Krista Minard
Touring Tuolumne
It was, as they say, a step back in time. We parked just off Parrotts Ferry Road, seeking coffee, and wandered into a town that could’ve been straight out of “Little House on the...
Weekender: Point Reyes
Take a couple of days to rediscover this region of natural beauty and culinary bounty in West Marin.
On one of the first clear days of spring, Olema Creek tumbled past the gnarled gray tree...
At the Water Line
Spend the night in one of Mendocino’s historic water towers.
“Isn’t it a little ironic,” said my husband, Mike, “that we’re going to stay in a water tower and this is what’s happening?”
What was happening...
Because Everybody Loves a Bargain
It’s been funny to watch people’s eyes light up. Mention this new store out in Carmichael, Falling Prices, and they wait to hear the rest: On Tuesday, everything costs $6. On Wednesday, everything’s $4....
Peak Solitude
Whether you go glam (or glamping), Yosemite in the wintertime brings a special quiet beauty and the place to yourself.
Six years ago, inside what was then The Ahwahnee hotel in Yosemite Valley, while January...
City Lights
It’s cold—it’s San Francisco, after all. It’s also crowded—it’s Union Square—but that adds to the happy energy. Your ankles are wobbly, and you don’t dare look up at the window decorations on the top...
Road Trip: Bodega Bay
This sleepy coastal town in Sonoma County, tucked in on Highway 1 about 40 miles north of San Francisco, provides a low-key locale for a quiet weekend escape. The bay, home to boat-packed Bodega...
Monterey Love
My husband and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary this past year, but we’re older than that, really. We didn’t marry till we were almost 30, even though we met when we were 14....
Oyster World
About two hours to our west, Tomales Bay extends as a finger of the Pacific Ocean into the Point Reyes National Seashore in west Marin County. As a calm saltwater inlet, it’s a prime...
Out of the Ashes
If you come into the Napa Valley on Highway 12 and head over the Napa River to Highway 29 and turn north toward Yountville, St. Helena and Calistoga, you almost wouldn’t know that in...
