Bodega Bay and Bodega, CA

Four cyclists injured at coast

Andrea Granahan — Tue, 21 May 2013 13:39:43 +0000

By BRETT WILKISON
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT

Published: Saturday, May 18, 2013 at 3:00 a.m.

Last Modified: Saturday, May 18, 2013 at 10:47 p.m.

At least four cyclists suffered injuries while riding the Sonoma County Backroad Challenge, a ride where 1,000 bikers started in Petaluma, made their way to the coast and cycled back again, Bodega Bay fire officials said.

One rider was injured in a crash at Franklin School Road by Highway 1 and was taken to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital, said Bodega Bay firefighter Jim Levy.

A second biker was injured at Bay Hill Road and Highway 1 and taken to Palm Drive Hospital in Sebastopol, Levy said. Two more cyclists were injured in a crash north of Marshall on Highway 1 and were taken to Petaluma Valley Hospital and Marin General Hospital, Levy said.

The names and conditions of the riders were not available.

A sailing tour off Bodega Bay

lcastrone — Mon, 20 May 2013 23:02:10 +0000

Rich Crumley, who gives tours on his 33-foot sailboat, the Entropy II out of Bodega Bay, started sailing as a young boy growing up in Southern California. (Photo courtesy of Rich Crumley)

By DIANE PETERSON / The Press Democrat

There are a many reasons people go sailing. Some crave the adrenaline rush. Others just enjoy leaving terra firma, with all of its complications, behind.

“When you get out on the ocean, people open up,” said Rich Crumley, who gives tours on his 33-foot sailboat, the Entropy II, out of Bodega Bay. “It gets quiet, and people start thinking about their lives, and the couples start reconnecting.”

The 52-year-old sailboat captain, who started sailing as a young boy growing up in Southern California, launched the Bodega Bay Sailing tours in 2006. The idea took hold after he was asked to take a friend’s family out for a ride, and the feedback was overwhelmingly positive.

“There was zero visibility, but when the sky opened up, my friend’s brother-in-law said, ‘This is the best day of my life!’” he recalled. “That’s why I started doing it.”

Sailing also helps subsidize Crumley’s boat maintenance costs and fishing habit. He often throws out a line during a tour, and when salmon season opened in early May, he landed a 12-pounder.

“I love sailing, fishing and exploring,” he said. “I live for salmon season.”

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Sailing on Bodega Bay

What: Bodega Bay Sailing offers a three-hour tour in a 33-foot, Coast Guard-inspected sailboat with Captain Rich Crumley.
When: Call 318-2251 to reserve.
Cost: $75 per person

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Crumley, who lives in Sonoma and works full-time as a park ranger at Doran Regional Park in Bodega Bay, can take up to four people on the three-hour sailing tours. The tours take place in the morning, so he can get to his job by 1 p.m.

Bodega Bay Sailing averages about 80 sailing trips a year and draws a clientele from all over the world.

While he does not give sailing lessons per se, Crumley will let passengers steer the boat and help him tack (make a windward turn).

Along the way, he also shares lessons in local geology, history and the animals that hatch, feed, migrate and spout in the rich habitat of Bodega Bay.

“In the spring, everything comes to life here,” he said. “The osprey are raising their young.”

On a recent sunny, calm morning, Crumley excitedly pointed to a flotilla of tiny Dungeness crabs swimming past the boat pier.

“This is an important nursery for baby crabs,” he said. “They can get fat and big here.”

Before heading out, Crumley always shows passengers a chart of the unique waters where they will be sailing.

“The San Andreas fault goes up through Tomales Bay and right through Bodega Head,” he said. “The Pacific Plate and the North American Plate come together right here.”

As part of the boat’s safety equipment, he carries two VHF (very high frequency) radios, an orange lifesaving ring and life jackets for each passenger.

“Everyone wears a life jacket because the insurance I have does not bring people back from the dead,” joked Crumley, who has sailed the California coast and from Hawaii to San Francisco.

While motoring through the dredged channel of the bay, Crumley pointed out the black fins of a school of feeding manta rays. A flock of Caspian terns flew in tight formation over the water, white and blue herons fished in the shallows and Brant geese fed on eel-grass on their way to Alaska.

“This is a rest stop for migrating birds in the spring and fall,” he said. “The Brants will be gone in another week.”

Once out of the bay, the Entropy II passed by two abalone divers and headed toward Bodega Rock, a noisy landmark crammed with barking harbor seals and sea lions. Nearby, the arched back of a gray whale broke the ocean’s surface, then spouted a greeting.

Two-foot swells from the south broke dramatically over the reef running from Bodega head to Bell’s Buoy, which marks safe passage to the open ocean.

Still, it was an unusually calm day for spring, when high pressure over the Pacific Ocean builds between the mainland and Hawaii, ushering in strong winds.

“Last week, we had 50-knot gusts and gale warnings,” Crumley said. “If it’s super-windy, I’ll cancel 24 hours in advance.”

As for the America’s Cup races taking place this summer on San Francisco Bay, this lifelong sailor has mixed feelings.

“It’s going to be great for San Francisco because they are going to improve the waterfront. But is it sailing?” he asked. “This boat can go 6 to 12 knots (6.9 to 13.8 mph). Those boats are going to go 60 knots (69.1 mph).”

You can reach Staff Writer Diane Peterson at 521-5287 or diane.peterson@ pressdemocrat.com.

Where the action is

Andrea Granahan — Mon, 20 May 2013 12:42:37 +0000

Thursday (5/23) at 6:30 p.m. at Coffee Catz Science Buzz Café will present Dr. Robert Porter and Daniel Osmer on “Economics of Education”. Admission is $5. Go to sciencebuzzcafe.org for more information. Coffee Catz is at 6761 Sebastopol Ave., Sebastopol.

Thursday (5/23) at 7 p.m. there will be a Beltane Sacred Supper in Sebastopol. Admission is $20. Email Elizabeth Moriarty at snakedancer@earthlink.net to rsvp and get directions to the location.

El Molino High School holds its Film Festival featuring the films made by industrious students this past school year. The festival is in the school library. Call 824-6550 for more information.

Saturday (5/25) from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. is the Driven to Perfection Classic Car Show at O’Reilly Media. Cars, trucks, bicycles, tractors – all made before 1976 will be on display. Admission is $5, free to all under 12 years old. For more information call 829-2440.

Sebastopol Walks is holding a garden walk on Saturday (5/25) beginning at 9 a.m. Put on your walking shoes and meet with fellow walkers at the downtown plaza. Go to sebastopolwalks.org for more information.

Get out your grass skirts – Sebastopol and the Mr. Music Foundation are holding its first ever Ukulele Festival Saturday (5/25) from noon to 5 p.m. at the Sebastopol Community Cultural Center. Hordes of pros will entertain including: Ralph Straw, Faith Ako, Uni, Mr. December, Jon Goodman and Jen Tucker. Meet other uke enthusiasts, learn new techniques. Tickets are $25 in advance, $30 at the door. Go to seb.org to order tickets and for more information.

HAVE, a veterans organization is holding its annual Potluck Party fundraiser. The $15 admission lets you share a potluck side dish and has barbecue, music, beer, volleyball, horseshoes, and other summer fun.

Learn to unleash your expression in “Theatre Sat Sang”. Every Sunday from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.it is held in downtown Sebastopol across from the Sebastopol Center for the Arts (Veterans Memorial Building on High St.). It is on a sliding scale from $10 to $20 and the first class is free to see if it suits you. RSVP at shrisheri@yahoo.com or call 310-490-7493.

Local Find: The Birds is here

Andrea Granahan — Mon, 13 May 2013 23:36:54 +0000

The yummy fish tacos plate.

: Missy and Mindy Freeman on their dining deck. (Photo by Andrea Granahan)

The Birds
1407 Highway 1, Bodega Bay
875-2900
Open daily 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Overview: After a lot of local anticipation, a sister act has brought a new eatery to Bodega Bay. Melissa and Melinda Freeman have opened their café called The Birds on Highway 1. The Freeman family has been active in Bodega Bay for 60 years. Clarence fished, Donna was a political powerhouse, and the entire clan created Compass Rose Gardens, one of the most highly desirable wedding venues in the county. Now the two sisters are taking on a new venture.

It’s only right that, on the 50^th anniversary of landmark Alfred Hitchcock movie, they name their café after “The Birds.” Both parents were extras in it, and Donna Freeman and Tippi Hedren, the star of “The Birds,” were friends.

What you’ll find: There is an outdoor dining deck above the café offering a lovely view of the harbor below. The menu is simple, with an emphasis on fresh seafood. Right now it’s lunch and light dinner favorites, but soon they hope to expand to breakfast. They accept Visa and Mastercard.

Two items of note: The fish tacos are not just fresh and delicious but beautiful to look at. They’re proving to be a best seller. The clam chowder may be a newcomer in Bodega Bay’s annual chowder contest.

Old Redwood Highway: Highway 1 connects coastal haunts

lcastrone — Mon, 13 May 2013 22:51:42 +0000

Once a roadhouse for weary travelers, the Casino bar still provides quick refreshment. (John Burgess / The Press Democrat)

By ANDREA GRANAHAN / West County Correspondent

Because of its spectacular scenery, Highway 1 is officially an All-American Road, but long before it got its official number in 1964, the trip north along Sonoma County’s coast was slow going.

Rather than just one road, there were pieces that eventually joined together. Russians built the first leg from Fort Ross to Bodega Bay and Bodega. Spaniards added to it, forming a rough trail to Olema. In later days, a stagecoach traveled between Petaluma and Olema.

That’s why seeing the historic sights along the Coast Road sometimes requires you to leave the highway.

Starting at Sea Ranch and heading south, Stewarts Point Store is one of the first landmarks. It started life as a stagecoach stop, with the dilapidated building next door once a that accommodated 19th century travelers.

A little farther south is Fort Ross, established in 1812 by the Russians. They used the next stretch of Highway 1 to get back and forth to Bodega Bay and Bodega. In 1972 the road was rerouted to protect the fort from people who were loving it to death.

The late Milton Cunningham of Bodega used to tell the tale of an early-day traveler riding in a horse-drawn wagon with a very tough character.

The pair came upon a Chinese man fishing from a sea bluff. The driver became enraged and, with no provocation, attacked the fisherman, hurling him to his death on the rocks below. Once back in the wagon, he threatened to kill his traveling companion if he said a word.

Stewarts Point Store is another reminder of times gone by on the Coast Highway. (Kent Porter / The Press Democrat)

Back in Bodega, the ruffian safely ensconced in a saloon, the passenger sought out the sheriff’s deputy. A gunfight ensued on the road, and the murderer was killed.

You can keep that piece of history, more legend than fact, in mind as you drive the hair-raising On the hair-raising Jenner Grade, the highway regularly self-destructs and often needs rebuilding. In the 1980s, a bad storm wiped out the whole stretch. The government rerouted traffic to the ridge on Meyers Grade Road for months while a World War II metal Bailey bridge was installed over a chasm south of Fort Ross and the road reconstructed.

Locals were appalled when, in 1976, Congress made Highway 1 an international bicycle route. It required painting a white line on either side of the road to designate a bicycle lane. In many places the white line is the bicycle lane.

Just north of Jenner the dramatic outline of Goat Rock becomes visible. Pull over at a wide spot and look down at the mouth of the Russian River, watching for its colony of mother harbor seals. They use that spot as a “haul out” on which to have their babies and teach them survival skills.

In the old days a ferry carried travelers across the river. These days there’s a bridge, followed by the stretch of road that winds down to the placid waters of Bodega Bay. The oldest building still in town is the house called Wood Haven.

At the Bodega turnoff, make another detour to see historical sights along the old coastal road. The Murray House, on a curve at the east edge of Bodega, once was the stagecoach stop. A building across the road that housed a store and tavern is still there, too. It houses the Casino, an informal town hall, watering hole and even a theater on occasion.

Back on the coast, Highway 1 climbs two steep hills known locally as “the camel humps” and goes to Valley Ford. There you will find Dinucci’s, built as a hotel to serve rail passengers until service stopped in the 1930s. It still hosts a crowd, serving Italian family dinners in the dining room and cocktails from behind a rosewood bar brought around Cape Horn on a clipper ship.

Outside of Valley Ford, the road takes a sharp right on its way to Tomales. The William Tell House has been beside the road since 1877 and now serves as a restaurant and tavern.

As you come into Marshall you’ll see a little island in the bay. It is Hog Island. It used to be privately owned but is now part of the Point Reyes National Seashore. You can enjoy the views of the serene bay and the mountains of the National Seashore that protect it all the way to the town of Point Reyes Station.

There you will find another piece of history. The Western Saloon was once a brothel and then a speakeasy, but now is a beloved watering hole that Prince Charles of England has visited. It’s a great place to end an exploration of our little piece of the great road.

Read about key stops along those early day Sonoma County roads in the special May 12 issue of Towns:

Santa Rosa’s Cloverleaf Ranch

Windsor’s roadhouse with a reputation and Mark West market

Cotati’s Inn of the Beginning

Cloverdale’s barnside medical advertisement

Geyserville’s Pastori Winery

Petaluma’s Poehlmann Hatchery and Cinnabar Theater

Penngrove’s ‘Electric Hatchery’

Kenwood’s railroad depot

Guerneville’s former Murphy’s Guest Ranch

Here comes the Amgen

Andrea Granahan — Mon, 13 May 2013 17:38:46 +0000

The mighty bicycle race, the Amgen, reaches west Sonoma County around 10 a.m. on Sunday, May 19. Roads will close to let the cyclists through. They will be coming up from San Francisco then Muir Woods on Highway 1.

They will come through Valley Ford, then Freestone on Valley Ford-Freestone Road. They take Bohemian Highway to Occidental, turn on Occidental Road , then Fulton Road to West Third Street into Santa Rosa.

So Sunday , just go to the route early, park and you will have front side seating to watch the famous cyclists on their last leg of the long race.

Bodega Bay needs a few helping hands

Andrea Granahan — Mon, 13 May 2013 16:50:19 +0000

Bodega Bay Community Association is looking for some volunteers for a fundraiser planned on June 22. The “Cruisin’ the Coast” very beachy car show is expected to pull in big crowds to see the old woodies, the VW buses, Corvettes, vintage sports cars and trucks, so they need a lot of help. They can use volunteers to help with parking, manning the Tiki Bar, helping at the barbecue, set-up and break down. If you can pitch in email bbcommunityassoc@comcast.net or call 875-9609.

History session in Bodega Bay Saturday

Andrea Granahan — Mon, 13 May 2013 16:31:22 +0000

This Saturday, May 18, Stewards of the Coast and Redwoods is holding an educational program in Bodega Bay. Between 1 and 4 p.m. the stewards will offer a seminar on the cultural history of the Sonoma Coast at the Bodega Bay Fire Station. Daniel Murleu, retired park ranger, and expert on local history, will deliver the talk and answer questions. Attendees are invited to bring a brown bag lunch to the event. It is free but registration is required. To register go to stewardsofthecoastandredwoods.org.

What’s happening this week

Andrea Granahan — Mon, 13 May 2013 15:51:01 +0000

This Week May 12-19

On Tuesday (5/14) the Rialto Theater is showing a free movie, “The Revolutionary Optimists” about India’s slum children at 7 p.m. The theater is at 6868 McKinley Ave. in Sebastopol.

This is the week Sebastopol gets invaded by belly dancers from all over the world. It is Tribal Fest time and it runs from Tuesday ( 5/14) through Sunday (5/19). It features 88 workshops for dance, henna, music, costumes and more. There are 45 vendors. There is a show that runs from Friday through Sunday from 1 to 9 p.m. on Friday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $20 each day. Go to seb.org to purchase tickets and to tribalfest.com for more information or call 978-8116.

Sahar begins a “drumming for Community” six week class at 164 Florence Ave., Sebastopol. Cost is $108. Call 824-1796 for times and more information.

Help determine the future layout of Sebastopol. On Wednesday (5/15) there will be two workshops during the day and a Town Hall meeting in the evening. The first workshop is from 1 to 2:15 p.m., the second one is 2:30 to 3:45 p.m. The Town Hall is at 7 p.m. It all happens at the Sebastopol Community Church at 1000 Gravenstein Hwy. N. Go to the-core-project.org for more information.

Physics teacher Sky Nelson will talk about the Higgs Particle at Science Buzz Café Thursday (5/16) at 7 p.m. at the French Garden Restaurant. Get educated for just $5. The French Garden is at 8050 Bodega Ave. in Sebastopol. Go to sciencebuzzcafe.org for more information.

Come here the “Complete Works of William Shakespeare” performed in 90 minutes at El Molino High School on Thursday (5/16) from 7:30 to 9 p.m. Must be very fast talkers! It happens in the high school Café Theater at 7050 Covey Rd. in Forestville. Call 824-6550 for more information.

A fashion show and tea with an exotic dessert bar is on tap at the Sebastopol Senior Center Thursday (5/17) at 1 p.m. Locals will model clothes from Drapers and Damons. It is free but RSVP by May 15. The center is at 167 N High ST. in Sebastopol. Call 829-2440 to reserve and for information.

Friday (5/17) from 7:30 to 10 p.m. you can “Sweat Your Prayers” with Leslie King at the Sebastopol Community Cultural Center Youth Annex at 425 Morris St., Sebastopol Cost is . $10-15 at the door. Call 328 5692 for more information or email trancdancr@aol.com.

There will be a free Flash Thunder Chamber Music Concert at Sebastopol Gallery on Saturday (5/18) at 7 p.m. The gallery is at 150 N Main St. in Sebastopol. Call 829-7200 for more information.

Sturgeon’s Steam Sawmill holds its Open House and celebrates its 100^th birthday on Saturday and Sunday (5/18 and 5/19) each day from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. See the giant blades slice redwoods, hear the steam whistle. There will be music and barbecue goodies for sale. The mill is between Graton and Occidental at 2150 Green Hill Rd. Take Occidental Rd. or Graton Rd. to Green Hill Rd. Go to sturgeonsmill.com for more information.

Bodega Land Trust is holding another walk. This one is through the coastal prairie at Bodega Pastures with Kristine Kraft and offers great views and lots of wildflowers. It happens Sunday (5/19) from 10 a.m. to noon and costs $10 adults, $5 children 12 and under. Space is limited so email ellie805@hotmail.com  to reserve a spot or for more information and learn where the gathering spot is.

Choose your firefighters and eat some flapjacks. Two volunteer fire departments are holding their annual pancake breakfast fundraisers on Sunday (5/19). The brave first responders will show off their culinary skills as they dish up a breakfast worthy of a logger. Bodega VFD is celebrating all the work done on the new firehouse. The breakfast is in McCaughey Hall from 7:30 to noon. Graton VFD is serving breakfast in its new fire house for the first time. All kinds of first response people will have their gear there to show the kids – helicopters, ambulances, and of course, fire engines. The breakfast is served 7 a.m. to noon.

In Store – Osmosis party season

Andrea Granahan — Sun, 12 May 2013 16:47:59 +0000

Osmosis Day Spa in Freestone is kicking off its outdoor season with a party for locals. For $30 Osmosis is offering mini-spa treatments, enzyme foot baths, drinks, appetizers and a mini-vitality quest. It all happens on Thursday, May 16 from 6 to 9 p.m. Get a chair massage, hang out in the field of hammocks, sip wine in the spa’s renowned gardens. On Sunday, May 19 from 4 to 9 p.m. they are introducing organic skin care for men and will offer local beers, wines and farm to table local munchies – that gathering requires an RSVP at 823-8231. Osmosis has a building reputation for its special parties which often have a theme and entertainment.