Sonoma Charm

After a longish drive down Oregon’s I-5, then a jog over to the coast, we hit the Pacific Ocean at Crescent City. Although it was a silvery-grey afternoon, and the intermittent fog kept the horizon blurry, we were thrilled to have hit the the coastline. After a brief photo stop, we continued down and through California’s rugged coastal counties. The trees and views were epic. But the small towns we passed seemed to be struggling. The worst was Eureka, which we’d planned to stop for the night at. But the hotel we had booked (Eureka Inn) seemed sub-standard, and the town had a few too many homeless addicts wandering about, so we kept moving.

Instead, we landed in Ukiah, a decent looking place on the north fringes of Sonoma wine country. After a rejuvenating stay at a well-managed inn full of smoke jumpers and folks escaping the fires southward, we continued down 101 in need of some coffee and a bite to eat.

Pulling into the town of Cloverdale, we found a charming, artsy looking main street with numerous restaurants, a museum, bank and a coffee shop called Plank. With interesting art, groovy decor, tasteful music playing, and a full compliment of high-end coffee drinks and artisanal baked goods, I knew I was in good hands.

An outgoing young woman made my usual cortado along with an excellent iced coffee for my wife. Their orange pound cake was truly sublime. And had I had some way to grind them, I would have bought some of their whole beans.

Needless to say, I left happy, caffeinated, and ready for the day. If you ever happen upon that part of Sonoma’s wine country, stop in at Plank; you won’t be sorry.

To learn more about our thirty day adventure across America, check out our other publications WHERE DO WE FIT IN? and BEST (HEALTHY) ROAD FOOD.