Armstrong State Park and the Redwoods

After driving south from Healdsburg and through the Russian River Valley, my route was towards a mountain pass near the pacific coast. The route was vertiginous, topsy-turvy, and I occasionally caught glimpses of the Russian river at the nadir of the valley to my left.

We made a stop at the Armstrong State Park and hiked there to see the famous Redwood trees. Many of them are over a thousand years old, having lived through fallen empires and regimes, famines and diseases, and who knows how many extinctions of species. They can tower over 300 feet and require the Pacific’s wet and temperate climate to survive.

Walking through this forest is an ethereal experience. The forest is also known for its “banana slugs,” but sadly I didn’t find any.

Sonoma Wineries: Dry Creek

Papapierto Perry winery sits on a hill overlooking Dry Creek Valley, which is a prime location for growing Zinfandels thanks to its scorching summers.

I sat within the winery’s patio shade and sipped Pinot Noirs on a cool and breezy afternoon. All of the Pinots were great but their 2019 Perry and 2019 Nunes bottles were standouts. As stated in a previous blog, I’m no connoisseur, but I definitely tasted hints of raspberry and oak in both bottles. These wines also paired excellently with dark chocolate.

Dry Creek Vineyards is about a mile from Papapierto and is better known for its Zinfandels (though I also tried an excellent Chardonnay here). We sat in their picnic area and absorbed a healthy dose of sunlight (enough to burn my arms in just one hour). I can’t say that I’m quite a Zinfandel convert, but I was impressed with the precision and care put forth in their winemaking.

After finishing off these wines I ate a good pizza in downtown Healdsburg at PizZando and took a long walk through downtown.

Northern California has a strong cycling community that never ceased to impress me. The infrastructure allows it; cycling can easily become a way of life out here.