California - Wild Color Macrame

September 13, 2018April 25, 2021

Grape Harvesting and Stomping in Sonoma County

I am continually blown away by the activities available in Sonoma County. It feels like every weekend we have something new and fun to try.

This past weekend, we checked off one of our California bucket list items and joined Old World Winery in their grape harvesting and stomping. If you’re planning a trip to northern California in September, you’re just in time, many wineries are picking and stomping this month. You should have no trouble finding a fun event like this to participate in!

Grape harvesting

If you’re going to do the fun part (stomping) you’ve got to participate in the hard part (harvesting). We got up at 5:15 a.m. on a Saturday to meet a couple dozen strangers at Old World Winery. Darek Trowbridge, the owner, rallied everyone together for a run-down of the day’s events and then we drove over to the vineyard to begin our day.

The sun was rising as we drove to the vineyard, and by the time we got there the lighting was spectacular.

Choose your weapon

Upon arrival, you had a choice to make: Are you going to cut the grape vines with a serrated knife, or use the pruner?

Darek, the owner, explained that seasoned grape harvesters use the knife, but that the knife is a little tricky to work with and even the most experienced harvesters still cut themselves on occasion. I chose the pruner, Michael used the knife.

Three hours of harvesting

We arrived at the vineyard around 7:00 a.m. and were driving back to start the stomping by 10:00 a.m. This will vary, however, based on the winery and the week you participate in harvesting.

Following the harvesting, we were at the vineyard for about two and half more hours, stomping and eating lunch.

Stomping

We enjoyed grape harvesting far more than we expected we would. But the real highlight of the day was the stomping! I was the second person of our large group to hop in, and it was cold.

We learned a few good tips for grape stomping, should we ever come across this opportunity again:

Start in the bottom corner, and smash one layer of grapes at a time. Otherwise the entire batch just settles on top and you pack it into sections, like a triple layer cake.
Hold onto the corner of the tub at all times. It’s slippery in the middle!
Step out occasionally to thaw your feet. It’s about 45 degrees in the bucket.

Clothing tips

If you’re harvesting, wear a waterproof jacket. Everyone left the vineyard wet from the waist up. You’ll also want to wear tennis shoes when walking through the vineyards.

When stomping, you need to wear shorts that are at your knees or higher. I recommend bringing a pair of sandals to change in to.

How much stomping?

After 30 minutes we were all out of grapes and produced something that resembled a sangria.

One attendee remarked that the stomping is really just for the enjoyment of the guests and that no matter what, the vineyard has to put it through the usual production methods. Old World Winery is unique. They use every bit of what we stomped, after cleaning our foot germs out of it, of course.

Old World Winery likes to involve the community in their harvesting and stomping because they say the good vibes from the residents make the wine taste better.

The picnic

After the stomping, Darek invited the group over to the patio to enjoy some good food, good conversation and amazing wine. Next year, what we stomped will be poured into the glasses of those that helped with the 2019 stompings.

I have been raving about this experience to all of my friends. If you’re in northern California is September, grape harvesting and stomping is an absolute must. You can’t beat a day like this. Then again, this seems to be a very typical weekend activity in Sonoma County.

Sign up for the Old World Winery Wine Club to be invited to member events like this one, and be sure to check out their Facebook page.

Thanks for reading,

Emma

September 6, 2018April 25, 2021

California Redwoods Near San Francisco

When we moved to California a couple of months ago, I figured that the famous redwood trees could only be found near the northern border of the state. Imagine my excitement when I discovered Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve just 30 minutes west of our place in Santa Rosa.

To top it off, parking was FREE, the weather was ideal and the hike was simple. Dare I say it was a Hike For People Who Get Bored Easily.

The trees

Yeah, this is a great location to see redwoods, but are they as spectacular as they are up north?

They’re close.

The tallest tree that you will see at Armstrong Redwoods SNR is The Parson Jones tree at 310 feet in height. It’s just a 0.1 mile walk from the park entrance. The tallest tree in California is the Hyperion in Redwood National Park measuring at 379.1 feet.

The oldest tree at Armstrong Redwoods SNR is the Colonel Armstrong Tree, 1,400 years old. This doesn’t come close to the oldest tree in California, estimated at 3,500 years old, and located in Giant Sequoia National Monument. But hey, what difference does a couple thousand years make, really?

The hikes

We were looking for a short hike before an afternoon on the coast, and this fit our itinerary perfectly. If you scroll about half way down this page, you’ll see the full list of hikes. We went on the Pioneer Nature Trail hike (1.7 miles) and it was easy. They have several easy to moderate hikes and then a couple strenuous hikes, up to 9 miles with a 1500’ climb in elevation.

For being such a stunning park, it was incredibly quiet. We were often the only ones in sight and only saw a couple dozen people the entire time. Maybe it was just a unique Sunday.

Getting there

The drive was simple and on level, paved roads the entire way. If you’re coming from San Francisco, you’ll head straight north on US-101 and take River Rd to Armstrong Woods Rd.

We were able to easily grab free parking outside of the main entrance (as described on their website here). We stopped at the restrooms before heading in and spotted our trail with ease. It feels a little wrong visiting such a beautiful park without paying, donations are accepted at the Visitor Center.

If your time in California is limited and you can’t make it from the Redwood Forest, to the gulf stream waters (sorry – I had to), Armstrong Redwoods SNR is an excellent alternative. You’ll see plenty of humongous trees and many, “WOW” moments. Oh, and if you have kids, they’ll really love this place. There’s tons of fallen over trees that are perfect for climbing.

Thanks for reading,

Emma

August 23, 2018April 25, 2021

A Gloomy Day at Point Reyes

I love the fog in Northern California. We didn’t have much fog in Colorado. I remember one foggy morning when I was in elementary school. It was so foggy I couldn’t see the stop sign down the road. I thought, ‘The sky is falling! The world is coming to an end.’

I was a little melodramatic.

The fun part about being new to a state is that every weekend is an adventure. We heard Point Reyes was stunning, so off we went to explore another piece of our new paradise.

Getting there

Point Reyes National Seashore is located on the coast of Marin County, about an hour north of San Francisco (an hour west of us over in Santa Rosa). The drive is fairly easy, but the entire time you’re wondering, ‘Where’s the beach!?’ Oh, it’s there. It’s just too foggy to see. As you pass through Inverness Park, the roads get rougher. (This is where we discovered we needed new shocks on the car.)

Hiking

We missed the alert on the National Park Service website that said that the Lighthouse was being renovated. We couldn’t get near it! I was so bummed. The restorations will be taking place from August to October, 2018. However, we did park at the Lighthouse parking lot and explore a few small trails.

I was blown away by the beauty. Truly. For the first time since we returned from Europe, I had one of those, ‘Wow…’ moments. Point Reyes really took my breath away.

Weather

The Northern California coast has unpredictable weather (says the girl who has lived here two months). All two times we’ve visited the coast the weather has gone from breezy and chilly (multiple clothing layers required) to sunny and comfortable. We packed for both possibilities and I finally found a use for my hooded sweater dress.

The one year mark

Point Reyes was exactly what I needed on this particular day. It was the one year anniversary of my mom’s passing (read more about that here). I didn’t know how to spend the day. My mom and I loved to shop together, but a crowded mall was the last place I wanted to be.

My husband Michael and I decided on Point Reyes because we wanted time alone together to reflect on my mother’s life and our past year without her. It felt like the scenery was mirroring our emotions, perfectly setting the stage to grieve and say goodbye and good riddance to a painful 12 months.

Let me tell you something about the one year mark of a loved one’s passing: day 365 feels no different than day 364. I had been building it up for a year like it would be the second hardest day of my life. Truth is, it just reminded me of how far I’ve come, and how missing her will never go away.

The beach

After we explored the area near the Lighthouse, we went to Drake’s Beach. The water was refreshingly cold and totally unswimable. But the beach was long and flat, perfect for a peaceful walk. We saw a handful of seals out in the water — it was my first time seeing seals in the wild! They look like little water cats and I immediately fell in love.

I adored Point Reyes and I can’t wait to explore it some more. Next time I’ll be sure to check out Cowgirl Creamery and the Cypress Tunnel. I was so bummed to have missed them on my first visit!

By the way, my husband and I are gonna bring back kiting. Ya know, the act of flying a kite? No one kites anymore. So we’re bringing it back. Join us if you dare.

Thanks for reading,

Emma