There’s something tribal about crashing ocean waves that soothes my soul, ignites my creativity, and resets my rhythm.
I can always count on them relentlessly pushing to shore, in and out, as if the world were breathing.
It’s no wonder then that I feel so alive when near them.
Ron and I traveled to Bodega Bay recently. What better place to shake off our real, but surreal, pandemic lifestyle rife with political chaos? It was my first adventure away from home since the pandemic began nearly nine months ago.
We stayed at Bodega Bay Lodge. It’s the first time we stayed there, though we have dined many times at their Drake’s Sonoma Coast restaurant and enjoyed numerous gatherings with friends and family around the outdoor fire at Drake’s Fireside Lounge. All sport a lazy view of water.
We scored about $100 off the cost of a night’s stay using Hotels One. It’s not the trip we had planned to Scotland and Belgium this year, but—
We are lucky to live so close to a world-renown destination—a little less than two hours from home.
Not knowing what to expect in terms of safe social distancing due to COVID-19, we planned on staying just one night. We rented an upper-floor room with vaulted ceilings, a large fireplace, and an unobstructed view of Doran Regional Park and The Bird Walk.
After an early check in, we drove just down the road to Doran Beach for lunch. First, we made our way to the water and strolled along the beach. The plush sand and sparkly sea set my attitude grateful. And the wind—oh, my—so refreshing and cleansing. It’s my favorite of nature’s elements.
The pelicans, ancient looking birds I affectionately refer to as dinosaur birds, dive bombed for fish right in front of us. Everyone stood at the water’s edge, agape in awe.
Next, we barbecued steaks and ate homemade (personally caught by Captain Ron) salmon ceviche—surf and turf—right there on the beach. Since they do not allow fires at this time, we used a small propane-powered grill.
Somehow, a beach scene helps the food taste even better.
We planned to play dominos, but just talked and enjoyed the surroundings for a few hours instead. We got sunburned, too—a rookie move. And everyone wore masks when walking around, even with the wind swirling about. No one wore masks at our respective “spots” since we were all far from others. I felt pleased and impressed by everyone’s efforts.
I flew my kite, too!
There are few activities that make me feel so young as flying a kite on the beach.
Next, we drove around the bay all the way to Bodega Head. Surprisingly, everyone wore masks, even high on the ridge where the wind whipped about with nary a focused direction. Did I mention how much I love the wind? I could hardly subdue myself from breaking into an all-out Julie-Andrews, The-Hills-Are-Alive! twirl.
We took the official trail, but veered off to the more popular trail, evidenced by the perfectly worn path through the succulent vegetation. I’m afraid of heights, but Ron served as my bodyguard and I used his sweatshirt sleeve as an anchor when we got very close to the edge. Well, I say very close, but I’m afraid of heights, remember? Still, it was a stretch for me, but Ron’s nonchalance set me calm. There was even a sign posted at the fork in the paths that read something like: “This is the official path. Other paths are not safe.”
I felt like such a rebel!
Glorious views surrounded us. Ron talked about his childhood adventures here which, after nearly 40 years together, was a bit of a surprise as I hadn’t heard these before. That gives power to the quote I’ve been pondering lately:
A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person.
—Mignon McLaughlin
Ron remarked how much they have built the area up with bathrooms, paved roads, and a parking lot. He spoke of many trips here, fishing for days on end near the rocks with his family. ♥
The hike is not strenuous, more of a stroll, really. We went about a third of the way around the head and then turned back for dinner.
At the hotel, we sipped J Gregory Cabernet Sauvignon wine that proved wonderfully spicy and robust. New to us, we were thrilled with our choice. In addition, we had room service deliver dinner where we dined on the balcony while watching the sun set.
It was picture perfect.
A glorious sun radiates just before it sets in Bodega Bay, California as seen from the Bodega Bay Lodge.
Once dark, we enjoyed a fire inside while the ocean breeze danced with the curtains.
We had so much fun we opted to stay another night, this time booking directly with the lodge. With only three rooms left, we scored a lower level room with even better views. I prefer the vaulted ceilings in our first room, but this room (110), although smaller, also had a fireplace, but included views of the beautiful grounds, ocean, and bocce ball court. This proved a great advantage when waiting for a turn to play. Two outdoor firepits with roaring fires dotted the landscape creating a romantic setting befitting of our 37th wedding anniversary celebration. Our anniversary is actually in August but we had canceled traveling four times because of fire, smoke, power outages, and COVID.
We usually go to Carmel-by-the-Sea for our anniversary (here’s my extensive post from our last trip there), but we needed somewhere less crowded this time.
After breakfast, we drove to Sebastopol, stopping in Duncans Mills.
We stopped to see the situation with Studio Nouveau (also known as Objects of Beauty), one of my all-time favorite boutique shops, and found it empty. I knew the owner had relocated to North Carolina, and I was curious to see if there was a new shop in its place. We found the tiny building empty (so tiny, I felt compelled to walk it—about 15 by 20 feet), which made me sad.
We had visited this shop for years and years and always found the best, most unique items (and delectable if you ever had her spiced chocolate balls). The success of this little shop has continued to amaze me all these years. Andrea Record, artist and owner, operated it for about twenty years. She knows and treats her clients well, has an eye for eclectic, one-of-a-kind items, and is a marketing wiz. I count her among my friends.
You can read all about her shop here in my previous post. And you can still purchase her items online at Objects of Beauty. You can connect on Facebook as well.
One reason I come to this area is to drive my car along the sun-dappled highways.
I love driving, but I especially love driving my car along these roads with open windows and blaring music. When I bought my dream car in 2012, it was these roads I dreamt of driving. This area, including the bohemian highway, are of car commercial caliber.
Here’s a great song for driving salt-aired, winding, tree-lined roads dappled with sunlight.
By happenstance, we dined in Sebastopol at the Gravenstein Grill. Outdoor dining under a large tree with more than ample social distancing and delicious food solidified this a winner. Thank goodness for Yelp reviews.
We had hoped to hike in the Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve, but, sadly, it burned in the Lightning Complex fire this year and remains closed.
Upon returning to the Lodge, we played bocce ball in the court nestled neatly in the garden.
The court sits mid-level with privacy between players and other guests while still boasting mesmerizing views. It’s a genius design. Bocce ball is one of our favorite sports and we prefer any accommodation that has it. I usually provide an ample challenge for Ron, but for the record, he won 14-3 in an utterly crushing performance!
For dinner, we once again enjoyed room service. I recommend the grilled pear salad.
The next day, after a room service breakfast, we rode complimentary bikes down to an area in Doran Regional Park behind the Lodge. No need to drive. We just hopped on the Lodge’s complimentary bikes and rode all the way to the tip of the jetty. The bikes were comfortable with a considerable wicker basket in front, which made me giggle because they reminded me of Miss Gulch in the Wizard of Oz tootling down the road to collect Toto.
Ron laughed when I rattled off the soundtrack of her ride, “do do do do do do—do do do do do do” (hat tip if you can hear it in your head!).
Here’s the movie clip—just one of many and so popular—with nearly 1.6 million views (I note this to illustrate my normalness). The hook is in the first five seconds. It’s off topic, but it’s just too good not to share.
Anyway, the weather was very warm, in the low 80s which is practically a heat wave at the coast. The campers along Doran Beach Road set the pace at easy-breezy. It’s the perfect spot for wee ones, especially on this less crowded, very calm beach with no wave action. We saw kayakers embarking and several anglers perched on rocks past the “Don’t go any further on the rocks as it can be dangerous” sign.
I’ve learned that warning signs are simply a call to action.
A large sea lion matched our pace as we rode along the jetty (see below). There were plenty of other sea lions hovering nearby waiting patiently for the anglers to catch lunch with hopes, I’m sure, that it’d be theirs.
Doran Beach near the jetty offers calm water suitable for kayaking and children.
A lone sea lion cruises near the jetty awaiting an angler’s catch.
On our way back, we took The Bird Walk path. The heat must have kept the birds away for we only saw one large heron. But, it was lovely just the same. We rode the entire dirt path over a bridge, around the loop and back. I recommend taking this path very early in the morning when the birds are sure to be spry and vocal. I wouldn’t recommend this walk as a destination, but it’s a unique and lovely addition to the Lodge and our stay.
The Lodge’s staff took great care concerning COVID. They only clean rooms after departure, not during your stay; all personnel wear masks the entire time; and room service staff not only wear masks, but remain outside the room at delivery.
We really enjoyed this trip. Bodega Bay has and will always be a destination for us. Crab season is just around the corner and while Ron will catch crab, we won’t be renting a house with friends and family this year for the crab season opener because of COVID.
Still, how lucky and wonderful to have visited!
The energy I absorbed from the ocean waves continues to reinvigorate me, and I am grateful. ♥