Jenner Headlands Preserve + Sebastopol

Today, SMS and I went for a hike at Jenner Headlands Preserve. We did some pre-planning so when we arrived, we were ready! We wanted to do the Sea-to-Sky+Raptor Ridge Loop. There was a little confusion when the map said the Sea-to-Sky Loop was 18 miles, but that’s if you head to the summit of Pole Mtn. That was not on our bingo card! Instead, our planned route was just over 4 miles on an absolutely beautiful day.

We arrived ~1045 and there was still plenty of parking, which is free! We ran into the ranger at the little hut and he gave us some trail tips. Then we were off!

The first hill has a small telescope up top. We continued on to the Raptor Ridge Loop. We saw people throughout the morning, but it was never crowded. We went counter-clockwise, which made the uphill section the first half of the hike. The views were spectacular and a few times, we shared the trail with grazing cows.

Overall, I definitely recommend the hike. No bikes are allowed on the trail, which mainly consists of a tightly packed gravel road. There are tire tracks and there’s a farm building at the top. It’s clear (besides the cow herds) that it’s active ranch land. Dogs are allowed but are supposed to be leashed. Everyone followed the rule, except for a group we came upon at the end. There’s always one, right? Honestly, it’s such a huge pet peeve of mine but that’s a rant for another day.

After the hike, we went to Occidental. We were going to eat at the General Store followed by a wine tasting at Boheme, but we decided to check out Sebastopol for lunch and stop by Boheme on the way home. Google maps said it was open to 6p and when has maps ever failed us…

SMS found the most amazing restaurant in Sebastopol, Goldfinch. Every dish was completely amazing. We shared lightly pickled vegetables and pull-apart focaccia for starters. Both were great, but the buttery warm toastiness of the focaccia was unreal. Then we each had a salad for lunch: I had a tuna niçoise and SMS had a chicken Caesar. Both were slightly different than a standard version but they were outstanding. Mine had a nest of lettuce in the middle surrounded by three stacks with an ahi tuna base, marinated artichoke hearts, 1/3 boiled egg with perfectly cooked yellow, a red pepper compote, and topped with an olive and cherry tomato. The dressing was Dijon mustard heavy and the dish was 10/10. SMS’ Caesar was a little less anchovy-ish on the dressing than usual but still, it all worked. His chicken was perfectly cooked. Both the herbed outside of the chicken and the herbed outside of the ahi were so well done. Anyway, strong recommendation to check out Goldfinch if you’re ever in town.

We went across the street to Retrograde Coffee. They had the coolest art show on the walls. The vibe was super cool. The coffee was good. Not great, but I’m pretty sure that it would be my spot if I lived there because it is a pretty great place.

Then we went to Santa Rosa for a Tesla SuperCharge- we were getting low! After filling up the battery, we went to Barlow in Sebastopol. It was super cool- lots of restaurants, bars, wineries/breweries/distillery tasting rooms, and some independent shops.

We went to Punchdown for some natural wine. We each had a taster glass, which is such a nice size. I’m glad we had some wine there because when we drove back through Occidental, Boheme was closed. *singletear*

So instead of wine, we had ice cream instead. The Guerneville Bank Club has the best ice cream. So rich and so many delicious flavors. Well, ~12 but that’s plenty since it’s more than I can eat!

Now we’re back at the hotel. It’s been a great weekend. It’s been such a treat to have this holiday trip!