California State Parks: Donner Memorial State Park (Truckee)

Donner Lake, Truckee

Within the California State Park system my favorite venue is certainly Donner Memorial State Park near Truckee and the Nevada state line.  I took the kids camping there recently - not the first time - and can report that all was as we remembered it.  The sites are spacious.  Each has a bear locker for food, shelving for "stuff," a picnic table, a barbeque and a fire pit.  In other words, everything one needs.  There was an interpretive program around a campfire one evening and there is also a museum near the entrance.  We agreed to make it an annual trek.

Sonoma County Regional Parks: Maxwell Farms (Boyes Hot Springs)

There are wildflowers in bloom at Maxwell Farms, but what's really amazing are the blackberries.  They're so thick they're threatening to cover some of the trails.  This is good news if you plan to bring a bucket in the next few weeks, bad news if you're part of the park staff trying to eradicate the overgrowth.

The meadow is quite dry.  Areas along the trails bordering the meadow have been plowed to reduce the potential fire danger.  But the creek is clear and inviting and waders are often seen there.

Maxwell Farms is a great place to bring a picnic - packed from home or purchased from nearby shops.

Sonoma County Regional Parks: Spring Lake Lagoon (Santa Rosa)

Bark in the Park, the first event of its kind, was held in the Spring Lake Lagoon from 10:00 to 3:00 today.  The water was closed to humans and dogs were allowed in off leash.  We brought three black labrador retrievers, two of which swam and romped and chased tennis balls and met their new best friends.  It was a wonderful day, a fundraiser for the regional park system, and hopefully an annual event.

Sonoma County Regional Parks: Maxwell Farms (Boyes Hot Springs)

Maxwell Farms has a wonderful play area with particularly inviting equipment.  The area is kept clean and there is a restroom adjacent.  Benches line the sidewalk running alongside the playground and the ground is covered with a spongy surface to break childhood bumps and falls.  On this day children were playing happily while adults either assisted them or chatted with friends.

California State Parks: Lachryma Montis (Sonoma)

While the Vallejo home itself is on a relatively small piece of land, the original property owned by General Vallejo was considerably larger.  A steady stream of walkers and bicyclers uses the city owned paved bike path built over the old railroad tracks that runs through the Vallejo land.  Fields of wildflowers, such as this chicory, extend in all directions creating lovely fields most of the year.

California State Parks: Petaluma Adobe (Petaluma)

Adjacent to the parking lot at Petaluma Adobe is a spacious picnic area almost hidden in the trees.  It is at the base of the hill before you actually wander up the pathway to see the Adobe itself.  This is one of the most underused areas of the site but it has everything a family could need - tables, nearby water and clean restrooms.  An evening breeze is almost guaranteed so a jacket may be necessary even if the afternoon was warm.  Dogs are allowed on leash.

City of Lakeport: Library Park (Lakeport)

Library Park runs along Clearlake in the City of Lakeport.  There are numerous picnic tables, a playground and a large grassy lawn on which to play.  Dogs are welcome, something Demi appreciated. What I most noticed here was the noise -- bird sounds!  While the park was visited by families and others, almost all of the sound was coming from innumerable birds chirping happily in the tall trees.  

California State Parks: Petaluma Adobe (Petaluma)

The prickly pear cactus is blooming this week at the Petaluma Adobe.  I like to think of it as natural fencing or barbed wire that protects the adobe from both human and animal intruders.  It runs along the walkway from the creek to the building itself.  

The main function of the Petaluma Adobe was as a factory making goods and produce for the soldiers at the barracks in Sonoma back in the 1830s.  The hide and tallow trades were in full tilt and the rancheria was where 6,000 head of cattle were kept.  Grains were grown there too, necessary to feed the soldiers back at the barracks.

But for some reason it's always the cactus that really captures my attention.

Sonoma County Regional Parks: Maxwell Farms (Boyes Hot Springs)

When I took Brix walking through Maxwell Farms Regional Park yesterday morning it was obvious that his favorite part was along the creek.  We observed the leash law, but I still allowed him to jump in the water and swim a bit.  He dove in twice, smiled and shook himself dry.

City of Sonoma: The Plaza

We sat by the duck pond while the Tuesday Night Market was in full swing.  This is one of Sonoma's most popular events for six months of the year and it serves to bring all the living generations together at once.  Every week we see tiny babies and we see fragile elders and all the ages in between.  The teenagers are busy with their friends and the pre-teens are learning the skills of looking cool in a safe place - their parents are just on the other side of the block.  For those of us who actually live in Sonoma this is one of the community activities that makes us feel that we belong.

California State Parks: Casa Grande Servants' Quarters (Sonoma)

General Mariano Vallejo and his family lived in what is now downtown Sonoma for many years before their new home, Lachryma Montis was built at the foot of the mountain.  They moved in 1851 or so, and their original home, Casa Grande, was destroyed by fire in 1867.  All that is left is shown here, the Indian servants' quarters.  It almost fronts Spain Street and is totally visible without any tourist admission fees, you just walk up to the building from the sidewalk.  There is a cheese shop on the left hand side and the Toscano Hotel, also free and owned by California State Parks, on the right. Across the street is Sonoma Plaza where the General used to drill and parade his troops.

City of Sonoma: The Plaza

One of the really special times in the life of the community of Sonoma is the weekly farmers market which is held on The Plaza.  Each Tuesday from May to November, more or less, venders bring their foods and veggies and wares and the town gathers for snacks and suppers, music and shopping.  It's an intergenerational event with dancing children being corralled by their parents and watched by their grandparents.  It's also extremely popular as scents of multi-ethnic foods waft from plates carried to grassy areas and benches.

City of Sonoma: The Plaza

One of the many features of the Sonoma Plaza is the lovely rose garden. Here there are several groups of roses - the yellows, the reds, the variegated, etc. creating a display that makes a tourist want to begin a rose garden upon arrival back home!

California State Parks: Lachryma Montis (Sonoma)

I enjoy my role as docent for California State Parks, especially when I offer tours through the home of General Vallejo, the founder of the City of Sonoma. His home was built in 1850 from a kit! It's a Boston House, the parts of which were shipped around the Horn for construction on the site. So here I was today, enjoying my tiny part in interpreting local history.

City of Sonoma: Olsen Park

Olsen Park is one of those sweet little pocket parks tucked away in a peaceful neighborhood. You stumble upon it if you're walking on the Sonoma Bike Path, as I was yesterday. Occasionally I see guys playing on the basketball court or a couple moms will be supervising the urchins in the playground. Dogs are not allowed here and alas! there are no public restrooms. There are BBQ grills, however, and it's always a quiet little getaway.

Sonoma County Regional Parks: Maxwell Farms (Boyes Hot Springs)

The reason Brix is also known as Big Baby is because, when he stands one foot off the ground, he freaks out when I say, Hold That Pose! You can't see it, but there is a large group picnic area to the right of this stone construction.

Other than that, he was a great companion in Maxwell Farms Regional Park this afternoon. We were only there about 40 minutes, part of my park monitoring duties that I have nearly forgotten, and it was great to be back. The crows were screeching, children were happily playing with their parents in the playground and the park itself appeared well-tended.

City of Sonoma: The Plaza

The 31st International SketchCrawl was held on Saturday, April 16th.  Twelve local sketchers convened at The Plaza in Sonoma to participant. Sketchers drew whatever caught their interest - the duck pond, tourists, the Mission, Carnegie Library, etc., there was no shortage of sketching material.

University of California, Davis - Arboretum

Here's a public space that's easy to overlook because it's not a park, per se, it's an arboretum. Trees and plants throughout a three-mile pathway are carefully labeled. There are hundreds of ducks, mallards mostly, swimming and playing in the water. Picnickers have their blankets spread, dog-walkers pass by, artists sit on the benches drawing and couples walk hand in hand. This is a lovely place and admission is free.

California State Parks: Lachryma Montis (Sonoma)

I was the docent for three hours this afternoon at General Vallejo's home (built in 1851 or so). The park was quite busy and I gave several tours. This photo shows the tree-lined boulevard leading to the house (on the left, but not visible) and the chalet (the building on the right). The chalet was originally built in Switzerland, dismantled, each piece was numbered, the entire building was shipped around the Horn and then rebuilt on the site. That's my story and I'm stickin' to it!

California State Parks: The Barracks (Sonoma)

The local docents met in the barracks this morning for their quarterly meeting. I snapped this photo of the old carreta that stands in the open space behind. There's another one at Petaluma Adobe, but that facility has been closed on weekends because of staffing shortages and a hiring freeze. Docents were trying to figure out ways to pitch in and help out during this period of financial difficulty.