As Dry Creek Road winds through the valley, high points along the way provide remarkable views. Riding a bike allows me to stop in the moment to enjoy the scenery, even in places unavailable to cars. This is one of those spots, where I stopped roadside at a vineyard slope, marveling at the view. As an added bonus, I was able to use the terrace as a seat while painting.
Last weekend, my sketch friend Phil and I rode our bikes through the Dry Creek Valley, looking for places to sketch. I had driven this road a hundred times by car but never noticed this old barn until I started cycling around the area. We parked our bikes and sat on a stone wall across the street, which provided a good vantage point. The occasional car whizzed past, interrupting the otherwise still morning. Today we were lucky, the weather was unseasonably warm but I could smell smoke from a burn pile down the road that reminded me winter is not far off. After about an hour of sketching, we packed up our supplies and biked further into the Dry Creek valley looking for more sketching opportunities.
Last weekend I loaded my backpack with art supplies and hiked into the countryside near my house. It had rained earlier in the day, but as soon as I saw a break in the clouds, I gathered my art supplies and headed out to sketch.
The golden grasses covering the hills during the dryer months are turning green with the help of recent rains. Reaching the top of a hill, I was confronted by the bright colors of Jordan Winery’s vineyard and a red-roofed shed guarding its gate. What a great view I thought, and parked myself on my folding stool to paint.
This northeast edge of Healdsburg used to be a horse ranch until about 15 years ago, when it was replaced by the homes in my neighborhood. Some reminders of the ranch still remain, like the old wooden fence posts climbing this hill. Although people have encroached upon this once wild land, the area is still home to raptors, deer, mountain lions, bobcats, coyotes, and migratory birds. Blue herons and egrets, much to my dismay, like to eat goldfish out of our backyard pond. But it’s a small price to pay for living near open land. Some of the wildlife can be dangerous, like rattle snakes and mountain lions, and many of my neighbors have reported sightings. Luckily, I’ve never run into any problems but still keep a sharp eye whenever I’m out in the field. At night as I’m drifting off to sleep, I often hear the howls of coyotes celebrating a new kill and the feast that follows.
The sky above me darkened and small drops of rain splashed on my page. Looking toward the west, I could see that another storm approached, so I packed up my gear and headed home. Under the next day’s sunny skies I returned to the same spot to add the finishing touches.
Early this November, the colors of autumn stormed into Sonoma County, lighting up the countryside in vivid gold, orange, and maroon. Entire vineyards washed hillsides in color almost overnight, making even the most ordinary views extraordinary.
To take advantage of the beauty, I headed out to sketch under partly cloudy skies, donning a hat and sweatshirt to keep warm. I wanted to paint a nearby pear tree that I discovered hidden behind some bushes while walking the dogs.
The pear tree’s trunk is split from top to bottom, as if struck by lightning, and is now withering from age and decay. Its canopy contains few leaves, but surprisingly, produces an abundance of tiny pears. At its base, a small blackberry bush wraps the tree’s trunk in thorns.
At this time of year, the weather can be moody, changing from hour to hour and making the need for coats and gloves unpredictable. Since it was mostly sunny when I left the house, I thought that my hat and sweatshirt would be sufficient, but the weather turned cold and cloudy as I sketched, and by the time I finished painting, I was shivering. Sprinkles of rain dotted my page, and I covered the painting until the weather passed. Then I packed up my gear and headed home for some hot tea and a warm fire.
Last week I attended a Healdsburg Chamber of Commerce luncheon supporting Healdsburg’s bid to be named an official bike-friendly town. While there, several Dutcher Crossing Winery employees and I discussed the great biking in Healdsburg, and I was invited to Join Debra Mathy, Dutcher Crossing proprietor, and a few other bike enthusiasts on a tour of the scenic Dry Creek Valley the following weekend.
I knew this was going to be a tough biking trip since I’d start by riding ten miles just to get to the winery, not even figuring in the Dry Creek Valley tour and ride home. But I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to bike through Dry Creek with Debra, an avid cyclist.
When I left the house at 8 am, it was a chilly 36 degrees. I rode north from Healdsburg to Geyserville, and before descending into Dry Creek, passed a young vineyard dotted with white-plastic grow tubes, supporting young vines, and spaced in rows along a hill in such a way that reminded me of a graveyard. That just might be for me after todays long bike ride, I thought jokingly.
At the winery, Deb introduced herself, and the entire group of riders posed for a picture. Then we were off, heading down Dry Creek Road and crossing over to West Dry Creek Road, with its gentle rolling hills, colorful vineyards, and old oak trees canopying the narrow, winding road.
Now and then I’d catch the scent of fermenting grapes drifting from wineries along the road. It’s a sweet, effervescent aroma that reminds me of when I worked a harvest in Robert Mondavi’s cellar many years ago. That scent makes me long for a good glass of Pinot with lunch. After about a half hour ride, we looped back along Dry Creek Road and returned to the winery, where we were greeted by the tail wagging of Dutchess, the Golden Lab winery dog.
I was then escorted into the tasting room to a full reserve wine tasting led by Wine Club Manager Brittany Galvan. We started off with Sauvignon Blanc, moved onto Chardonnay, Zinfandel, and then Cabernets, many of which were vineyard designated wines. I relished in the aromas and flavors of the wines, learning of winemaker Kerry Damskey strong propensity toward blending. He blends his Cabernet Sauvignon with Syrah, a newer technique to California, but which has been used for decades in Australia. Brittany noted that the vineyard designated Cabernet Sauvignon-Syrah blend is the first of its kind in Dry Creek Valley.
After the tasting, Brittany gave me the full tour that included the picnic area with outdoor fireplace and a spectacular view of rolling hills covered in orange, red, and yellow vineyards. Most of the grapes have been harvested and now ferment in tanks. Although extreme weather conditions have made this harvest a rough one for many area vineyard owners, Dutcher Crossing did well by getting their estate grapes in on time.
After the tour, I parked myself under the shade of an olive tree to paint the winery. I would have liked to paint a wider view of the building surrounded by vineyards, trees and hills, but couldn’t resist this almost storybook view, highlighting the flowers in the garden and its winding wooden fence. Off in the distance, Poppy Hill is blanketed in colorful grapevines.
Hungry and tired from the day’s work and pleasures, I headed home in the warmth of the afternoon sun. By the time I walked in the door, I felt exhausted, but it was worth it. What a fun day of bike riding, sketching, and wine tasting. Not to mention the great time I had riding around the Dry Creek Valley with Debra and meeting her staff at the winery.
Some of the worlds best Zinfandels are grown and produced just west of Healdsburg in the Dry Creek Valley. The area began attracting settlers around the time of the California Gold Rush in 1849 and is now home to more than 60 wineries and 150 grape growers. Measuring only two miles wide, ridge to ridge, and sixteen miles long, the Valley is one of the smallest enclosed viticultural areas in the United States. Its well drained soil and diverse terroir make it ideal for growing many types of grapes, most notably, Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel. With the help of coastal fog and its proximity to the San Francisco Bay, the Valley has a climate similar to the Bordeaux region of France and produces deliciously bold and fruity Zinfandels.
Dry Creek Road begins at Healdsburg Avenue and works its way west into the Valley. A welcoming sign designates the gateway to the area with dozens of arrows pointing to wineries in so many different directions it reminds me of the Scarecrow in the Wizard of Oz. It’s now late October and vineyards covering the rolling hills are showing the lateness of the season with their red, gold, and orange colors. Harvest is coming to a close.
Last weekend, while biking home from nearby Coppola Winery, I stopped on Independence Lane to admire a weathered water tower overlooking a vineyard. Unfortunately, I was in a hurry that day and didn’t have time to paint.
The following Saturday I returned under clear blue skies, the air a crisp seventy degrees. This time, it felt like a vacation, and I reveled in the beauty of the autumn landscape, exhilarated to be out riding.
Leaning my bike against a fence post, I surveyed the area for a good place to sketch. While catching my breath, I delighted in the grape vines’ glowing red leaves, took several photographs, then settled down in the shade of an olive-green bush to draw.
Wooden water towers are scattered all around Sonoma County and most were built about 100 years ago. Back in the day, water was pumped out of the ground using a windmill and stored for later use in a tank at the top of the tower. Gravity provided enough water pressure to supply fresh, running water for a nearby home. Although most water towers have fallen under disrepair, some have been refurbished into guest houses and B&Bs for an almost tree house like experience.
After I finished painting my sketch, I packed up my gear and headed home in the warm afternoon sun.
In keeping with my plan to start biking to sketching destinations, my friend Phil and I took to the streets last Saturday. The morning was sunny and warm, as we each rode high on two wheels, heading to our first destination, Francis Ford Coppola’s winery, just north of Healdsburg.
As I suspected, riding bicycles instead of driving a car opened up a whole new world of visual treats. We saw turkey vultures resting on fences, old rusted tractors in pumpkin fields, and wooden water towers located off the main roads. I’m looking forward to all these new sketching opportunities.
Once we made it through the gate to the Coppola estate, it wasn’ long before we found a good spot to sketch. Coppola had a “wine wonderland” in mind when he built this facility, with wine tasting bars, two restaurants, a full bar, a swimming pool, a movie gallery, a performing arts pavilion and a park area with game tables and bocce courts. He designed a place the whole family can enjoy and it is truly a destination unto itself.
I sketched the east side of the winery with its most prominent spire and a patio restaurant covered with umbrellas. The vineyard to the left had already been picked but trucks thundered down the road behind me carrying bins of fresh picked grapes to the crusher.