definitely a locals destination with an endless coffee cup and a $5.99 burger special at lunch.

Because of the construction around the impending roundabout at the south entrance to downtown Healdsburg, Singletree has suffered mightily. The parking lot and signage and easily missed because of barricades so, as a local, we beseech you to drop in a tell them we sent you. Here is a recent posting on their facebook page that is both sad and delicious at the same time….crab benedict? We are there!

“To our wonderful customers they are digging up the streets to put the new water and sewer lines in. I know it’s difficult to navigate around us, but please don’t forget about us! This past month business was terrible! We need your help to keep our doors open! We look forward to seeing you. This weekend is Corned beef Hash, Fresh Crabmeat Benedict, our new Cuban Sandwich and our CHILI. Thank you for your support!”

If Singletree is your daily daytime chow hangout, SingleThread is your once-in-a-lifetime, post-bonus, impress-your-friends/date/in-laws celebratory splurge. To walk in the door, prepare to shell out $295 for the only thing they serve, an eleven course menu based on a Japanese approach where ingredients are elevated and presented with care.

SingleThread was two years in the making, with Chef Ryan Kavanaugh and family starting a five acre farm along the Russian River to support the restaurant operation. They now are SingleThread Farm, Restaurant and Inn so that you never have to leave the SingleThread universe when you happen to visit Healdsburg. Locals can’t really afford dinner at $295 before wine, tax and tip so you may not meet many there but walk around the Plaza after and see them at Duke’s having a mixology experience that will set them back $10. That leaves $285 to buy lunch and dinner for the rest of the week at El Farolito, Campofina, Chalkboard’s happy hour or any of the other local favorites…more later on those.

Whether you are a local or a visitor to the area looking for an awesome source of fresh fish, Santa Rosa Seafood is your spot. This family owned business offers a huge selection of both seafood and shellfish at competitive prices. You can get sushi grade fish, local crab and oysters, and a lot of specialty items when they are in season such as uni and mussels. Be sure to ask for a sample of the smoked salmon…. because once you taste that you’ll definitely want to take some home for later.

The owners recently opened a restaurant right next door serving the same fresh delicacies they sell in their shop. Both the store and the restaurant are open Wednesdays thru Sundays from 10am to 6pm. 707-570-9921

Don’t miss this spot if you are in the area….and it’s worth the drive if not!

Whether or not you partake of California’s “other” crop you may soon find yourself enjoying some of the country’s best marijuana when you visit us here. Plans for all kinds of marijuana tourism are in the works here, but just so you can educate yourselves in advance here are the winners of this past weekend’s Emerald Cup which attracted over 30.000 people to Santa Rosa.

www.emeraldreport.com

Held over two days at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds the event is the largest marijuana competitions. As the legalities fall into place you may soon have the option of being picked up by a limo in Santa Rosa for a tour. Stay tuned.