The Mendocino coast is known for it’s gorgeous rocky beaches but bowling balls on the beach? Why yes! They are large (rare) round sandstone formations that can be seen at low tide. There’s more info here on how they are formed and here is how to reach this unique little gem! Don’t be discouraged by […]
smilinginsonoma
Oat Hill Mine Trail
There’s more to do in wine country than drink fabulous wine and eat tasty food…seriously! We have nature lovers (like us) who love to explore every inch of land whether it be covered in grapevines or meadows with views. Personally I like both! The hubs and I indulged in a few hours of wine tasting […]
Muir Woods a Tree Lover’s Monument
I love that my future grandkids will be able to see the same redwoods that we saw on our visit to Muir Woods! So grateful for our national monuments, state and county parks that preserve the natural environment for everyone to enjoy for years to come. We had attempted going to Muir Woods last year […]
Gerstle Cove State Park
Gorgeous! Gorgeous! Gorgeous! That’s all I have to say about our northern Sonoma coast! We don’t have sandy beaches with blonde babes in bikinis laying out like our SoCal counterparts. We have rocky seashores filled with sea life, crazy rock formations and beautiful wildflowers kissing the sea air! Yes, I lived half of my life […]
Hike, Wine, Sunsets
Go for a hike in beautiful countryside in the morning, grab a bite at a local restaurant serving local ingredients, taste wine at an organic winery in the afternoon and head to the beach in the evening to watch the sunset over the great Pacific Ocean. This is definitely the life! Of course we have […]
Devils Punchbowl Waterfall
I had found a new to me Napa Hiking website last week and saw Devils Punchbowl Falls listed so of course that peaked my interest! It says it is only 1.2 miles round trip but when you don’t follow the correct path it can be more like 4 miles oh and the 500 ft elevation gain (and I […]
Sonoma Coast Sunset
It’s hard to handle seeing this kind of beauty every day! It’s even harder deciding which photos capture the essence of the moment in time we are trying to keep forever. It was Valentine’s day recently and since the hubs and I really don’t celebrate just 1 single day of loving each other (shouldn’t we be […]
Tubbs Island Wildlife Refuge
While this is a nice flat 8.1 mile trail along the marshland to San Pablo Bay where you have uninterrupted views of the city, take a hiking partner with you that can entertain you through a boring mile #2…or just enjoy the complete peace and quiet. I prefer my hiking partner that entertains me with hypothetical […]
Top of the World!
It was a foggy morning as we raced to get to the top of Armstrong Woods to experience being above the clouds before the fog burned off. We had heard you could drive to the top of the park and see for days so off we went in search of this magical spot. We asked the […]
Jenner Serenity for the Soul
Serenity, the state of being calm and peaceful. This past weekend we had some crazy waves along the northern coast of California and amazingly warm weather so of course I had to charge up the camera and head to the coast! Santa Rosa is less than an hour to the coast, not too far to […]