Russian River Vacation: Day 2

Day 2! We headed out bright and early. After a pit stop at Blue Bottle for lattes, we were on our way over the Golden Gate Bridge and headed toward Marshall, CA.

We made a pit stop at Marin Sun Farms. Thank goodness for big signage.

Since we were there, we picked up a dozen eggs for the group. Beautiful! It doesn't make a flavor difference, but I love that their eggs come in different colors. Unfortunately, we didnt' get any blue ones this time.

After a few more distractions in the form of Cowgirl Creamery and a roadside cherry stand, we were at Tomales Bay Oyster Company. Picked up two dozen oysters there and another dozen at Hog Island before continuing north.

Based on Chowhound and Yelp reviews, we stopped at Spud Point Crab Company in Bodega Bay for lunch. It's still a family owned spot, and according to the website the owners still go out and catch the crabs every morning. I have to say, they have some of the biggest Dungeness crabs I've ever seen in my life.

And as luck would have it, I ordered the last order of crab cakes they had that day! Delicious. Tender and flavorful without any perceivable filling, with a very mild sauce.

J had the crab sandwich, which was lightly dressed with mayo and more cool and lightly flavored than my fried crab cakes.

We shared a clam chowder, which to me was just the right thickness. I had to resist seconds of it.

After that, there was nothing to do but head to the house! It was bigger than any of us expected, with sprawling decks and this view to the West. The neighbors had a fantastic garden.

The view to the east was a little more mountainous and equally breathtaking.

After a short break to take in the view and snap some photos, E and I headed out to fix a nail in our tire, shop for food, and stop by Sophie's Cellars for wine, pie, and wine tasting suggestions. Then it was time to head home and grill up some tri-tip steak!

Dinner was a delicious family style affair. Our group was not complete when we started eating, but that didn't stop us from having a great time. This is a pesto pasta salad with plenty of fresh tomatoes and cucumber.

There was also a watermelon salad, always appropriate for a warm summer evening.

And as requested by many, we had a stunning cheese plate. I brought some Beecher's No Woman that I'd gotten in Seattle, and we had a variety pack from Cowgirl Creamery that included a goat cheese, a triple cream (Mt. Tam), St. George, and a Pt. Reyes Blue.

Since it was so pungent, the Pt. Reyes had to live on its own plate.

Grilled jumbo oysters from Tomales Bay. I'm not sure anyone ever loves these, but J always insists on them.

Small raw oysters. I don't remember if this is a Hog Island sweetwater or a small Tomales Bay. Either way, they were great. No one had room for the Mom's Strawberry Rhubarb pie I got at Sophie's, but we polished off the two bottles of wine easily. I have to admit, the guys at Sophie's really know how to pair a wine. The crisp white we had and the Portuguese red both went perfectly with our meal.

And here's our view from the dining table. Life really doesn't get better than getting to look out on all this while eating a fantastic meal of California's bounty.