how to live, travel and explore the world from your van


Sonoma California

Viansa Winery in Sonoma, huge winery, gorgeous building, and you could easily hang out here for two to three hours. There are underground speakers playing music throughout the gardens and grounds. Places to eat under the grapevines. Huge restaurant. We tried over a dozen different oils, vinegar's, and spreads on fresh bread and crackers for free. Wine tasting is $5. Gorgeous place with views all around way out impassioned valley. We bought some Peach Chardonnay vinegar and it is delicious for only $11.

Wineries are spectacular through this area and visiting is free Sonoma California

 

Above and Below: The wineries through this region of Sonoma are spectacular and all are free to visit. Tasting are cheap and you can eat at all of them in sweet outdoor picnic areas they have set up for you.

This is a real nice way to have great time in a typically high brow atmosphere without feeling stuffy or like you are going to get ripped off. Everything here is affordable and worth the price when they do charge for a tasting.

Interior of a stately winery in the area of Sonoma California's wine country

We pulled over at Sonoma's wine tasting visitor center. This place is definitely a great place to stop. There must be six plus acres of outdoor and indoor art works, sculptures, paintings, and other artifacts. Everything from special fences, sculptures, pots, to activities for the while family, dinner, foods, wine tasting, olive oil tasting, and maps of the entire area including wineries. There is a place to eat lunch outside surrounded by great artworks and artifacts from renovations where they have renovated homes and salvaged the door way, the boat that was in the yard, the fence that was around an ancient Tibetan temple or something. So check this place out, it is extremely interesting.

We are at the Santa Rosa Fairgrounds at our first live horserace. They race a month out of the year here. Admission was free and parking was free. We are going to see some big horses run and will get some video of it. It is a typical fair grounds where they have the carnival set up, live animals to look at, different times of the year. They walk the horses around so you can see them. You can bet on the horses here. It is a lot of fun and easy to get to. Everyone here is in a good mood. The weather is fantastic. There are stalls that sell food from $3 - sandwiches and burritos, snacks, and drinks.

  blue tree image

ancient ricksaw picture
Above: ancient hand made rickshaw carriage for hauling merchandise to market on display.

Went to three other wineries and the Sonoma Visitor Center. At the Visitor Center there were a few galleries with indoor and outdoor art. Crossing the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco to Sausilito and beyond is like going from winter time drab into summer time shine. All of a sudden there is sun and the temperature goes up 10+ degrees. Got the laundry done. Ate at Round Table Pizza which is quite good for the price and very unique. We spent the night at The Plaza which is similar to Paso Robles' main street with shops and restaurants circling the park.

From The Plaza we drove to the library. There was a guy that sleeps in his Mercedes in the library parking lot along with a lady that lives in her mini van with a cat and a Chihuahua. Jason said that her mini van was totally packed with crap. Signs that people are making pathetic attemps at the Vanabode lifestyle are all around us (people forced out of their homes).

Before they opened I walked Bugsy and talked to some people (Bugsy gets everyone talking to me). We worked for a few hours. Tonight Sonoma is having their annual party at The Plaza with a farmers market and live jazz music. Someone told me that a loud whistle goes off at 5:00 p.m. and then everyone can start selling their goods in Sonoma California.

Additional information on Sonoma and Napa Valley California Wine Trip and beautiful estate wineries.




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