Hip Pics: Russian River & Sonoma Coast
Earlier this month I escaped to Sonoma for some much needed relaxation. I'd just turned in the final chunk of my book and was anticipating another round of edits when I just thought "why not?!" Or, perhaps more appropriately, "if not now, when??" Besides winery visits and other adventures, I decided to travel home by way of the Russian River Valley and then down the coast on Highway 1. Here are some of my favorite snaps from that journey.
When coolness & sunshine work together
Notice how sunny it is in Russian River (which is super close to the coast) and then how overcast it is once I get out to the coast. When looking back from the coast towards the Russian River, though, you'll see how the marine layer dissipates further inland (at least I hope this is apparent from the pics below, the 3rd, 4th and 5th shots from the bottom, to be precise). This is a great perspective on the cooling effects of the Sonoma Coast; it's this combination of coolness from the ocean and the abundant sunshine in the Russian River Valley that makes such outstanding wine. Also striking to me was the sheer ruggedness of the Cali coastline in these parts. Spectacular!
