Another flight credit about to expire.  What to do?  Find a destination equivalent to the credit and just go!  I had been wanting to attend an Outstanding In The Field dinner for quite some time, and their fall schedule included a stop in Jenner, California (which is in Sonoma County).  An almost free flight to California seemed like the perfect time to check it out and escape from the East Coast for a few days.

We flew into San Francisco late on a Friday night and stayed in the city.  I can’t say our hotel comes highly recommended, but it did the job.  We started the day with breakfast at The Grove and had the chance to catch up with my old college friend, Christa!  One of the best parts of travel is connecting with friends who have spread out all over the country.  Luckily, a number of friends live in warm and sunny California!  

After breakfast, we made our way to the beautiful Fairmont Hotel (where we didn’t stay..) to pick up a rental car.  That way, we didn’t have to back-track South to the airport.  A fifteen minute walk in perfect fall weather? No big deal.  I forgot to factor in the 45 degree incline up the entire way. With backpacks. Got in our cardio, that is for sure.

The hotel was in the midst of decorating for Christmas, and I was feeling that life-sized gingerbread house.  Decor for gingerbread party 2019??

After picking up the car slightly out of breath, we were on our way North.  

About an hour into our drive, we stopped in Petaluma for lunch.  It’s a small, walkable town on the river.  We somehow walked right by Wild Goat Bistro (our intended lunch stop), but ended up next door with chicken kebabs and a table outside in the sunshine.  Since check-in at the hotel wasn’t until 3pm, we wandered around town.

 Just up the street, I found a gluten-free bakery that also had egg-free treats.  Salted chocolate peanut butter filled cookie sandwich was a winner. 

petaluma sonoma gluten egg freeThen, off to the pet store to get the dog a bottle of Kennel Relax’n and some California catnip buds for the kitties in our life.  

Oh, and an outfit for dinner the following night.  I didn’t pack accordingly to the warmer-than-expected temperatures.

Time to hit the road before I could spend any more money.  About an hour or so further North, we arrived at Applewood Inn and Spa tucked into the woods in Guerneville.  The inn is small, with 19 rooms.  

A free wine and cheese pairing was offered from 4-6pm the day we arrived, which was a nice way to ease into wine country without leaving the property.   

The breakfast chef hosted the tasting, which included some amazing cheese and quince paste.  I’ve been trying to find quince ever since having it in Greece to no avail.  The chef explained the lengthy process of making the spread by cooking down the fruit, grown on the property, for hours on end.  So, maybe I’ll just continue my search of quince already made into a spread…

After, we enjoyed the hot tub and our little patio off the hotel room until the sun went behind the trees and it cooled off quite a bit. 

 Early to bed, early to rise (especially with the combination of daylight savings time happening that weekend).  The hotel included a 2 course breakfast in the lodge, complete with bottomless coffee and fireplaces.  Banana polenta, heaps of veggies, plus avocado and bacon made for a solid base for a busy day.  

We drove about 45 minutes North to Healdsburg, another quaint town, bustling even at 10am. 

To note:  there’s one main road to get there, and a power line went down and closed the road.  Check your maps before departing, because cell service is weak in that area.  Thankfully I figured out directions by looking at a MAP (the horror of no technology to guide us!) but we had to backtrack a bit. 

First stop: Healdsburg SHED, to try out their fermentation bar.  Only in California can you go to a fully stocked kombucha, homemade shrub, and water kefir bar.  Sauerkraut or kimchi shots? They’ve got those, too! If I didn’t hold strong to my carry-on bag only policy, I would’ve bought THEIR QUINCE JAM! to bring home.  The pine cone syrup also sounded intriguing.  There are a number of tasting rooms and boutique stores lining the streets of Healdsburg, which came in handy when searching for perfume.  Our rental car smelled like someone left old cheese under the seat for a week, compounded with a fish that died and decomposed in the trunk.  I was a little worried our clothing absorbed the smell and would offend our dinner companions later that evening.

 After masking the smells, we proceeded onward to Preston Winery.  Normally, I don’t like to visit the same places twice.  But I’ll make an exception when cats are involved.

This trip marked my third time in the Sonoma/Napa region, and on the last trip we discovered a cat winery.  How could we not visit our feline friends when they were a mere 15 minutes away?  Plus, they have good wine.  They are also an organic and biodynamic property.  I am no expert in the wine lingo, but these sound like good things!  

I counted at least 6 cats in the first 10 minutes, so it was basically heaven.  A striped gray cat made himself comfortable in Steve’s lap.  Perhaps it was Griffey, reincarnated as a winery cat living out his days chasing mice and swinging off the grape vines.  

  This blue-eyed white cat leapt out of a vine as I walked by to pet another floofy cat.  It sensed pets were being doled out liberally.

After our feline fix, it was time for the main event!  Outstanding In The Field is a dinner series held across the world, focusing on local producers. This particular event was held on the Jenner Headlands Preserve where Markegard Grass-Fed has cattle.  The event partnered with Leaky Barrel Cider and Carr Vineyards for the beverages.  The chef and team from Nightbird in San Francisco made the meal.

The rancher from Markegard Grass-Fed explained the environmental impact of cattle, and what exactly that means.  I think we should all learn where our food comes from, and what effect our choices make. 

Before the meal began, we were able to see the cows from Markegard Grass-Fed up close and personal.  They were pretty indifferent to the paparazzi snapping photos left and right.  Have you ever seen a furry cow?  They look so soft and cuddly.  While I don’t love seeing my food alive, it’s comforting to know these animals live on plenty of land to roam and with ample grass to eat.  I saw cows trotting up and down the land as far as the eye could see.  I’ve actually never seen a cow move that fast!

The rancher explained that cows are meant to eat grass, not grain.  They have a symbiotic relationship with the land, by eating the plants that could cause wildfires when not trimmed back, fertilizing the land, etc.  This system of farming creates more life over time.  Other types of farming deplete the land in the process.  

Part of the tradition of Outstanding in The Field is to have a unique plate.  You can bring your own, or select one of theirs from a stack of mismatched plates.  Following my no-checked-bags rule (and who flies with a plate?), we borrowed one of theirs.

 I took way too many photos becuase it was almost impossible to capture the beauty (and full table) in one shot.

We shared a meal and conversation at one long table for 250 people overlooking the coast line.  Most of our dining companions were California natives, but in true 6-degrees of separation fashion, a fellow former Rochesterian sat a few seats down.  It was an eclectic mix of young and old, large corporation employees (Apple, Levi’s) and entrepreneurs. 

We also met the ranch dogs, two Australian shepherds who appeared to be living their best life.  How did I not get a photo??  The rancher said the key to their pearly white teeth is the number of bones they gnaw on.  I imagine they have quite the selection on the ranch!

After a wonderful evening, we hit the hay and got up before the sun to drive back to San Francisco to fly home.  Even that was picture perfect, with a glimpse of the moon.

All in all, a spectacular weekend!  I can’t wait to get in some more West Coast in February, with San Diego (work), Seattle, and Portland (fun)!  As always, below is a handy map zoom out) with restaurant, winery, shopping, and activity suggestions pinned in the San Francisco/Sonoma area.