Returning to Wine Country brought a wave of déjà vu—but this time everything familiar felt unexpected.
Two years ago, I described the feeling of visiting a place that seems so recognizable but yet one has never been. And then just recently, on a subsequent trip from my home on the East Coast back to Sonoma County, I was afforded a second taste of that homecoming feeling.
While experiencing another sense of déjà vu, this time I became aware of aspects I never knew before about the region and fell in love with it all over again.
One afternoon, while at a wine tasting with friends, I learned that there are 1,368 varieties of grapes used for commercial winemaking, a fact I had never stumbled across in print. Having discovered a taste for pinot noir on my last visit, I expanded my wine repertoire this time by comparing pinot across various labels.
It felt like the most natural experience in the world to work on a North Bay magazine while physically in the North Bay. But perhaps the most surreal moment of my stay came when I discovered a pile of one of our publications, the Bohemian, on a table in a hotel lobby. I felt compelled to share with the person behind the front desk that I had never actually seen a stack in the wild.
On my last visit to the area, there were extreme temperature changes throughout the day, and this time was no exception. Having packed a giant suitcase full of clothing ideal for any situation, I was well prepared for temps in the 50s in the morning and 90s in the afternoon.
In my travels, I noted Mount Saint Helena’s commanding presence in the distance. I enjoyed seeing profusions of Japanese anemone and lavender up close, thriving in the Mediterranean climate.
I survived my second hilly e-bike ride through the Dry Creek Valley, in 95-degree heat but thankfully very low humidity. Having been told that very few planes land in the Healdsburg airport, I was fortunate to witness a small plane coming in for a landing as I pedaled below.
It was with mixed emotions that I stepped off Bay Area soil to board an airplane in San Francisco, homeward bound. At home the next night, I turned on the TV, only to discover a new travel show, with an episode featuring North Bay oysters, wine and cheese. Right then, I resigned myself to living vicariously until my next trip westward.
A voracious reader, Suzanne Michel is the copy editor of the North Bay Bohemian and Pacific Sun.
