Having two kids means that most times, dragging everyone in between naps, lunch and diaper changes out and about can be a challenge. But what better way to explore your surroundings than to dump at least one kid off at Grandma’s house and hit the road!! There are some awesome places to staycation, day trip, whatever, where we live and what better reason to get out and about than house guests!
Because of the hubby’s weird work schedule, we were able to meet up with our guests on Monday in Sonoma, one of the BEST places to taste wine. While I like Napa, for us it’s too far away (a WHOLE hour! *eyeroll*) and Sonoma has a much friendlier, homier feel to it. We’re HUGE fans of Bartholomew Park, a small winery just East of Sonoma Square. The Zins are ridiculously good and you can hike or picnic on their expansive estate. Nothing better for us than a little exercise followed by some alcohol!
We hit Bart Park, then followed it up with Sebastiani, a super cool winery with a killer tasting room and during the summer? Food Truck Fridays. Seriously? You had me at Food Truck… ok maybe even just Food.
Last but not least, since we didn’t really feel like driving home half in the bag, was Gundlach Bundschu… yeah I couldn’t begin to tell you how to pronounce that. Just call it Gun Bun and take visitors there if you want some AMAZING views from the patio. It was gorgeous and is the sister facility to Bart Park, so wine club members at either winery get their tasting fee waived. I dig reciprocity.
While the wine tasting on Monday was killer, it was Tuesday’s beautiful weather that made our day trip decision for us. If the weather is gorgeous and there isn’t fog in the city? Head to the Headlands! We hiked around for a bit, then headed down the hill to Fort Chronchite, a hiking gem just a few minutes away from the top of the headlands. The waves were monstrous, the hike was moderately challenging (you strap a 9.5 pound baby to your chest and go hiking) and the views? Sublime. Seriously, it was the BEST day to take out of town guests. 
Best not tell them that it’s normally socked in fog so thick you can’t see your hand in front of your face. Just make then envy your fabulous California weather.
The kicker of the day was Muir Woods. I’d never been there in the 3.5 years of living here and my hubby tells me that on the weekends? Don’t even bother unless you want to hike with 5,000 of your closest friends. Even on a random gorgeous Tuesday there were a lot of people playing hooky to hike. But wow. GORGEOUS stuff. Even the peanut was super impressed by the thousand year old redwoods.
After a 45 minute or so hike through the woods, we drove up to Mt. Tam, which I must say is NOT for the faint of heart or the easily car sick, like me. It’s a pretty gnarly drive, but yesterday? Was TOTALLY worth the view. I just needed to hang out the window like a dog to keep from puking…
I had forgotten the local gems that we have around us… especially when dealing with the Groundhog Day grind of two small children. But seriously, it was amazing, so if you’re interested in coming to visit me, I’d LOVE to have an excuse to keep exploring!! Just hope you don’t mind sleeping on an air mattress…
*****
