Geyserville Gun Club Bar and Lounge in Geyserville
Diavola’sDino Bugica is continuing to make tiny Geyserville a hip destination for travelers. His pizzeria and salumeria have become legendary, but now there’s a reason to hang out late in a town where, well, there’s not much else to do after 9p.m.
Geyserville Gun Club, Bar and Lounge (#GGC)
The Geyserville Gun Club, Bar and Lounge has opened, featuring classic cocktails and a bar bites menu featuring hot dogs and chicken nuggets, crudos, caviar, lumpia and spicy tuna hand rolls.
#GGC Geyserville Gun Club Bar and Lounge
As with anything that Bugica does, expect it to be beyond your expectations.
Geyserville Gun Club, Bar and Lounge, 21025 Geyserville Ave., Geyserville, (707) 814-0036.
After three years, Jackson Family Wines has decided to close Partake by K-J, their restaurant and tasting room in Healdsburg.
The winery group will shift their focus back to their flagship estate, Kendall-Jackson Wine Estate & Gardens. In addition to enhancing their daily food and wine pairings, the winery will host monthly Farm to Table dinners in the estate gardens overseen by the inimitable Tucker Taylor.
The Healdsburg restaurant/tasting room will be reopened as a tasting experience for sister winery, Siduri. Stay tuned for more details.
Many hundreds of bird species have made an appearance in the expansive wetlands of southeast Petaluma, delighting birders and casual observers alike. But every now and then, one species takes the spotlight.
In what one wetlands activist described as a potentially once-in-a-generation event, a group of white-faced ibis is offering itself up for an extended viewing in the habitat around Petaluma’s Ellis Creek water treatment plant.
Bob Dyer observes three White-faced Ibis at the Ellis Creek marshland in Petaluma on Monday, February 29, 2016. (SCOTT MANCHESTER/ARGUS-COURIER STAFF)
“This is the first time we’ve had a flock that have apparently decided to winter here, as opposed to stopping in to relax, maybe grab a quick snack and move off. It’s an unusual thing,” said Bob Dyer, senior docent with the Petaluma Wetlands Alliance.
Whether a one-time fluke or the start of a long-term shift, Dyer said the birds, which are among the 231 avian species recorded in the area, appear to be settling in for the time being. He has been observing and photographing 10 of the lanky, long-beaked birds at the wetlands around the facility since Jan. 15.
The migratory species has a range that generally only goes as far north as Southern California during the winter, part of a broader migration pattern spanning between western Canada and South America.
Adapted to shallow water and marshy environments, the white-faced ibis has a long, curved beak, sinewy legs and subtly iridescent plumage that shimmers in the sun. The birds take their name from the white plumage around the eyes that becomes far more prominent during the breeding season, meaning that Petaluma’s animals have taken a darker hue for this time of year.
The species is most common in areas around Southern California and Mexico during the winter, with many migrating north during other times of the year, according to information from the National Audubon Society. The white-faced ibis is generally uncommon in the Bay Area and North Coast regions of California.
Two White-faced Ibis at the Ellis Creek marshland in Petaluma on Monday, February 29, 2016. (SCOTT MANCHESTER/ARGUS-COURIER STAFF)
Careful watchers may catch a glimpse of the birds in Petaluma’s skies or marshes during the migrations of a typical year, but the extended stopover in the city is turning more heads than usual, Dyer said.
“Every person that I run into at Ellis Creek who are not birders still say, ‘What are those?’” he said.
The group appears relatively comfortable with human interlopers — Dyer said he recently got within 10 feet of a small gathering of white-faced ibis, making for striking photos as the birds probe the shallow waters in search of food.
The arrival of the ibis is causing a stir among birders at a time when many are already keeping a close eye on the areas around Ellis Creek, Shollenberger Park and the Alman Marsh, said Gordon Beebe, president of the Sonoma County-based Madrone Audubon Society.
“The winter is a real time of rich diversity at the ponds, Shollenberger, the whole area, for waterfowl and shorebirds,” he said. “You get a lot of variety of species. It’s a great time of year.”
Contact Eric Gneckow at eric.gneckow@arguscourier.com. On Twitter @Eric_Reports.
It’s early yet, but splashes of color that have recently appeared amid bright grasslands and shaded local woodlands tell of glorious weeks to come, as spring takes hold and this year’s crop of wildflowers bloom into life.
Even in a region with the comparatively temperate climate we enjoy on the North Coast, the shift into wildflower season somehow offers reassurances that the harsh days of winter are behind us. The promise and potential of foliage that will soon sprout blossoms inspires us to contemplate new beginnings, while the plants that already have opened and spread their delicate petals can’t help but charm.
“It’s so delicious to see the flowers,” said one avid fan, retired Santa Rosa High School Spanish teacher Phil Weil. “I get very excited.”
There’s something forever surprising about the vibrant, varied colors and diverse forms in which wildflowers are found — from bell-shaped to star-patterned, spiky to open-throated, almost voracious in form.
Shooting stars. (Phil Weil)
Though delicate and graceful in appearance, they are at once fragile and robust, surviving even in small soil deposits on exposed rocks or in other niche locations.
And yet, their predictable reappearance makes it “rather easy to reconnect with them,” said Sonoma County resident Reny Parker, who has combined her passions for native plants and photography into a well-known photographic guide to wildflowers of the North Coast.
Weil, 70, similarly thinks of the region’s wildflowers as familiar friends, and on a recent hike at Annadel State Park pointed out the early arrivals.
From tender white milkmaids to sunny buttercups, cornflower-blue hounds tongues and purple, comet-shaped shooting stars, the early birds had begun to make their arrival along the Cobblestone Trail, a popular, predictably rocky, dirt path up a wooded slope at the north end of the park. Situated beneath some Coast live oaks, a thin patch of feathery maroon Indian warriors was just beginning to fill in.
Weil was hunting for, and eventually found, a single slender stalk with three green chrysalis-shaped checker lily buds that would soon burst open into mottled bell-shaped flowers sometimes called mission bells. They look “like a Tiffany lamp” when viewed from underneath, he said. Days later, he found some already blooming at Jack London State Park.
Weil also looks for one of his all-time favorites, the St. Helena Fawn Lily, along the Oat Hill Mine Trail out of Calistoga, though the prized Mariposa lily more often awaits him at Austin Creek State Recreational Area closer to the coast.
Abundant open spaces around Sonoma County and environs offer opportunities galore to enjoy the seasonal pageantry — on your own or with an expert’s guidance. Guided wildflower walks are commonly scheduled in March and April by Sonoma County Regional Parks, Jack London State Park, LandPaths, Bouverie Preserve, Pepperwood Preserve and others.
Fetid adder’s tongue. (Phil Weil)
Published and online resources are readily available, as well, including Parker’s helpful, locally focused guide: “Wildflowers of Northern California’s Wine Country & North Coast Ranges.”
“We are so fortunate to live in an area with a huge diversity of plants,” Parker said. “For me, spring is synonymous with wildflowers.”
Beginning with native shrubs that begin flowering in January, the annual wildflower season lasts months, peaking in March and April when “waves of color — red, pink, blue, yellow — catch your eye,” she said.
And though wildflowers are hearty and tenacious even in drought, they are likely to be especially profuse this year, thanks to winter storms and the sunny, mild weather that followed, said Master Gardener Phil Dean. He has for years led wildflower walks hosted by county parks.
Dean, a west county resident, said he nonetheless favors Hood Mountain Regional Park in the Sonoma Valley because of several rare wildflower species that can be found there, including the silver mound bush lupine and an unusual neon-purple flower called the Sonoma penstemon, which is found almost nowhere else.
Western trillium. (Phil Weil)
“Overall, it should be a strong year for wildflowers,” he said.
Weil, a longtime hiker, said he’s a late-bloomer when it comes to wildflowers, though the spare time afforded him by his retirement six years ago has allowed him to study up and find deep satisfaction in scouting and photographing these sentinels of spring, learning where to find certain favorites around Sonoma County and environs.
“My wife will say, ‘You don’t need any more pictures of the trillium, or whatever it is,’ ” Weil said with a grin. “I just want to do justice to the flower.
“I get very excited when I see flowers growing where they haven’t been before. They’re growing, and they’re flourishing.”
And though they inevitably fade with summer, Parker said, “as long as their habitat remains intact, they will bring equal pleasure the next spring.”
Phil Weil hikes Annadel State Park in search of early wildflower blooms, in Santa Rosa, Monday Feb. 22, 2016. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat)
Guided Wildflower Hikes
Jack London State Historic Park: Wildflowers on the East Slope Trail, 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. April 2. $10, plus $10 for parking. Space is limited. Reservations required at jacklondonpark.com. 938-5216.
Sonoma County Regional Parks/California Native Plant Society Milo Baker Chapter: Wildflowers and Oaks at Lawson Addition at Hood Mountain Regional Park and Open Space Preserve. 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 9. Free. Meet at the Pythian Road park entrance.
Pepperwood Preserve: Wildflower walks, 10 a.m.-noon April 15, 17, 22 and 24, 2130 Pepperwood Preserve Road, Santa Rosa. Free. Donations appreciated. Reserve space at pepperwoodpreserve.org. 591-9310.
The Sonoma Ecology Center: Tour Van Hoosear Wildflower Preserve in Sonoma Valley 9 a.m. to noon April 9, 16 and 20; 10 a.m. to noon April 6 and 30. En Español, 10 a.m. to noon April 23. Free. Reservations required at vhwildflowerwalks.brownpapertickets.com. 996-0712, ext. 108, sonomaecologycenter.org.
Sonoma Land Trust: Grazing and Serpentine Wildflowers at Tolay Creek Ranch, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. April 10. Pole Mountain Wildflowers and Views,. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 17. Jenner Headlands Preserve, Coastal Prairie Wildflowers, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. May 22. Also, Wildflowers and Plant Identification with Peter Warner, Land Trust Office, 822 Fifth St., Santa Rosa. All events free, but pre-registration required at sonomalandtrust.org.
The Wildlands Conservancy: Spring Wildflower Hikes at Jenner Headlands Preserve, 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. April 30 and May 14. Free, but pre-registration required at wildlandsconservancy.org/preserve_jenner.html
You can reach Staff Writer Mary Callahan at 521-5249 or mary. callahan@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @MaryCallahanB.
After six years of trial and error, the more than 100 regional restaurants participating in this year’s Sonoma County Restaurant Week(March 7-13, 2016) have dialed it in with great meals at great prices for 2016.
I’m more impressed with the lineup this year than I’ve ever been before, perhaps because restaurateurs have discovered that the event can be a huge economic boon during the quiet winter season. Now that the economy has turned around, locals are getting into the groove of the annual event, which also helps considerably.
If this is your first rodeo, here’s the deal: Participating restaurants offer prix fixe menus throughout the week with prices of $10 and $15 for lunch; $19, $29 and $39 for dinner. It’s a great way to try out a new spot or get a great deal at a favorite restaurant, and the range of prices means there’s something for every pocketbook. A dietary note: Most of the menus include vegetarian options, but if you have specific dietary needs, it’s a good idea to contact the restaurant in advance.
After perusing the menus posted at the Sonoma County Restaurant Week website, we’ve pulled out some of the best bets in terms of overall value, menu and our own experiences at the restaurants during the other 51 weeks of the year.
The $15 lunches and $29 dinners seem to be the sweet spot for the most choices, though the $39 dinners are a steal at some of Sonoma County’s swankier eateries.
This list doesn’t include everyone, so if you don’t see a fave, the restaurant may now have posted a menu, or the cost-to-deliciousness ratio just didn’t rank high on our radar. Since we haven’t tasted each menu, we can’t promise these will all be winners, but it’s certainly a solid place to start. Also, make sure to check out the Sonoma County Restaurant Week website to find hours, since some restaurants are closed Monday and Tuesday.
BITECLUB BEST BETS FOR RESTAURANT WEEK 2016
$10 Lunch Best Bet, Pongo’s Kitchen and Tap: Crispy rolls with sweet sour plum sauce; coconut filled with red curry, lobster, prawn, calamari, scallops and mussels served with steamed jasmine rice; ice cream sampler. 701 Sonoma Mt. Parkway, Suite C8, Petaluma.
$15 Lunch Best Bet, Backyard: Wild mushroom soup with creme fraiche and salsa verde; buttermilk fried chicken sandwich (or bacon, lettuce and kimchi sando); candy cap mushroom ice cream. 6566 Front St., Forestville.
More $15 Lunch Picks Franchetti’s Woodfire Kitchen: Truffle burrata on ricotta polenta with sautéed tomatoes, braised water buffalo with fingerling potatoes, homemade jelly doughnut or pie of the day. 1229 N. Dutton Ave., Santa Rosa
La Rosa Tequileria: Octopus tostada, carnitas torta, Mexican chocolate mousse. 500 Fourth St., Santa Rosa.
Canneti Roadhouse: Pork shoulder with baked beans and herbs, crispy chicken over fava pesto with pasta and Pecorino cheese. 6675 Front St., Forestville.
Sazon: Peruvian empanadas, Adobo (braised pork) sandwich with fried sweet potatoes. 1129 Sebastopol Rd., Santa Rosa.
$19 Dinner Best Bet, Barley and Hops: Seared scallops with basil and lavender vinaigrette, herb and almond crusted hangar steak with Brown Nectar Ale sauce, sea salted chocolate eclair. 3688 Bohemian Hwy, Occidental.
More $19 Dinner Picks La Vera Pizza: Carrot, coconut, curry, cilantro bisque; sweet potato gnocchi with gorgonzola sauce or red potato pizza, sea salt caramel hazelnut cannoli. 629 Fourth St., Santa Rosa.
Bear Republic: Minestrone soup, bite-sized sliders (Jamaican jerk, bbq pulled pork, black and blue burger) or Brewers’ mac and cheese, Beer-a-misu. Same menu for lunch. 345 Healdsburg Ave., Healdsburg.
Hopmonk: Sausage board, meatloaf with mashed potatoes, three chocolate tart with strawberries and whipped cream. 691 Broadway, Sonoma.
Union Hotel: Caesar salad, chicken mushroom marsala or homemade ravioli, chocolate mousse cannoli. 280 Mission Blvd., Santa Rosa.
Taverna Sofia: Dolmas with tzatziki, moussaka, baklava. Open Thursday through Sunday. 244 Healdsburg Ave., Healdsburg.
Petaluma Pie Co.: Dinner for two includes 2 veggie or meat pies, salads and a mini pie to share. 125 Petaluma Blvd. No, Petaluma.
Palms Grill: Caesar salad, filet mignon with mashed potatoes, lemon meringue pie. 18999 Sonoma Hwy., Sonoma.
City Limits Restaurant: Calamari with chipotle aioli, braised short ribs, J.M. Rosen Cheesecake. 5151 Montero Way, Petaluma.
$29 Dinner Best Bet, Earth’s Bounty Kitchen: Spice-crusted ahi tuna with lemon aioli; herb-marinated beef tenderloin; beignets with vanilla cream and chocolate sauce. 5755 Mountain Hawk, Way, Santa Rosa.
More $29 Picks Bistro 29: Roasted carrot and ginger soup with brown butter pears, Rosie chicken leg “au vin” with potato puree, apple gateau Breton tatin with salted caramel. 620 Fifth St., Santa Rosa.
Charlie’s at Windsor Golf Club: wild mushroom and chicken crepes, panko-crusted chicken filled with spinach and mozzarella with creamy tomato sauce, chocolate waffles with ice cream, maple peanut butter sauce and whipped cream. 1320 19th Hole Dr., Windsor.
Piacere: Barbecue oysters, soup, lobster ravioli with orange cream sauce, homemade tiramisu. 504 N. Cloverdale, Cloverdale.
Peter Lowell’s: Vegetarian option: roasted chicikories with live, caper and burrata, linguine with black pepper and Pecorino romano, vegan chocolate chip cookie sundae. (But the butterscotch budino with bourbon caramel and whipped cream is pretty amazing for a omnivorian splurge). 7385 Healdsburg Ave. #101, Sebastopol.
Cafe Lucia: Tasca tasting appetizer, slow braised beef shortribs, salted chocolate tart with caramelized banana. 235 Healdsburg Ave., Healdsburg.
Willow Wood Market Cafe: Asparagus soup or baked goat cheese, Italian meatballs with polenta, lava cake. 9020 Graton Road, Graton.
$39 Dinner Best Bets, Valette: French onion soup with 64-degree egg and prosciutto; honey brined pork chop with brown butter parsnip mousseline; chocolate mousse with sea salt. Dinner starts at 5:30p.m. 344 Center St., Healdsburg.
La Rosa Tequilaria is participating in Sonoma County Restaurant Week 2016
Best. Sonoma County Restaurant Week. Ever.
After six years of trial and error, the more than 100 regional restaurants participating in this year’s Sonoma County Restaurant Week(March 7-13, 2016) have dialed it in with great meals at great prices for 2016.
I’m more impressed with the lineup this year than I’ve ever been before, perhaps because restaurateurs have discovered that the event can be a huge economic boon during the quiet winter season. Now that the economy has turned around, locals are getting into the groove of the annual event, which also helps considerably.
Bistro 100
If this is your first rodeo, here’s the deal: Participating restaurants offer prix fixe menus throughout the week with prices of $10 and $15 for lunch; $19, $29 and $39 for dinner. It’s a great way to try out a new spot or get a great deal at a favorite restaurant, and the range of prices means there’s something for every pocketbook. A dietary note: Most of the menus include vegetarian options, but if you have specific dietary needs, it’s a good idea to contact the restaurant in advance.
After perusing the menus posted at the Sonoma County Restaurant Week website, we’ve pulled out some of the best bets in terms of overall value, menu and our own experiences at the restaurants during the other 51 weeks of the year.
The $15 lunches and $29 dinners seem to be the sweet spot for the most choices, though the $39 dinners are a steal at some of Sonoma County’s swankier eateries.
This list doesn’t include everyone, so if you don’t see a fave, the restaurant may now have posted a menu, or the cost-to-deliciousness ratio just didn’t rank high on our radar. Since we haven’t tasted each menu, we can’t promise these will all be winners, but it’s certainly a solid place to start. Also, make sure to check out the Sonoma County Restaurant Week website to find hours, since some restaurants are closed Monday and Tuesday.
BITECLUB BEST BETS FOR RESTAURANT WEEK 2016
DUE TO INCORRECT INFORMATION ON THE SONOMA COUNTY RESTAURANT WEEK WEBSITE, THIS LISTING WAS INACCURATE. SEE $29 DINNER FOR DETAILS> $10 Lunch Best Bet, Pongo’s Kitchen and Tap: Crispy rolls with sweet sour plum sauce; coconut filled with red curry, lobster, prawn, calamari, scallops and mussels served with steamed jasmine rice; ice cream sampler. 701 Sonoma Mt. Parkway, Suite C8, Petaluma.
$15 Lunch Best Bet, Backyard: Wild mushroom soup with creme fraiche and salsa verde; buttermilk fried chicken sandwich (or bacon, lettuce and kimchi sando); candy cap mushroom ice cream. 6566 Front St., Forestville.
Chef John and Gesine Franchetti of Franchetti’s Wood-Fired Oven, Events and Catering.
More $15 Lunch Picks Franchetti’s Woodfire Kitchen: Truffle burrata on ricotta polenta with sautéed tomatoes, braised water buffalo with fingerling potatoes, homemade jelly doughnut or pie of the day. 1229 N. Dutton Ave., Santa Rosa
La Rosa Tequileria: Octopus tostada, carnitas torta, Mexican chocolate mousse. 500 Fourth St., Santa Rosa.
Canneti Roadhouse: Pork shoulder with baked beans and herbs, crispy chicken over fava pesto with pasta and Pecorino cheese. 6675 Front St., Forestville.
Sazon: Peruvian empanadas, Adobo (braised pork) sandwich with fried sweet potatoes. 1129 Sebastopol Rd., Santa Rosa.
$19 Dinner Best Bet, Barley and Hops: Seared scallops with basil and lavender vinaigrette, herb and almond crusted hangar steak with Brown Nectar Ale sauce, sea salted chocolate eclair. 3688 Bohemian Hwy, Occidental.
Taverna Sofia in Healdsburg
More $19 Dinner Picks Rosso Pizzeria and Wine Bar: Three courses include house made burrata and prosciutto, Caesar salad and pizza. 53 Montgomery Dr., Santa Rosa and 151 Petaluma Blvd. South, Petaluma.
La Vera Pizza: Carrot, coconut, curry, cilantro bisque; sweet potato gnocchi with gorgonzola sauce or red potato pizza, sea salt caramel hazelnut cannoli. 629 Fourth St., Santa Rosa.
Bear Republic
Bear Republic: Minestrone soup, bite-sized sliders (Jamaican jerk, bbq pulled pork, black and blue burger) or Brewers’ mac and cheese, Beer-a-misu. Same menu for lunch. 345 Healdsburg Ave., Healdsburg.
Hopmonk: Sausage board, meatloaf with mashed potatoes, three chocolate tart with strawberries and whipped cream. 691 Broadway, Sonoma.
Union Hotel: Caesar salad, chicken mushroom marsala or homemade ravioli, chocolate mousse cannoli. 280 Mission Blvd., Santa Rosa.
Taverna Sofia: Dolmas with tzatziki, moussaka, baklava. Open Thursday through Sunday. 244 Healdsburg Ave., Healdsburg.
Petaluma Pie Co. in Petaluma
Petaluma Pie Co.: Dinner for two includes 2 veggie or meat pies, salads and a mini pie to share. 125 Petaluma Blvd. No, Petaluma.
Palms Grill: Caesar salad, filet mignon with mashed potatoes, lemon meringue pie. 18999 Sonoma Hwy., Sonoma.
City Limits Restaurant: Calamari with chipotle aioli, braised short ribs, J.M. Rosen Cheesecake. 5151 Montero Way, Petaluma.
Earth’s Bounty Kitchen in Santa Rosa
$29 Dinner Best Bet, Earth’s Bounty Kitchen: Spice-crusted ahi tuna with lemon aioli; herb-marinated beef tenderloin; beignets with vanilla cream and chocolate sauce. 5755 Mountain Hawk, Way, Santa Rosa.
More $29 Picks Bistro 29: Roasted carrot and ginger soup with brown butter pears, Rosie chicken leg “au vin” with potato puree, apple gateau Breton tatin with salted caramel. 620 Fifth St., Santa Rosa.
Charlie’s at Windsor Golf Club: wild mushroom and chicken crepes, panko-crusted chicken filled with spinach and mozzarella with creamy tomato sauce, chocolate waffles with ice cream, maple peanut butter sauce and whipped cream. 1320 19th Hole Dr., Windsor.
Piacere: Barbecue oysters, soup, lobster ravioli with orange cream sauce, homemade tiramisu. 504 N. Cloverdale, Cloverdale.
Peter Lowell’s: Vegetarian option: roasted chicikories with live, caper and burrata, linguine with black pepper and Pecorino romano, vegan chocolate chip cookie sundae. (But the butterscotch budino with bourbon caramel and whipped cream is pretty amazing for a omnivorian splurge). 7385 Healdsburg Ave. #101, Sebastopol.
Cafe Lucia: Tasca tasting appetizer, slow braised beef shortribs, salted chocolate tart with caramelized banana. 235 Healdsburg Ave., Healdsburg.
Willow Wood Market Cafe: Asparagus soup or baked goat cheese, Italian meatballs with polenta, lava cake. 9020 Graton Road, Graton.
Pongo’s Kitchen and Tap: Crispy rolls with sweet sour plum sauce; coconut filled with red curry, lobster, prawn, calamari, scallops and mussels served with steamed jasmine rice; ice cream sampler. 701 Sonoma Mt. Parkway, Suite C8, Petaluma.
Chef Dustin Valette at Valette, Healdsburg, CA
$39 Dinner Best Bets, Valette: French onion soup with 64-degree egg and prosciutto; honey brined pork chop with brown butter parsnip mousseline; chocolate mousse with sea salt. Dinner starts at 5:30p.m. 344 Center St., Healdsburg.
More $39 Picks
Hazel Restaurant in Occidental. Photo Heather Irwin.
This photo was shot at 120mm and shows the full perspective of El Capitan, with the amazing isolation created by the angle of the setting sun illuminating Horsetail Falls. (Jim Nevill)
Photographers from around the world have Yosemite National Park firmly planted on the top of their bucket lists, with the naturally occurring “firefall” phenomenon among the most spectacular events to witness there. This year, between Feb. 15 and 19, I was able to photograph one of the most spectacular firefalls ever recorded, due in part to El Niño.
In mid-February each year, a celestial and terrestrial convergence occurs between the setting sun and Horsetail Falls, a 1,570-foot waterfall located on the eastern edge of Yosemite Valley’s famed climbing wall, El Capitan. The event is quite rare because it depends on simultaneous factors working in unison, like a wave that only breaks perfectly once a decade. This is the stuff that makes life so amazing.
The first factor: Horsetail Falls must be flowing. By comparison, Yosemite Falls is the world’s fifth tallest waterfall, fed by almost 32,000 acres of watershed. During the recent drought, Yosemite Falls dried up.
Horsetail Falls begins at an elevation of 6,100 feet and is fed by a small 30-acre area that lies between 6,200 and 7,600 feet. Even when there is enough snow, it might not be melting. When Horsetail Falls is not flowing, the firefall doesn’t happen.
The second factor is the angle of the sun in relation to El Capitan and Horsetail Falls, a term known as the “azimuth.”
Thanks to the intricate predictability of celestial movement, we know the sun will always be in the correct position for the firefall at some point during the second and third weeks of February. When the sun sets with an azimuth between 246° and 263°, sunlight will hit the falls.
SUN EFFECT
Solar events have influenced culture since the dawn of time. The sun was worshiped as a god because it is the ultimate energy source, guiding ancient societies like the Mayans and Aztecs when to plant their crops and repeat their religious ceremonies. The sun has the same effect today, sending hordes of professional and amateur photographers to Yosemite to see the show.
The third factor is the prow, or prominent front edge of El Capitan, which protrudes in such a way that a shadow is cast on the mountain’s entire eastern face at exactly sunset, except Horsetail Falls. The setting sun barely squeaks by during these few weeks in February and only when the cloud cover near the horizon allows it.
Which leads to the fourth factor, clouds. When the horizon is completely clear of clouds, the sunset light is typically orange. No clouds at all and good snow melt conditions, like a hot afternoon on a clear day, mean you’ll probably get lucky and see the typical orange glow of the firefall, which really does look like flames. Light or patchy clouds on the horizon and in the sky can create refracted sunlight and, when combined with atmospheric gasses, make intense pink, red or even purple sunsets.
Each year, despite being in the right place at the right time, hundreds of observers head back to their RVs and campsites disappointed because the sun never made its way through the clouds.
If you happen to be in Yosemite after a clearing storm and the clouds are sparse but present, you could be in for an epic firefall like the few I got to witness. That’s the “luck” factor.
I spent days leading up to my Yosemite trip visiting in-laws in Sacramento with my wife and two children, hoping that I wasn’t missing the best day of the year while watching Jimmy Fallon’s Valentine’s Special on the family couch. After it was over, I may or may not have exceeded the speed limit, getting to the valley before sunset on Monday, Feb. 15. My best shot of the trip came only minutes after my arrival that day.
ANGLE OF VIEW
The fifth and final factor is the angle from which you view the phenomenon. Much like a rainbow that can only be seen when you have the sun at your back, the firefall can only be experienced in all its glory when the sun is in an angled position relative to where you stand.
You can see the lighting of Horsetail Falls from many places in Yosemite Valley or from various locations on the South Rim, but my understanding is that the effect is amplified by the bounce effect created when light reflects off of the rock wall behind (through) the water and mist. This is why, in my opinion, windy conditions produce a more dramatic effect, greatly enhancing the spray.
Where to Stand: There are a few locations that attract many folks entering the park. Temporary street signs have been installed that now allow folks to park in the left lane of Southside Drive. Please avoid trampling sensitive areas or venturing into unmarked regions to view the falls. This is a pristine wilderness in addition to a being a tourist attraction. Also, for safety’s sake it is best to find vantage points that are on the valley floor or from established trails.
Respect the Park: More than 3 million people per year visit Yosemite. Please be respectful of your neighbors, the wildlife and the park itself to ensure future generations can enjoy it, too. Learn how to tread lightly here.
Tips for photographing the Firefall
Use a tripod, the best one you can afford. Since you will be shooting this scene in low light from a few thousand feet away, you will need to stabilize your camera if you want to come away with sharp results. I often weight my tripod down with my camera bag or a sandbag to prevent a breeze from moving the camera once it’s mounted.
Use a low ISO. Ideal is 100, or if your camera will do it, 64. This will require a longer exposure but will yield less grainy results as long as your tripod is stabilized and your camera is properly focused. Using the self-timer setting or a shutter release cable is always a good idea when taking low light photos.
Consider using a “critical aperture.” All lenses have a sweet spot. As a general rule, two stops from the widest aperture of your lens is the sharpest. If you have an f/2.8 lens, two stops would be f/5.6. If you have an f/5.6 lens, two stops would be f/11. A great way to find out what aperture is the sharpest is to test it. Google, “What is the sharpest aperture on a lens?” to find out how to test your lens.
Shutter speed will be determined by the light meter’s reading once you set your ISO and aperture; go with whatever properly exposes the scene. Every camera will be different based on the sensitivity of its sensor and the available light.
Metering. I used “spot” metering as opposed to “matrix” metering because I wanted to properly expose the waterfall light, not the whole scene as you would normally do in a landscape situation. The result of metering the falls rather than the whole scene means that the surrounding rock of El Capitan will be darker, which makes the waterfall light pop off the rock face.
To find out more technical information about the celestial positioning involved in taking photographs, check out the Photographers Ephemeris smartphone app.
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Jim Nevill is a fine art landscape and surf photographer living in Northern California. As an outdoor enthusiast and wilderness guide, he has spent more than 20 years traveling the world, and his photographic portfolio chronicles the journey. Nevill also is the founder of Lifeschool, a nonprofit offering wilderness adventure trips to teens and schools. View his portfolio at JimNevill.com or on Facebook at Jim Nevill Photography.
Chef Josef Keller is the new top dog at the Warm Puppy Cafe. (PD)
Beef Wellington at the Warm Puppy Cafe?
This month, long-time restaurateur Josef Keller (formerly of Josef’s Restaurant at the La Rose Hotel) will be doing a pop-up dinner at the Snoopy’s Home Ice cafe.
Really.
Keller took over the kitchen of the much-loved eatery six months ago, revamping the menu and promoting fresher fare including grilled salmon, beef stew with polenta and spaetzli (don’t worry, there are still nachos and hot dogs, too).
He’ll be flexing his white-tablecloth skills during a one-night-only 3-course dinner on Friday, March 11. The prix fixe menu includes prawns in garlic and herb sauce, creme of asparagus soup, sea bass in lobsters sauce, beef Wellington, osso bucco and chocolate torte, among other dishes.
Space is limited to 60 guests and is expected to sell out. To reserve your place, call 546-7147 ext. 219 for details. Limited wine lists and BYO wine/$10 corkage. Seatings begin at 6p.m.
Despite her husband’s pleadings, Gina Yee refused to move to Healdsburg for one reason: There wasn’t a decent Chinese restaurant. When the Silicon Valley couple, who have a second home in Wine Country, were giving thoughts to moving here permanently, Yee decide to do the only reasonable thing — open her own restaurant.
So after months (and months) of work, the the couple are planning to open 8 Dragons, a traditional Chinese-American restaurant later this spring.
Located in the Safeway shopping center near downtown Healdsburg, this isn’t positioned as haute, pinkies-up sort of place. Yee is aiming for a fresh, affordable, family-friendly and most importantly, take-out friendly Cantonese-style restaurant with the kind of food she loves. The menu will include familiar dishes like sweet and sour pork, chow mein and egg rolls, along with plenty of fresh seafood (a Cantonese staple). They hope to incorporate dim sum into the menu soon after opening.
An awful lot of wine we cellar or put in storage lockers simply does not get better with age, but why?
One of the problems we face is how to know whether a particular wine is aging well or merely getting tired.
One way is to open a bottle of which you have more than one and see how it is doing. However, that is no guarantee that the others will be fine since we have all heard the phrase “bottle variation.” The bottle we tested may be fine, but another bottle may turn out to be sadly lacking in one respect or another.
Oddly enough, the way red wines age, they get funky for a while before improving, so testing a bottle too soon may not be much of a revelation. And white wines usually are best as young as possible, although some white wines actually taste better with a little time in the cellar.
The result of all this is to create enough confusion that no rules can possibly be proposed that have any real meaning. Every wine is its own case in point.
Though we always assume that expensive red wines will be better with time in the cellar, I have long noted the utter failure of some expensive reds to taste better with even as little as a year of age.
An old friend, the wonderful late wine philosopher and author Roy Brady, wrote a marvelous essay on the topic decades ago that he entitled, “Old wine, fine wine?” His premise was that more wines do not improve than do.
The article was not widely distributed, yet for me it stands as the definitive opinion on why many supposedly great aging wines didn’t age well after years in the cellar.
We have experienced this often enough to give us pause when we consider buying larger amounts of any wine for our cellar. It is one reason I am reluctant to assert wine has potential when I cannot be certain it does.
And although there are some crucial elements in determining a wine’s potential to age, such as pH, nothing is guaranteed.
Most wine experts would agree that for a wine to age properly it must have good acidity, and that flabby wines are more likely to collapse quickly. Moreover, cellaring conditions must be pretty cool to ensure any improvement in a wine set down to age.
Decades ago, I frequented a Southern California wine store that had a special room for mature and fragile wines. It was wonderful for my education to walk in and find, in 1980, some 1973 French white Burgundies that were in splendid condition. Most of them were sublime.
Is there a set of circumstances that allows you to taste a young wine and determine it will be great with some age in the cellar? Not really. But the name of the producer plays a huge role here.
The other day my wife and I opened a newly released Napa Cabernet from a producer with a stellar track record of making age-worthy wines. It had that hard-to-define character that indicates a wine perfectly made to age.
For us, it displayed elements that will expand and will be extraordinary with time in the cellar.
It was the 2013 Corison Cabernet, Napa Valley, which follows a long line of Corison Cabs that have proven to be exemplary with age. Is it worth $90 for a bottle?
That depends on how much value potential buyers place on wines that display amazingly mature characteristics after proper aging.
Cathy Corison has always made this kind of wine, and her 2013 fits the profile perfectly. Some bottles are still available at her St. Helena tasting room on Highway 29, and fine retail shops carry it for a bit less.
Wine of the Week: 2014 Hanna Sauvignon Blanc, Russian River Valley ($19) — Cooler climates allow for Sauvignon Blanc to carry more exotic aromatics, and this wine exemplifies that, with tropical fruit notes alongside faint herbal characteristics that lead to a dramatic mouth feel and taste not unlike New Zealand wines, with so much fruit (passion fruit?) it’s hard to put down.
Often discounted below this price.
Dan Berger lives in Sonoma County, where he publishes “Vintage Experiences,” a weekly wine newsletter. Write to him at winenut@gmail.com.
