Trip Pics

I finally got around to uploading some pics from our trip out to Jenner. I wasted the camera battery on too many pictures of the ocean, sea gulls, etc., and the camera died while we were out there. I bought one of those disposable cameras but I haven't gotten the film developed yet; these pictures cover the first week of the trip, or thereabouts.

If I embedded all the pics in this post the page would probably load too slowly, so I'll use thumbnails. Click on a thumbnail to see a larger version.

We flew to San Jose, since I was able to get cheaper flights into and out of San Jose than SFO. I discovered when we arrived that I'd neglected to change the rental car reservation when I rescheduled the trip after my father died, so we ended up getting the only vehicle Avis had left (Hertz had nothing available at all): a mini-van. Here is Mike loading our luggage into what would be our ride for the next ten days: We skirted around San Francisco to the east and drove across the Richmond San Rafael Bridge into Marin: Our destination was Jenner, a small town (population about 120) on the coast where the Russian River runs into the Pacific. It's about ten miles north of Bodega Bay, which is about 90 miles north of San Francisco. We stayed at the Jenner Inn, in a 100+-year-old cottage: The cottage was behind the main building of the Jenner Inn, along a short gravel driveway. Here's Mike standing on the gravel drive; our minivan is in the background, and the cottage is to the left, out of sight: A little farther along that gravel road is a large open area where weddings have been held. I took this picture looking up into the hills from there: One afternoon I took some pics of a couple of deer out there: The view from our cottage was obscured by trees, but we could see a bit of the Russian River: Heh, here's a pic of me soaking up some rays on the cottage deck (note the wine glass): We slept in Jenner every night, but we didn't stay there during the day. We drove down Route 1 to Bodega Bay several times; a distance of about 10 miles. I took many, many pictures of the ocean: Here's an "artsy" shot of Mike on the beach, looking pensive: We drove out to Bodega Head and took more pictures: We also did laundry in Bodega Bay. No cell phones work in Jenner, and I couldn't pick up a Cingular signal to get online, so we took the laptop with us everywhere. Here's Mike checking his email while doing laundry: We also spent time in Guerneville, a town on the Russian River 10 or 15 miles east of Jenner. Mike found a gym there where he could pay by the day or week to work out: The owner was a great, friendly guy named Terry. I have pics of him on the disposable camera.

But...this is the real reason we were there: Wine tasting!! Here's our guide at Korbel winery, which makes champagne: We spent a couple of days tasting at wineries along the "Russian River wine road," which goes up to Healdsburg, a couple of days in the Sonoma Valley, and a couple of days in the Napa Valley. Here's a picture of Mike and me with the Brothers Beringer: