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| Guerneville, CA |
This past weekend I went up to Guerneville in Sonoma County. My first time up there was last summer, going up to Johnson's Beach (on the Russian River) with friends; separately my husband had gone through there for work, and we both wanted to explore the area more...
We did a day trip into the town, which is about 90 minutes north of San Francisco, and without realizing it we picked quite a day: their annual Stumptown Daze parade. We started with a ~3-mile hike through
Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve which is gorgeous. There are 1400-year-old, 300+ feet tall redwoods that make you appreciate how much of an insignificant part of this world you are. There are shorter and longer trails to take, as well as picnic areas. We even passed the culmination of a sweet wedding ceremony in one of the picnic areas.
After the park we headed into town, watched the parade and walked around. The parade was going through the main drag and we watched the bands, dancers and floats from local businesses. As my husband says, it was 'small town USA'. The theme was "Summer of Love, 1969" so there were lots of hippie costumes used. Here's what else we did around town:
Johnson's Beach:
The riverbank has a gravel beach with snack shop and kayaks/tubes/canoes for rent. The season just started and we weren't up for swimming, but we sat under an umbrella with drinks, listening to oldies music and looking out at the idyllic scenery.
Guerneville Bank Club:
We came across this building on Main Street which had an
ice cream shop inside, and I got a cone with flavors I'd never had before: lavender & honeycomb, and strawberry & rhubarb (both delicious!) The building also had a cute
clothing & home goods shop, sold pies, and housed the historical society and an art gallery. It has an interesting history and I'm excited to pop in on future visits up there.
Big Bottom Market:
We didn't go into any of the bars and restaurants because we had dinner plans coming up but we went into Big Bottom Market and got some treats for later. What I liked was that they featured all sorts of Northern California brands.
There are a few boutique hotel and airbnb options up there (I really want to hang out at the pool at Boon Hotel + Spa) and it's close to Sonoma wineries so next time we might stay a little longer. But a weekend like this really makes me appreciate how close I live to some fun spots like Guerneville.
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| view from the Pool Ridge Trail in Armstrong woods |
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| fitting into a tree trunk :) |
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| from inside a hollowed out trunk |
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| redwood tree, resting |
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| Johnson's Beach |
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| artwork by SF-based New Bohemia Signs |
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| 2 out of 3 retail options inside Guerneville Bank Club |
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| Commerce Fine Goods |
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| Look Up Gallery |
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| love love love the seats, the tile, the plants... everything about this corner |
