Sonoma

A couple of weeks back I got a chance to visit the wine-growing region of California called Sonoma, with a couple of old friends. It was hard to say no, the region is pretty famous for its wine and great food, and because of the time difference, I could get in a half day of work, with plenty of time to explore the area, check out a wine tasting and then go to a local restaurant and enjoy all the great local produce of the area..

What was especially nice was if you went for a hike in the morning, it was all foggy and misty!

The river itself was really gorgeous, especially with all the rain that Sonoma had received this winter!

But what I was really looking forward to doing, was going for a bike ride in the rolling hills. I probably wasn’t expecting the hills to be quiet so steep, but the small mountain roads were almost deserted, with only 1 or 2 cars on the entire loop around.

It was about 6,000 feet of elevation gain, and a total of 60 miles arounds, but the views from the top were worth it, and cycling back down was a delight!

Here’s the view from the top, with the misty clouds still in the valley below!

I’m no wine snob, but the tastings themselves were pretty nice, nestled in the mountains, this one below was owned by the writer of “The Karate Kid” movie. As the server wryly noted “the best way to make a small fortune in the wine business, is to start with a large fortune!” But if you’re going to blow a fortune, there’s probably worse ways to do it!

Cheers!