Santa Rosa, CA 4/16 - 4/23 - Part 1

Our first stop in Santa Rosa was the Railroad District.  All over the town are Charlie Brown statues.  The Charles Schultz Museum is in this area and you easily see how much he is celebrated!!

We are in the heart of wine country so we picked something a little different, The Korbel Winery.  Korbel is most known as the champagne you see on the grocery store shelf.  What a great surprise when we found out they have over 20 varieties of champagnes!! 

 

We didn't take the tour because we had taken a champagne tour in Lake Chelan, Washington and we didn't have time.  But we were shocked to learn that the Korbel's purchased this property for five dollars!!

 

We were hungry so we decided to eat before hitting the tasting room.  We had one of the best lunches ever on a beautiful shaded patio!!  In addition to the fabulous sandwich (we split one) Mark came up with the idea to order a sample size of every salad they offered.  We ate it all!!

 

What a great surprise - the tasting is free!!  We enjoyed four different Korbel Champagnes and decided on the Curvee.  It was delicious!!!

 

We had to hustle because we had a tee time at Northwood Golf Course.  It is a 9 hole course that meanders around the giant trees.  its claim to fame is that it was designed by the person who helped design Augusta National, home of the Masters!!

 

Both of the twin nieces, Hailey and Harmony, and their partners, Andrew and Alex, play golf.  So we planned a golfing event half way between us at Peacock Gap in San Rafael. 

Hailey and Andrew



Alex and Harmony

Each of the girls got a goodie bag with a flask filled with Birdie Juice and an ice pack!!  We played two groups of three person scrambles and enjoyed birdie juice when either team scored a birdie.  Eleven birdies between two teams and I could barely find the ball much less hit it!!  Our team got the first birdie so before we left the hole Mark circled the pin with birdie juice to celebrate!

Hailey and Andrew approaching the birdie juice lined hole

We finished just before sunset.  I don't think there was much  birdie juice left when the day was done!!   

 

We couldn't pass on the opportunity to play on a coastal golf course so we took a drive north to play The Links at Bodega Harbour.  That's the Pacific Ocean in the background!! 

 

Unique to this Robert Trent Jones Course is the required change from the power cart to push carts for holes 16 and 17. 

 

Mark hit the ball on this par three inches from the pin.  But you have to admit it is quite a view!!

 

Its a two week stop so this is just part 1!!