Winding Roads, Open Skies, and No Cell Service!

We woke up bright and early Sunday morning after another bad night of sleep. I think that is my only gripe about visiting California. I just can’t seem to get more than a couple of hours, and I never catch up with the time difference like I do easily in Europe. Looking at our trusty map, we realized that our next destination, Timber Cove Inn, was quite the drive. I decided to miss the closing brunch of the Foodbuzz Festival, and we hit the road. It turned out to be a good thing. We took Route 1 which is entirely along the coast, and it was narrow, winding, and pretty scary at times! The two and a half hour drive we planned for ending up taking closer to twice as long. It was 100% worth it! We left San Francisco and drove to Point Reyes Station about an hour north of the city. Point Reyes Station is a small Western town, complete with a Western saloon and a feed store that also houses a yoga studio, art gallery, and grocery store. Sue from Cowgirl Creamery talked about the town in her Foodbuzz session on Saturday as that is where the creamery and cows are, and I was excited to be able to see it for myself. Next time, I am planning an entire day for this drive. There were many cute villages along the way as well as fun activities like hiking and sprawling beaches for picnicking.

We decided to get a quick lunch in the local deli/Mexican joint/video store/wine shop. I opted for the bean tacos which came with tons of cilantro, onions, shredded cheese, and hot sauce. Note to Boston taco shops, cilantro is amazing. Pile it on!

Drizzled with a squeeze of fresh lime, this was spicy and tangy with a nice citrus kick. Tacos in California are so much better than tacos in Boston, I want them now! Once on the road again, we passed by miles and miles of gorgeous open countryside and rocky coasts. The fields were full of free range animals. We saw plenty of cows, horses, chickens, fields of wandering pigs, and even this guy.

We passed many oyster shacks along the road with picnic tables and oysters pulled fresh from the sea. Next time we will definitely be stopping. But we had a mission, and that mission was getting to Timber Cove for some much needed fresh air and relaxation. Timber Cove Inn is a rustic, beautiful lodge located about 14 miles North of the town of Jenner on the Sonoma Coast. It offers an otherworldly beauty in its surroundings, and a comfortable, well built place to rest for a couple of days. The architecture blends in well with its surroundings, an effort that I appreciate in places where the natural beauty speaks for itself. There were no McMansions here.
Alexander’s Restaurant                          The back of the inn
The view from our balcony                    Our cozy room complete with a fireplace

Enjoying a refreshing seltzer water

The inside of the inn from the balcony outside of our room    
We watched the sun from the comfort of our balcony, and it seemed to just drop into the sea. Timber Cove Inn is essentially in the middle of nowhere, in a good way, without city light pollution to distract from beautiful sunsets and starlit nights. It was so incredibly quiet and was enveloped in a gentle shroud of misty, salty air throughout our stay. We slept with the sliding door open and listened to the gentle crash of the waves on the rocky coast. They offer free wi fi internet, but my cell phone did not get service within about 2 hours of the inn which caused me a little bit of panic. . . however for most people on vacation this is a good thing. There is so much more to say about Timber Cove Inn, so I will leave off here but will be back with dinner and breakfast tomorrow!