Off the grid
It's that time of year. Long enough after the holidays are over, far enough from other long weekends with clogged highways, late enough that you can at least pray for reasonably dry and warm weather. Time to get away.
But where? Sun and fun in Mexico? Drinking and dehydration in Palm Springs? No, we really didn't feel like getting on an airplane. After all, we live in one of the most stunningly beautiful regions in the world, and we avail ourselves of it as often as we can. And my favorite part of the Bay Area is western Sonoma County.
DPaul and I have been visiting the Sonoma coast for years, mostly renting homes up in Sea Ranch. We adore it up there, but kind of felt it was too far a schlep for a short trip this time, especially since we were being joined by friends just on the weekend. So some cursory research turned up a delightful home in Jenner, where the Russian River meets the sea. Ideal: All the glorious sea air and surf of Sea Ranch without the gut-wrenching drive up Route 1.
And if we just happened to make a small diversion en route to hit up a couple favorite wineries, their vineyards blazing yellow with mustard blossoms, what's the harm?
The aim of taking these little jaunts is to temporarily suspenddisbelief and allow your mind to think for just a few days that youhave no responsibilities anywhere in the world. You've got to go offthe grid. And boy, did we. That there was no Internet access in thehouse was a given. That there was no cell coverage anywhere in town wasa mild surprise. That the land line was also dead was, well, frankly alittle creepy at first. But it took no time to let it all go.
There is something utterly curative about the coast for me. Within minutes of being in proximity to it, all stress melts away. The tireless chatter of the mind silences. All that remains is the observation of shadows tracking in the golden light on green hillsides, colossal vultures swinging lazy loops overhead, the distant roar of the waves.
Having spent some time on the coast, we were accustomed to seeing wildlife. At Sea Ranch, deer, turkeys and quail are de rigueur. A new one on us, though, was the mother heifer and her calf calmly munching grass outside our bedroom window. Only when you are across the delta, looking back over the teeming metropolis of Jenner, do you realize how vast the pastures are that surround it. As far as the cows are concerned, there's simply a town in their way.
The beaches at Jenner are phenomenal. On the south side of the river mouth, a long finger of sand points northward, a favorite sunning spot for seals and seabirds. Because of the capricious path of the river, the land drops off precipitously just off shore, creating potentially deadly sleeper waves that rise with unexpected suddenness, as if from nowhere. But it also makes even the regular waves all the more dramatic, cresting close to shore with a sound that can only be described as thunderous. As the tips of the waves begin to crumble onto the curl below, it even sounds like the crackling of close thunder overhead.
Where the river itself actually meets the sea, forces of nature are clearly at work. The river gets shallow but fast, pushing the ocean back with all its might. This stretch is like a Jacuzzi tub for seals, who loll about in the turbulent tide or occasionally bark admonishments at gawking humans on shore. Farther out, the brackish flow seems to create ideal wave-making conditions, perfect tubs of glistening water that curl their way down. Surfers and seals compete for this prime watery real estate.
Upon returning from the beach on Sunday we were surprised by a tremendous turkey vulture perched on our railing. He thoughtfully spread his wings, glancing (nervously? arrogantly?) over his right shoulder at DPaul as he snapped the shutter. It's facile to think of these birds as unpleasant or even disgusting, but up close they are magnificent.
Part of the charm of western Sonoma County are the myriad small towns with three-digit (sometimes two!) populations and quaint, old buildings. Duncans Mills is an obvious stopping spot, right on the road to Jenner. An old logging town, its wooden sidewalks and low buildings now house bric-a-brac shops and a reasonably recommendable eatery, Cape Fear Café. But don't miss the seriously out-of-the-way charms of Occidental and Freestone, both of which feel largely lost in time. And considering there is no cell coverage pretty much anywhere other than Bodega Bay, that's not entirely off the mark.
Having all this at our fingertips makes me proud and happy to be a resident of the Bay Area. I can think of few other places in the world as blessed with such a magical combination of wonders.
One year ago today ... I was daffy for daffs. Still am!