North Bay Day Trip

Destination
We were itching to get out of town, and with the promise of good weather, we headed for the North Bay on a Saturday morning from Mountain View. After battling frustrating traffic through San Francisco (grrr), and stopping briefly for lunch in Sausalito, we headed up Hwy 1 to Stinson Beach, then on to Sonoma in the late afternoon. My co-blogger Cheryl already has a post on Stinson, so be sure to check it out for more details and another point of view.

For the amount of time we spent on the winding roads (gulp), and trying to find parking (horrendous), I would have rather gone to Carmel Beach. It would have taken less time to get there, the parking is better, the beach is nicer (sorry, I'm a sand snob), and frankly, there weren't as many playful dogs at Stinson. So, after walking the length of the dog-friendly portion (the northern end we've heard referred to as "Upton Beach"), and sitting long enough for Fletcher to discover sand crabs (digging, a new behavior, ensued), we wound our way to Hwy 101 and headed toward Sonoma.

Neither of us had been to Sonoma, so we just made it up as we went along. Before getting into downtown, I spotted Cornerstone from the highway. I had remembered reading about this funky, landscape architecture-inspired series of shops and gardens, so we pulled in. As it was already after 5pm, most of the food/pottery/home wares stores were closed. So, we left Fletcher in the shade while we poked around a bit. There is also wine tasting on site, with roshambo winery winning the fun-name-contest in my book. I love me a game of rock-paper-scissors! Now, I should probably try the wine... There was a wedding getting underway on our way out, and what a beautiful, quirky, setting to say "I do" in.

Onward and northward: Despite a pretty crowded evening downtown we found parking on a side street, parallel to Broadway, the main drag, as it "t's" into the main plaza. Fletcher and the two of us got out of the nicely refridgerated car and wham! hot Sonoma sun. This is where I nag and remind everyone to always keep a big bottle of water in the car for your dogs. We don't go anywhere without filling up one (or two) for Fletcher and collapseable bowls stay in both of our cars.

We strolled around the perimeter of the plaza, and wandered down some side streets to see the idyllic wine country houses. We obviously did not get a lot of time to explore the surrounding area, so next time we'll want to come back with Fletcher and visit some of the dog-friendly wineries and numerous foodie havens.

Degustation
Our quick lunch in Sausalito was takeaway from Salsalito Taco Shop, eaten on a bench in the shade with Fletcher staring up at us hopefully. My fish taco was delicious, my tostada was nothing I'd do again. Chicken nachos were good, but got soggy fast.

I cannot resist spoiling Fletcher when the opportunity arises, so when we spotted Three Dog Bakery I prepared to restrain myself. A little Papillion greeted us, and as usual Fletcher was gentle and let the little dog sniff him out. The woman working the store was very welcoming and we left with "Terrier-Misu" ice cream (getting licked enthusiastically below) and an assortment of cookies and biscuits.


After Fletcher demolished his icey treat, we were on the lookout for our own. On the corner across from The Girl & The Fig is El Dorado Kitchenette. As the name implies, it's a smaller cafe/bakery attached to their hotel and restaurant. I snuck away with some delicious! homemade soft serve ice cream (vanilla and chocolate swirled) and a chocolate chip cookie. The cookie doesn't compare to Icing on the Cake in Los Gatos, but the ice cream? Yes please. We found a nice bench in the shade on the corner of the plaza to appreciate our desserts and the setting sun.

By the time the last of the ice cream was licked away, we were not hungry for dinner. So instead of taking in Sunflower Caffe, recommended to us for being dog-friendly by Three Dog Bakery, we headed home.


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