A Road trip to Petaluma, the slow way

It’s refreshing and sometimes surprising how much you can fit into an overnight road trip. 

That was certainly the case when my wife Sarah and I drove to Petaluma for the night last month. Just going through San Francisco—as long as you’re not in a rush—can offer a dazzling mix of sites, enough to warrant getting out of the house.

We took Highway 1 north from Watsonville to Highway 17, 85 and then 280 into the Bay Area. Coming into San Francisco, we flubbed our GPS directions and ended up getting the long and slow-moving tour of the city. 

An art teacher once told me, “capitalize on your mistakes,” which was the advice we had to take as we carved a path along Guerrero Street toward the Golden Gate Bridge. We were amazed by the number of beautiful Victorian homes that had been fixed up, sometimes several in a row, with their dramatic filagree and rich color schemes.

Being in the city often reminds me of one of my favorite writers, Jack London. He spelled out many of his encounters there, including the massive 1906 quake. Being a newspaper journalist, he grabbed his camera at his Oakland home the day of the quake and took the ferry across the bay. He bolted through the rubble and past the fires recording the world-famous disaster. 

Eventually our GPS friend got us back on track to Lombard Street, where we got our first view of the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz and the North Bay.

Now in Marin County, we caught Highway 1 south to the coast on one of the windiest roads ever. We wandered through the charming coastal towns of Stinson Beach and Bolinas, and past Mt. Tamalpais and Bolinas Lagoon. 

After getting a brief view of Point Reyes National Seashore we continued on Highway 1 north and swung east on Point Reyes Petaluma Road through rolling hills dotted with charming old barns, a couple abandoned early-day tractors and clusters of eucalyptus trees. 

A couple of years ago we had a fulfilling overnighter in Petaluma, where we stayed at the Hampton Inn which is set in the restored 1892 Petaluma Silk Mill. The former silk factory, a brick building with giant brick chimneys, was a fulfilling visit for us then, but since hotel prices have blasted through the roof,  we settled on the Best Western, a short drive from the old part of Petaluma.

Chartered in 1858, Petaluma is one of the oldest cities in the state. According to their visitor’s guide, “During the Gold Rush, Petaluma carried produce, poultry, and dairy products to the growing populations of San Francisco, Oakland and nearby cities.” Once deemed the “egg capital of the world,” with the Petaluma River meandering right through town, the city offers a rich mix of early days and modern times.

Checking into the motel we were met in the lobby by a mechanical kiosk with a person on the screen greeting us and asking “How can I help you?”  

Our response was, “send us a real person, please.” 

That’s when a woman appeared at the counter, who tried another attempt to get us to use the automated check in. Sarah told her we preferred the old way.

After dropping our bags in our room, we took a short drive into town for dinner in the Old Historic District at Taps on the River, an indoor/outdoor restaurant where we sat on the deck overlooking the river. We had their fried chicken sandwich and an unusual Caesar wrap, of greens, house-made Caesar dressing, fried capers and shredded pecorino. The friendly staff and casual setting made for a satisfying meal as the summer evening seeped into the region.

In part 2 of this story we enjoy a nature walk, live outdoor theater in Cotati and the historic California Mission San Rafael Arcángel before our drive home.