Lord knows Allan and I needed a break from our hectic work and school schedules, albeit short, we did just that. Sunday afternoon we took the train up north to Sonoma County. We spent time with wonderful friends, toured a tiny house or two, and simply took in Northern California's beautiful sights. Our sweet friends, Zach and Lacy, picked us up from the train station in Martinez, CA and drove us back to their house in Sebastapool. The following morning we got up early in order to make the most of our short time there. Zach and Lacy work at Sonoma Canopy Tours, a retreat center where guided eco-tours of the California Coastal Redwoods are given, including 7 ziplines and 2 sky bridges. I thought we were just going to see where they both work, but I was surprised with a tour myself. We got strapped into some harnesses and began zipping through the Redwood forest. IT WAS AMAZING! I am so thankful that Zach and Lacy surprised us (well, Allan already knew) with such a great adventure.
From there we had some yummy food in the nearest town (...which, by the way, was so cute. Who am I kidding, all of the towns up there are cute.) then drove around taking in the sights. We took a mini hike in the redwoods, stopped near the coast at a privately owned venue of sorts, and finally stopped at the ocean where we played amongst the tide pools. We squished sea anemones (nicely) and even spotted an octopus, which was pretty cool.
Then, we were able to see the long awaited tiny house. Northern California is like a mecca for tiny living, so we took advantage of this and stopped by a pre-fabricated 360 sq. foot house. I took tons of pictures of the house for my final project in Art 308 and simply for our own use. Allan and I eventually want to live in a tiny house so it was a neat opportunity to see one in person, get a feel for it, and think of the possibilities. We may have even creeped on Jay Schaffer's tiny house. He is the man partly responsible for the Tiny House Movement and lives right down the street from Zach and Lacy.
Despite our trip being so short, I truly enjoyed every minute. From beautiful sights to fun adventures and wonderful people, I was relaxed and refreshed from it all. I am sad to be leaving. As I type this blog post on our train ride home, I hope we can make it back soon.
P.s Can I also say how incredible the coffee is up north?! Taylor Maid Farms Organic Coffee come live with me and make my morning cup of coffee for the rest of my life?
