OUT AND ABOUT

Paddlers practice in the evenings and on Saturday mornings. Newcomers are always welcome, says coach Kimo Garrigan.

ON THE PETALUMA RIVER, the nonprofi t Kai Wai Northbay outrigger canoe club teaches the fundamentals of traditional Tahitian paddling to adults and kids. The club, founded last year, owns several six-person canoes and holds weekly practices that are open to the community. “People come out and say they don’t know what to expect, and they’re hooked,” says head coach Kimo Garrigan. “It’s spiritual—knowing how the boat is connected to the water, and you’re connected to the boat and the paddle. It gives me goose bumps.” Garrigan says the club is welcoming members all the time, and most are new to the sport: “Everyone can come out—we have a seat for you.” kaiwainb.org

-Abigail Peterson

Gretchen Gause

Healdsburg MARINE LAYER TASTING ROOM OPENS

As winemaker Rob Fischer tells it, the evolution of the Marine Layer label came from years of exploring Sonoma County for the most desirable grapes to release on a small scale. “Ultimately, we realized our playground is west of Sebastopol, which presents with the best renditions of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay,” Fischer says. “The challenge of growing in these cool sites is worth the reward for the style of wine we are trying to achieve.”

“Because we make so little wine, we are off ering it almost exclusively to visitors at the tasting room,” says the label’s founder, Baron Ziegler. “It’s one of the only places people can drink it.” And what a tasting room it is. The recently opened space riff s on the cool blues and serenity of the coast, with soft and luxurious seating, rattan lanterns, comfy ottomans, and other warm accents from local design hotshots the Hommeboys. “It’s stunning, like nothing you’ve ever seen before on the Plaza,” says Ziegler. Tasting $35. 308-B Center St., Healdsburg. 707-473-8214, marinelayerwines.com. -Jean Saylor Doppenberg Anderson Valley FALL COLOR AT HENDY WOODS

Less than a two-hour drive from Santa Rosa, just outside the town of Philo, Hendy Woods State Park is an ideal fall day trip or weekend camping getaway. The park is home to two inland redwood groves, named, aptly enough, Big Hendy and Little Hendy. There’s also a broad meadow adjacent to the sleepy Navarro River, which, though running low this year, still has spots to wade across its broad gravel banks. From the park, it’s just ten minutes to the excellent farmstand at the Philo Apple Farm, or 15 minutes to favorite Anderson Valley wineries like Husch and Navarro. 18599 Philo-Greenwood Road, Philo. 707-895-3141, parks.ca.gov, hendywoods.org

Marine Layer Wines is a joint venture from winemaker Rob Fischer and owner Baron Ziegler, who previously worked together at Banshee Wines.

Santa Rosa LAGUNA DE SANTA ROSA TRAIL AND HANNA WINERY

The 1.8-mile trail at Laguna de Santa Rosa off ers more of a stroll than a strenuous hike. There are two entrances to the trail, one at 6303 Highway 12 and another by 5420 Occidental Road. If you park at the Occidental Road entrance, you’re just a hundred yards or so from Hanna’s Russian River Valley Tasting Room, where winemaker Jeff Hinchliff e is known for his Sauvignon Blanc, but also works with rarer fruit like Alchimie from the Alexander Valley and old-vine Zinfandel grown high on Bismark Mountain. 5353 Occidental Road, Santa Rosa. 707431-4310, hannawinery.com

Glen Ellen JACK LONDON STATE HISTORIC PARK AND BENZIGER FAMILY WINERY

Historic trails lead the way to the Wolf House ruins and Beauty Ranch in Jack London State Park at 2400 London Ranch Road. The park is located less than a mile from the Benziger Family Winery, where the Tribute Estate tour ($75) teaches guests about biodynamic growing practices and includes a stop in the underground wine cave. 1883 London Ranch Road, Glen Ellen. 707-9353000, benziger.com

Sonoma Coast SODA SPRINGS RESERVE AND ANNAPOLIS WINERY

This remote 48-acre reserve (24550 Kelly Road, Annapolis) boasts a number of short, easy strolling trails through giant redwoods. It’s located less than a 10-minute drive from familyowned Annapolis Winery, where you can sip wine and take in views at an elevation of about 1,000 feet. Tastings of three to fi ve wines are just $5, and there’s often live music on Saturdays. 26055 Soda Springs Road, Annapolis. 707-886-5460, annapoliswinery.com

-Dana Rebmann Healdsburg WARNECKE RANCH AND SUTRO WINE CO.

SUTRO Wine Co.’s founder, winemaker and artist Alice Warnecke Sutro, takes guests on a 45-minute vineyard hike through the golden hills before settling down in a quiet, shady grove of historic oaks for a tasting of her lineup of excellent, estate-grown Cabernet and Sauvignon Blanc wines. Reservations required, $45 per person. 13301 Chalk Hill Road, Healdsburg. 707-509-9695, warneckeranch.com, sutrowine.com

A PARK EXPERT’S FALL FAVORITES

Last May, Misti Arias, a 25-year veteran of the Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District, was named the agency’s new general manager. Her favorite fall day trips focus on lands the group has helped acquire and preserve. -John Beck

Sonoma Valley Stop off at Sonoma Garden Park on Seventh Street to pick up fresh produce at the Saturday Harvest Market and then head to Montini Open Space Preserve for a hike up to Coyote Point while taking in views of the fall foliage below. sonomagardenpark.org, overlookmontini.org

Sonoma Coast Head out River Road and drop by Creekside Park in Monte Rio to take in the action at the skate park and grab goodies at the excellent Lightwave Coffee & Kitchen. Then head to Jenner Headlands Preserve, where you can grind out the 16-mile roundtrip Pole Mountain hike or take a short trek to a telescope overlooking the Pacific. mrrpd.org, wildlandsconservancy.org

West of Petaluma Nestled among the rolling hills of Chileno Valley, Achadina Cheese Company offers great tours, which always involve tasting yummy cheeses. Afterwards, take a few cheeses (the California Crazy Curds are perfect finger food) on a picnic to nearby Helen Putnam Regional Park. achadinhacheese. com, parks.sonomacounty.ca.gov

Little Vineyards, owner Rich Little, right, is also a keen guitar player. Glen Ellen LITTLE VINEYARDS

Music is baked into everyday life at this family winery in the heart of Sonoma Valley. Guitars and stringed instruments hang high on the walls, and “every one of them has a story,” says winery owner, grapegrower, and guitar aficionado Rich Little, who, together with winemaker Ted Coleman, makes deep, earthy reds like Petite Sirah, Zinfandel, Syrah, and Cabernet Sauvignon. Admire the tasting room’s historic bar, rescued from the long-gone Rustic Inn, where legend has it that Jack London himself was a regular. Tastings from $20. 15188 Sonoma Highway, Glen Ellen, 707-996-2750, littlevineyards.com. -Jean Saylor Doppenberg

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