Harbor House Inn & Mendonoma
Thanks to my lovely clients who invited me up to photograph their session at Sea Ranch, Alex and I made a whole weekend of it and enjoyed a wonderful road trip up the Sonoma and Mendocino coasts and Anderson Valley. In fact, it was much like our road trip just over a year before, when we got engaged! Last time, we enjoyed lunch at the Michelin-starred Harbor House Inn, but this time we were back for the full dinner experience.
Our journey began with a very slow drive up Highway 1 (so much construction, so many one-way road segments!) but we eventually reached this cute general store that’s simultaneously historic and modern, offering a variety of items in their shop as well as a full bakery and deli with sandwiches.
We stayed in Gualala for our weekend getaway, so we first explored nearby Gualala Point for a short coastal hike.
The light!
So many whales out there!
Dinner was at the Miramar Mexican Grill, with a spectacular sunset to accompany the meal.
Our great little airbnb for the weekend, with ocean views.
Gualala Farmers Market.
Considered this Cribbage board that says both Cincinnati, Ohio, and made in Taiwan. And we’re sporting our Vernon Street Farm tote at every farmers market we attend!
Lunch at Trink’s Cafe with a visit to Dolphin Gallery next door.
Four-Eyed Frog Books
Gualala Seafood Shack. And a hike out to the beach in Sea Ranch.
Takeout from Anchor Bay Thai Kitchen after my photo session.
After two wonderful nights in Gualala, we headed inland to Anderson Valley, where we stayed last time on the engagement trip. It’s a very rural area between Sonoma and the Mendocino Coast, filled with farms and vineyards.
Back at the Boonville Hotel! They had these bottles of shrubs, and the plum shrubs turned out to be my favorite! I’m definitely a big of shrub/drinking vinegars, and I’m glad to see that they seem to be gaining in popularity lately.
Over to Wickson Restaurant. Beautiful courtyard.
And a visit to the Apple Farm. We were here last time in May, but now it’s actually October and apple season!
So many varieties!
We chose a few different kinds to bring home. Very cute.
Next, we visited Navarro Vineyards & Winery for a special harvest tour. This is definitely a good time to visit Anderson Valley! Apples and grapes are all ready!
Cheers.
Look at all those grapes!
We got a wonderful tour, complete with samples of everything. First up, a fresh pinot noir grape off the vine!
We first heard of Navarro via their popular grape juices made from wine grapes (like a pinot noir grape juice). They are delicious!
We got to sample the wine in various stages of fermentation. Some of them are so new that they’re still grape juice. Very cool to try.
Then we got to put on arm-length gloves and get hands-on with punching down the grapes. The skins and seeds all float to the top of the vats, so you have to punch down the skins back into contact with the juice. Some wineries do this with machinery, but the more traditional way is to stomp it down with your legs or to punch it down with your arms. They do it by hand here, several times a day every day!
Kind of spongey. Very fun.
Back to drinking the final product!
Then we drove back out to the coast for our return trip to the site of our engagement: Harbor House Inn.
We arrived early, just in time for me to attend my Taiwanese language class on zoom, hahaha. Also, the extremely sunny weather inland was not at all like the extremely foggy weather on the coast.
Our hammock where Alex proposed!
This time we each have an extra (wedding) ring. Yay!
Still a lovely visit despite the disappearing ocean views.
And the featured event of the trip: dinner at Harbor House Inn. I opted for their nonalcoholic drink pairing, and it was so so wonderful. Of course all of the food was delicious as well, featuring seafood, as befitting the setting.
I loved the personalized menu, including all of my drink pairings. A very wonderful experience through and through. Now we just have to return a third time to actually stay at the Inn.
I am so grateful to have access these types of experiences and to live in a California, where so many incredible places are within a day’s drive. It’s an immense privilege, and I am ever thankful for it.
Anna Wu is a wedding and portrait photographer based in San Francisco. She compulsively documents and blogs all of her daily adventures. Follow her on instagram and view more of her professional work at annawu.com.