Make a Wander before Mother’s Day

By May 9, 2017 May 11th, 2017 News
Make a Wander

Make a Wander: We have mapped out a pre-Mother’s Day trip that takes you from a party in an alley south of Windsor to an odd fellows building in Geyserville, through the most pleasing scenery of Sonoma County. Show your mother where we live and meditate. Live Map

Make a Wander (1) Arts in Artisan Alley(A) You are starting your Wander (by bike or car) at Tilted Shed Ciderworks in Artisan Alley, south of Windsor, CA. Owners Ellen Cavalli and Scott Heath are having a party (noon – 5pm) with partners on the block, two small wineries and a spirit maker. Tickets are $25. This is as craft-y as it gets! Taste latest release of small lot spirits and special cocktails crafted from them. Release of limited magnums of TSC elegant, bright Topwork cuvee cider. New release of Saralee’s Vineyard Syrah and Grenache. Chocolatier Bert’s Desserts with hand made chocolates. There is a food truck in the parking lot. The Rhythm Rangellers, a Santa Cruz–based acoustic duo, plays dance music from the Old World and New. Learn more about North Bay Cider Makers.

Make a Wander (2) Wohler Brideg(B) Your next stop is Wohler Bridge, a historical bridge across the Russian River on Wohler Road. Park before you enter the bridge and wander over this 700+ feet structure. Look upstream from the bridge and notice the rapid flow and the collector well houses of the Sonoma County Water Agency. Water is stored in Lake Sonoma and Lake Mendocino and slowly released to serve drinking water to over 600,000 people in Sonoma and northern Marin Counties. Wohler Bridge has a Camelback Pratt through truss design. When built in 1921 the Wohler Bridge was considered one of the crown jewels in a Sonoma County effort to build more visitor-friendly roads to help serve the West County’s burgeoning tourist industry.

Make a Wander (C) Porter Creek Vineyards(C) Stop three on your wander is at Porter Creek Vineyards, one mile north of Wohler Bridge at 8735 Westside Rd. Porter Creek Vineyards has a long history in the Russian River Valley, dating to 1977 when George Davis bought 40 acres of land adjacent Porter Creek on Westside Road near MacMurray Ranch, of famed actor Fred MacMurray. Pinot Noir plantings date to 1974 on the site. Porter Creek Burgundian and Rhone wines developed a loyal cult following over the years. The estate is planted to both Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. More… George Davis is a flag bearer of organic and biodynamic winemaking in the Valley, the vice-president of the California Farmers Union and a past president of CAFF, Community Alliance with Family Farmers, a partner of Slow Food Russian River.

Make a Wander (D) Dry Creek General Store(D) Continuing your wander north on Westside Road for eight miles, and then, at Madrone Manor, turning left on West Dry Creek Road followed by a right at Lambert Bridge Road, our wander pauses at the Dry Creek General Store. The Dry Creek General Store has been there since 1881 and is now a designated historic landmark. In 2001 the Dry Creek General Store was purchased by Gina Gallo.  Since then the store has become the place for breakfast, picnics, or having a cold one at the old bar. More…

Make a Wander (E) Preston Farm and Winery(E) Returning to West Dry Creek Road and continuing north your next stop is at Preston Farm and Winery. Lou and Susan Preston’s farm is a metaphor of historic Dry Creek Valley. Wines: the signature Zinfandel and Sauvignon Blanc; Italian-inspired Barbera, Syrah, and Viognier: Lou’s masterpiece, L. Preston red. Farm products: hearth breads baked in the winery forno, olive oil, olives and organic produce in season. Preston Farm and Winery is a family-operated, organic and biodynamic farm. More…

Make a Wander (F) Odd Fellows Hall in Geserville(F) You finally cut through the hills separating Dry Creek Valley and Alexander Valley, following Canyon Road, to finish your wander at Odd Fellows Hall, 21027 Geyserville Avenue in Geyserville. At 5:30pm Slow Food Sonoma County North will welcome you for our bi-annual Tastes & Tales of Terra Madre dinner to celebrate Slow Food and the chapter’s three delegates to Italy’s Terra Madre. A selection of appetizers will begin the evening, followed by dinner featuring spring lamb and local wines.  You will enjoy live Latin rhythm music by Steve Trippe and friends. There will be a silent auction for a “100-Mile Dinner” prepared by Sonoma County North leaders and served in the winner’s home. More… Tickets are $75 for Slow Food members and $85 for non-members.

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