Portola Redwoods State Park and Saratoga wine country

By Jason

After our trip to San Francisco, we decided to go from cityscapes to open space.  One of the benefits of living in the Bay Area is being close to so many different environments, including vineyards and forests with giant redwood trees.

We took a hike around Portola Redwoods State Park.  The first challenge was crossing Pescadero Creek.  Because creeks can flood in the winter, they don’t leave the footbridges out all year, but we lucked out and found a fallen log to cross.

The trees are really amazing, and it’s hard to get a sense of scale from the photos.  They often have hollowed out spaces near the roots and some you can walk right through.

The last challenge was crossing back over the creek to get back to the ranger station and parking.  At this crossing we weren’t as lucky – no fallen bridges, so we had to cross barefoot.  The water was cold – ridiculously cold.

Then it was off toward Saratoga for some wine tasting.  This area isn’t as well-known as the Napa Valley but it’s worth the trip.  The winding roads and views are great.  Here you can see the suburbs of San Jose from the Savannah-Chanelle vineyard.