The Occidental Tourist Continued

The drive from Occidental to the Pacific coast is approximately 10 miles. The most scenic route is along Coleman Valley Road, which offers stunning views of the valley and the ocean in the distance. As you get closer to the water, the trees start disappearing and the windswept hills are dotted with rock outcrops. Here, the roads are shared with hearty cyclists braving the steep twists and turns along the rolling hills. Coleman Valley Road ends at Hwy 1 midway between the towns of Jenner and Bodega Bay. Along this 10.5 mile stretch there are twelve dramatic beaches to explore. The morning haze had burned off leaving the sun to shimmer and dance across the water.

After stopping off at Goat Rock Beach and Duncan’s Landing Beach to take in the views, I made my way down the coast towards Bodega Bay and along Bodega Hwy. Passing several roadside stalls selling fresh cherries, I stopped in the town of Bodega long enough to walk around Saint Teresa of Avila Church. The church was built in 1859 and is a bit of a local celebrity. The church can be seen in Alfred Hitchcock’s film, The Birds.

Continuing along the Bodega Hwy, I decided to head to the small town of Graton for lunch. Graton has several well regarded restaurants to choose from and the Willow Wood Market Café, turned out to be a fantastic spot for lunch before I made my way to several of the wineries in the area.

The first winery of the day was Merry Edwards Winery, which is just up the road from Graton. The tastings here are free and done in small groups of six. Merry Edwards produces six different types of Pinot Noirs and two types of Sauvignon Blanc.

Wines sampled:

Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir
Russian River Valley Pinot Noir

Meredith Estate Pinot Noir

Coppersmith Pinot Noir

Sauvignon Blanc

The second winery was Freestone Vineyards, located on Bodega Hwy near Bodega. Freestone had tastings for $10 and you are welcome to do your tasting outside on their patio, at the bar, or at one of the many tables and chairs scattered around the rustic barn-like room.

Wines sampled:

Fogdog Chardonnay

Ovation Chardonnay

Freestone Chardonnay

Fogdog Pinot Noir

Freestone Pinot Noir

Leaving Freestone and heading back along the Bohemian Hwy towards Occidental, I noticed a busy bakery that was swarming with people, Wild Flour Bread. Being a sucker for bread of any kind, I had to see what they had to offer. The magical offerings that I sampled are almost indescribable. The pluot nectarine white chocolate ginger scone I had was quite simply orgasmic and was scoffed immediately. I was feeling greedy and also purchased a loaf of their garlic rosemary cheese bread for later and I am here to tell you that not a crumb of it was wasted. I will definitely be dreaming about this place!

Even though my time in this pocket of the world was winding down, I knew I would be back to explore more of the beauty that Sonoma County had to offer. Until next time.