RUSSIAN RIVER

This is how their website describes the area - "The Russian River Resort Area is a vacation destination offering fine restaurants, wineries and activities. The Russian River is made up of small eclectic hamlets & towns."

I recall taking day trips to the Russian River as a kid (50+ years ago!) & my dad before me often vacationed in the "camping resorts" (80+ years ago!). Having not been there in many years, I treated Lou to an overnight birthday excursion exploring the Russian River area.

At the risk of sounding a bit jaded, I think that Monte Rio's founding fathers used the term "vacation wonderland" quite loosely.  Nothing I saw fits the description of "wonderland". Their website lists the population as 1154 but I have no idea where all those people live since the tiny town seemed deserted on a Sunday afternoon! 

The local theater is built in a quonset hut. We saw an article on the Rio Theater in our Sacramento newspaper which told how it was set to be demolished but the locals raised the money in record time to save it. People bring blankets to keep warm in the unheated theater for movie nights.

The largest town along River Road is Guerneville with about 5000 residents. Back in the day celebrities & rich people journeyed to the area but today it seems to be a haven for old hippies & the gay community. I didn't know that Guerneville has one of the highest gay resident concentrations in the country. Numerous gay bars make it one of the most gay friendly regions in our state. Fun fact - the "Gay Russian River" website lists the town as 69 miles north of San Francisco.

Downtown Guerneville. Although we only got a few sprinkles during our getaway, the overcast skies wreaked havoc with my photo ops. Someday I'll learn to replace dreary, gray skies with blue in Photoshop!

The historic Guerneville Bridge was built in 1922. It is currently a pedestrian bridge to cross the Russian River. 

I don't know if this is wisteria or lilac (I'm sure some of my horticulturist friends will let me know). But it was beautiful & was in bloom all over the area.

The old River Theater in Guerneville doesn't appear to host movies or shows anymore. The marquee says it is available to rent but when we peaked through the windows there was junk everywhere. 

I love all the old neon signs in Guerneville. We were too lazy to take a ride & see if they are still lit up after dark. We spent an hour or so watching our Giants beat the Dodgers (yaayyyy!!!) at the local sports bar, McT's Bullpen (behind the drug store).

This lollipop window decoration certainly fits the "eclectic hamlet" description from Russian River's website.

A few more of the many flowers blooming around town.

The next morning we headed to Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Preserve. It is marketed with the following statement, "As stunning as Muir Woods with its majestic coastal redwoods but without all the people." That is an accurate description!

We arrived at Armstrong Redwoods at 10:00 AM & had the place mostly to ourselves for the first hour. The self-guided nature trails were interesting to explore & photograph.

The Colonel Armstrong is the oldest tree in the grove at approximately 1400 years old & 308 feet tall. The other landmark tree, the Parson Jones, is the tallest at 310 feet but it is "only" 1300 years old. Pretty much a toss up.

These Saw Ferns are prolific throughout Armstrong Redwoods. This one was covered with rain or dewdrops & made for a great picture.

This cascading waterfall only flows soon after it rains. The volunteer "park ranger" told us about it & gave us directions to find it. Our morning hike ended up being a little over two miles with perfect conditions & just a few fellow hikers.

Between March & July the mouth of the Russian River at the Pacific Ocean becomes a "Harbor Seal Nursery" as mothers give birth to their offspring. While Harbor Seals are adept swimmers they are almost helpless on land. Signs instruct spectators to stay back at least 50 yards so as not to disturb the nursing mothers & their babies.

There were several groups of Harbor Seals along the shore of the Russian River. A sand bar builds up at the mouth of the river providing a secure area where the seals feel safe to give birth & raise their pups. 

The water in the foreground is the Russian River. The water in the upper right is the Pacific Ocean. They join together just to the right of this photo.