We had another yummy vegan breakfast (yes, you carnivores, vegan food can be yummy) and stayed at the inn until we had to check out at noon; we wished we could have stayed another day or two. However, we had Boonville and Anderson Valley wineries ahead of us.
The drive along route 128 south of Mendocino to Boonville is very pretty, woodsy and rural. The road travels through redwood forest and we encountered almost no other vehicles. It was peaceful and beautiful. We stopped and enjoyed the quiet of the redwood forest.
Eventually vineyards take the place of the woods. There are many small wineries here producing specialty wines in small batches. One we discovered we liked very much is a bone-dry Gewurtztraminer. We had sweet German Gewurtztraminer in our heads and were surprised at the dryness of the ones made here; we particularly enjoyed the one made by Husch. Since these are not mass produced, they are only available at the wineries. Mark had done some research and we stopped at the wineries that make dry whites: Handley, Husch, and Lula. All had nice wines and we bought as well as tasted. Unfortunately Claudia Springs is only open on the weekends so we didn't get to visit them.
We arrived in Boonville mid afternoon and checked into "The Bungalow" at the Boonville Hotel. They just have two pet friendly accommodations and this is one of them, a nice sized old cottage. The grounds of the hotel are expansive with adirondack chairs for enjoying a glass of Anderson Valley wine and hammocks for the afternoon nap. It's a great little place to just take it easy, and that's what we did.
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