Lazy Spring Drives
Wild Wildflowers
Blue Wing Saloon to Bear Valley 49 mi (dirt road involved)
A rustic drive through meadows of grazing cattle leads you to acres and acres of golden blooms. Swaths of purple and pink delight cover the landscape of Bear Valley outside Williams. After enjoying a delicious brunch at the Blue Wing Saloon in Upper Lake head east on Hwy 20 for about 37 miles, turn North onto Bear Valley Rd. which is unpaved. If you pass the Hwy 16 cutoff you have just passed the turn. 8 miles of dirt road pass through oak woodlands, dotted with volcanic soils. Keep your eyes peeled for the invasive wild pigs. Most of the area is private property but one generous ranch owner, in a particularly stunning field has made a gate proclaiming “Wildflower Access” allowing you to walk among the blooms. Best viewed in April with natures telltale variability.
Mustard & More
Boonville to Hendy Woods 9.2 miles
Yellow mustard fills the spaces between the vines on this gentle cruise through the vineyards and apple blossom orchards ending in the towering redwoods. Starting at Pennyroyal Farmstead sign up for a visit to see the goats, if you are lucky maybe some kids (the goat kind) will be about. Traveling west on Hwy 128 meander past vineyards bright with yellow mustard flowers. Arriving at Gowans to sample some award-winning hard cider. Just past the orchards take a left on Philo Greenwood Rd. The Apple Farm is just before the Navarro River and hosts a self-serve fruit stand complete with apply cider syrup, fresh pressed juice, jams and jelly’s. Select items for a picnic in Hendy Woods a State Park
A Blush of Blossomes
Sebastopol to Bodega Bay 16 miles
Drive along this route at the right time of year and falling blossom’s blow in drifts of warm air, carpeting the roads in pink. Driving West on Bodega Hwy. you travel through acres and acres of Apple Orchards many are the regionally celebrated Gravenstein type. Bright green grass covers the hillside interspersed with riots of yellow acacia trees. After 11 mile the road turns north up the coast a great place to grab some chowder and watch the sunset.
