Monday, November 26, 2012

Weekend Report: Biking and Eating in Sonoma County


Well here I am, weekend reporting from the great state of Northern California, because I’m still at home! And I had a completely lovely completely cliche Sonoma County weekend.

Petaluma, though not much of a thrilling locale, happens to have some of the best bike-riding in the area. It’s definitely hilly, but beautiful, and with minimal cars. So Friday afternoon, in my post-Thanksgiving need-to-work-off-all-that-desert inspiration, I borrowed my dad’s hybrid bike and my mama’s biking shorts and biked out to Dillon Beach. The last 10 miles, from Tomales to Dillon, are pretty brutal in the hills department, but totally worth it.


(My mama met me with her car at the beach, so this was a 25-mile one-way experience.)

Saturday morning I did it again, this time riding one of my favorite Petaluma loops. I distinctly remember doing this ride for the first time on Thanksgiving day when I was in 7th grade. My mama led the way, and I rode my mountain bike. It was sooooo hard and I thought I was going to die.


Luckily I’m in better shape than 7th-grade-Mollie, so this ride was pleasant. I was feeling leisurely, so I paused to take some pictures along the way. Here's the 30-mile route, in case you're interested.


Saturday afternoon the weather was skirt-and-t-shirt beautiful, so we all drove to Napa and Yountville for lunch and dessert and Christmas card pictures (for Sister1’s little fam).

Lunch was at Gott’s, a delicious semi-fancy “diner.” As in, you sit outside, and it’s burger/diner-ish, but with all “artesianal and fresh” ingredients. (I told you this was a NorCal cliche weekend.) Mama and I split Mahi Mahi Fish Tacos and a Blue Cheese Burger and Onion Rings. Ummm hello yum.

After meandering around Oxbow Public Market (another local, artisen, and omg-it-all-looks-SO-good experience), we drove over to Yountville to a) take pictures,

Is my nephew the cutest thing ever? Yes.
Is my hair a scary shade of blonde? Yes....but don't worry I fixed it.

and b) go to Bouchon Bakery.

As we waited in line, Sister1 and I discussed what to order.
Me: What should I get?
Sister1: Everything.
Me: No but what do you like? What are your favorites?
Sister1: No Mollie. Everything. You should just get everything.



I didn’t quite take her advice, but definitely walked away with a Chocolate Almond Croissant, two eclairs (one regular, and one espresso), two cheese danishes, and a cup of coffee. (Don’t worry, not all of this was consumed at once.) But half a croissant and coffee may or may not have made my afternoon!


We also walked around the Domaine Chandon winery, just to see how pretty it all was. Grapevines in the fall are so colorful and pretty!


Sunday was spent fixing the aforementioned hair disaster (omg I thought I was going to die), so nothing too too exciting going on there. I'm still in CA for a few more days, and have epic plans...no just kidding. I'll probably go on a long beach walk, see a movie with my mama, and spend the rest of the time with Liam, who now knows/loves me!