3 days in Sonoma County - November 3-6, 2015

My life partner Greta and I took a four-day road trip from Dana Point, California, where we live, to Santa Rosa, California, where we own a rental property. We needed to check on some proposed maintenance and repairs to the property. It had been more than a year since we had been in Sonoma County.

On Tuesday, November 3, we left Dana Point at 5:30 a.m., which we discovered was perhaps a half hour later than we should have left, as the traffic was already slow on the 405 Freeway from Long Beach through Los Angeles to Sunset Blvd., near the UCLA campus.

Our road trip took 10 hours, which included a half hour lunch break at a Carl's Jr. in Santa Nella, a major crossroad on the I-5, a little over two hours south of San Francisco. Be prepared for lots of semi trucks when stopping there.

Greta belongs to a website called Home Exchange. She traded visits with a family who lives on Sonoma Mountain Road in the Bennett Valley area south of Santa Rosa, where we stayed; the family will stay at her home in San Clemente next month.

Our accommodations were a studio suite on the side of the family's home. As we approached the entrance to our place, 10 deer were feeding in a wooded area 20 yards from our entry door.

We were exhausted from the long drive so we decided to stay in that evening. I found a Safeway store five miles away on Yulupa Street and picked up a few things for dinner and, of course, Sonoma County Chardonnays from Chateau St. Jean and Kenwood wineries.

Wednesday, November 4, 2015

The main purpose of our trip was to visit our property in Oakmont, an age 55+ retirement community about four miles east of Santa Rosa. Our tenants, Vern and Judy, take such good care of the home that we barely recognized it. The property is located on Twin Lakes Circle, on the 10th fairway of the Oakmont executive golf course (no par fives).

View of the 10th Fairway from living room patio

We discussed a few needed repairs and then the four of us went to lunch at the Quail Inn, which is in the heart of Oakmont. Our tenant Vern works there helping out with banquets and wedding receptions. I had one of the best corned beef sandwiches ever, very lean and tasty.

On the way back to our studio apartment, we stopped at Matanzas Creek winery on Bennett Valley Road.

Matanzas Creek Parking Area

Matanzas Creek Fountain

What a pleasant surprise. The winery is known for its elegant wines and fields of lavender. It is owned by the Jackson family, the same family that owns another well known Sonoma winery, Kendall Jackson.

Greta with lavender plants

We purchased a couple bottles of their wines to take home and save for a special occasion.

Thursday, November 5, 2015

In the morning, we awoke to all kinds of deer activity just outside of studio. The bucks were having at each other:

Bucks locking horns

I have been coming to Sonoma County on a regular basis since 1977, when I purchased a small home for my mom, where she lived for nearly 32 years. During that time, I never visited the historic Jack London State Park in nearby Glen Ellen.

We stopped as we left the property to take a picture of this cute guy:

 

Bennett Valley, California, Donkey

Greta and I took Bennett Valley Road to Warm Springs Road and then went into Glen Ellen. Shared a hamburger at the Jack London Saloon, eating outside on the back patio. Both Greta and I recalled having a nice meal there with my mom 7-8 years ago.

In front of the Jack London Saloon

Then we drove up the hill to the State Park, about a mile and a half from the center of town. There is a fee to enter the park but our annual California state park pass got us in for no cost.

The whole state park is known as the Jack London Ranch. Our first stop was the cottage where Jack London and his wife lived for a few years.

Cottage is white building. Entertainment area for guests is on the left

To get into the cottage, which is staffed by volunteers, the cost was two bucks each for seniors. Well worth watching the video and then touring the house. The docent, Judy, a former teacher, loves her volunteer work and was very knowledgable.

In the adjacent guest entertaining area, to the left in the picture above, when we saw the kitchen, Greta said it reminded her of the kitchen up the road a piece in Asti, where the Italian Swiss Colony winery used to be. Our friends, the Rossi's, own the home where the vineyard manager used to live. It has 13 bedrooms, all on the same floor, a single story preserved home.

Judy commented that she knew the original family that owned the winery.

Jack London died at age 40 due to kidney failure in the cottage house. Both London and his wife Charmian were interesting people.

Then we drove to a different parking lot within the Ranch where we took the half-mile hike through the woods to the Wolf House, a mansion that London had built but never lived in. Just a short time before the house was ready for occupancy, it burned to the ground. The cause of the fire is thought to be from spontaneous combustion from rags left by workers with linseed oil on them. 

When you walk through the woods, you are constantly reminded by posted signs to beware of rattle snakes, poison oak, and bobcats.

Warning signs on the walk to the Wolf House

When you arrive at the Wolf House, you are sad and amazed at the same time. You see the size of the house, and the windows and fireplaces, and then you realized the dream house of Jack London and his wife went up in flames.

Autumn tree a few yards before the Wolf House

 

Beans holding up chimmneys in Wolf House

One of many chimmneys

Interior of burned out Wolf House
 

A gentleman from Glenn Ellen was visiting the Wolf House and offered to take a picture of Greta and me in front of the building.


Greta and Tom at Wolf House in Jack London State Park



That night, we drove to Petaluma, a half hour away, to have dinner with my sister, Christine, and her friend, Bill. We dined at the Central Market, 42 North Petaluma Boulevard. This is a really good restaurant that has an outstanding reputation in Petaluma, which is booming with retail activity in that part of this cute, historic city.

http://www.centralmarketpetaluma.com

Friday, November 6, 2015

Our short visit to Sonoma had come to an end. It was time to drive home. We stopped in Pleasanton to visit our friend Bob Rossi, who owns the Sunshine Saloon off of Santa Rita Road. It is Bob's family who at one time owned Italian Swiss Colony in Asti and whose family still owns the 13-bedroom historic home there.

Bob and I worked together at Victoria Station, the prime rib and boxcar national chain in the 1970s. I wrote a book about it, titled, "Prime Rib & Boxcars. Whatever Happened to Victoria Station?" Of course, Bob Rossi is included in that book.

Bob started the Sunshine Saloon some 30 years ago and still works there with his son and daughter.

www.SunshineSaloon.com

It is a very popular sports bar. He was able to spend a few minutes with Greta and me, but then, had to attend to his customers.
Greta took this picture of Bob and me outside when we left.

Old Victoria Station buddies - Bob Rossi and Tom

We arrived in Los Angeles at 5:30 p.m. That is not the time, particularly on a Friday, to try to pass through that enormous city. It took us two hours as every freeway was packed. We will plan that differently on our next trip to Santa Rosa. We chose the I-5 as the traffic reports on KNX radio indicated problems on the 405 and 210 freeways. But, we exited the I-5 and took the 710 to Long Beach and then came home on the 405 and 73 toll road. About 12 hours transit time from Santa Rosa.