CA Weekend: Wooden Spoon, Windy Hill, Rose Garden

SMS and I had another amazing California weekend!  The weather was gorgeous and we spent a lot of time outside.  On Saturday, we started off in San Francisco at the Wooden Spoon.  It’s located next to the Swedish-American Hall and has some Swedish-inspired dishes for breakfast/lunch/brunch.  I got the most Swedish dish of Swedish pancakes with lemon curd and lingonberry preserves.  It was delicious!  After breakfast, SMS and I took a walk to nearby Corona Heights Park and took in some pretty spectacular city views.  I went without my phone so no pictures for the blog but if you’re looking for a short urban  hike, this place fits the bill.

After brunch, we headed back down the Peninsula.  We went to Thomas Fogarty Winery, where we sat outside with a glass of wine.  The wines were good and the patio was nice, but that was the only place that drinking outside was allowed for tasting room visitors.  The patio doesn’t overlook the Valley so SMS thought that it wasn’t well planned, which I agree.  We walked around the grounds and it does have a spectacular view.  A wedding was about to start and the private event spaces were gorgeous with a covered eating area that did have a view and was beautifully decorated.

The next morning, SMS made me breakfast.  We had bacon and eggs with two 2-yolk eggs- so much luck in that meal!  We had climbing plans for later that afternoon so we decided to go on a hike to Windy Hill.  We’ve been meaning to do it for awhile but other plans kept getting in the way.

Windy Hill was beautiful!  We parked on a nearby street and started our hike by following the signs to Spring Meadow trail to Spring Ridge Trail.  The trail was mostly a packed road up the golden grassed hill.  There was no shade along this portion.  Then we walked along the top of the hill, following Anniversary Trail to Lost Trail.  Then, we descended down Hamms Gulch trail, which was beautiful and shaded. If (when!) we go again, SMS and I agreed that reversing the loop would be better since there would be shade during the strenuous uphill climb.  Downhill would be in the Sun and walking towards the Valley view, which is quite spectacular.

After our hike, which was seven miles instead of my predicted five, we grabbed a quick lunch at Annachikadai where I ordered delicious pakora bread with mutton curry.  Then we went to Planet Granite and had an awesome climbing session.  I felt very strong for not having climbed recently so it gives me hope that I can get better once I’m able to train consistently.

Then we went to The Halford, a gastropub with lots of beer options.  SMS’ climbing friends are really nice and it was a great dinner.  Afterwards, we went into the Baker’s Village bakery that had a lot of Japanese-style sweets.  I was in heaven!  Looking the place up, it actually is a Korean bakery but reminds me of the not-too-sweet treats in Japan that also featured toasted sesame seeds.

The next day, we took the morning off from work and grabbed breakfast followed by a walk through San Jose’s Rose Garden.  There was a sign saying that it was voted the best rose garden in the US.  It surprises me that Portland’s rose garden was beat but regardless, this is a very pretty place.  I don’t think we were there during peak rose season but it really is amazing how many there are.