Keeping your Cool

It’s been a moody spring in Sonoma County’s Great Northwest. Weeks of rain have been interspersed with warm days that have energized just about anything that blooms. Inevitably, a cool April gives way to the dazzling sunshine of May, followed by the warmth of summer.

After all, there’s some physics involved in summer. The planet tilts on its axis and the rays of the sun hit us more directly. The slanted light of winter is gone and the hard flat sun of summer warms the earth all day.

In our temperate climate we get, well, spoiled. A few hot days and we have a tendency to run from the sun, so let’s explore some fun options for keeping cool.

The Coast
It gets cooler as you get closer to that great heat sink, the Pacific Ocean. George Snyder covers your options at the coast starting on Page 40, so here we’ll focus on inland options.

The Trees
A mature redwood forest creates and maintains its own climate and Armstrong Woods is no exception. The closest thing to a rainforest you’ll see around here, Armstrong Woods is just outside the community of Guerneville, known for its eclectic mixture of hippies, fishermen, skate punks, gay and lesbian resorts, and other types of bohemians.

Armstrong boasts plenty of hiking opportunities. You can take off on a trail that leads you all the way through the forest to an oak woodland, but you’ll be hot and bothered at the end and this story is about keeping cool.
The best way to cool off at Armstrong Woods is to drive past the ranger station and pay the day use fee so you can park in the shade. Follow the twisty asphalt park road until you find an agreeable place to park and a nice picnic table.

If you follow the road in for a bit and avoid the hill that takes you to Bullfrog Pond, you’ll see a spot where the creek curves around the edge of the hill. On the Armstrong Woods map this is referred to as the Picnic Area and it’s dotted with old stone barbecues and husky (irony alert!) redwood picnic tables where you can relax and enjoy the food and beverages you picked up in town.

There is a little varmint that occasionally haunts the picnic tables, some little chipmunk or squirrel, and it’s best that you don’t feed or otherwise encourage it to beg. The picnic area is also next to a small clearing, which is a perfect perch for a crew of ravens that will caw agreeably at you and then swoop down on your table for scraps after you leave.

Armstrong Woods is 10 degrees or more cooler than nearby Guerneville, thanks to the forest, and you can walk off your lunch on the Nature Trail, which takes you past trees that weigh hundreds of tons. Watch for redwood sorrel (oxalis oregana) growing under the trees.

It looks like clover but larger. Wood sorrel is a common opportunist in Sonoma County gardens, readily identified by its cheerful yellow flowers. The redwood sorrel in Armstrong Woods is pink-flowered.

The Pool
Not much is cooler than a pool, and the coolest new pool in the area is at the sprawling Francis Ford Coppola Winery in Geyserville. Coppola purchased the former Chateau Souverain Winery in 2006 and transformed it into a major tourist attraction, complete with memorabilia from his films, a restaurant with a menu said to contain his favorite recipes, and a pool complex with a distinctly Hollywood flavor.

Billed as a family friendly resort, the setup definitely offers an alternative to leaving the kids in the car while you chug down a glass of Pinot. According to the company website, Coppola was inspired to build a pool after watching children play at the fountain at his Napa Valley winery, Rubicon Estate.

Two immense pools, totaling 3,600 square feet, are connected by a “swim-through” channel with overhead water jets. There are lifeguards, chaise lounges, umbrellas, towels and rows of 28 cabines (pronounced cab-beans) where you can change clothes and store your stuff. The cabines (think cabaña) have a European beach feel, with a shower and fluttering flags on top. Flags can be purchased as souvenirs to be reused when you return to the facility.

A visit to Coppola isn’t cheap. Day use pool prices are $15 for adults and $10 for kids, or you can rent a cabine for $75, which includes two adult and two kid passes plus four towels. Plentiful food and beverages are also available for a price, and don’t forget the gift shop. The cost will add up.

On the other hand, it’s a grand place to spend some time. The view across Alexander Valley is astounding, the memorabilia is interesting, the food is good, and it really does feel like you’re plopped down somewhere far away, instead of merely being a 10-minute drive from Healdsburg.

And the pool on a hot day? Cool!

The Cave
Want to focus on wine and stay cool without air conditioning? Try visiting a wine cave. There are about a dozen caves in the area, but none more charming than the cave at Bella, located at the end of West Dry Creek Road in Healdsburg.

Bella proprietors Scott and Lynn Adams built the cave between 2002 and 2003 as they developed the winery property. California was dealing with rolling electricity blackouts and Scott Adams recalls feeling good about using the earth to keep his wine cool instead of unreliable and expensive electricity.

The Bella cave is in a hill under a vineyard and keeps the wine cool naturally. Scott says the cave maintains a constant temperature of 61 degrees and a humidity of 55 percent, great for storing wine.

He also likes the idea of a cave instead of a warehouse. “It was important to us to maintain the integrity of our site,” Scott said. “We have a very natural setting up at the end of Dry Creek Valley and it made sense to build into the hillside rather than put up a big warehouse.”

Scott says the cave also appeals to his clientele. “People like to come and check it out; it’s similar to how wines have been stored since antiquity.”

The tasting room at Bella is inside the cave and has a view of the barrel storage and winemaking areas. A space for entertaining can accommodate a very long dining table for special events, and a meal in the cave feels cozy and special.

Since the cave stays cool all year, even when the temperature soars outside, make sure you have an extra shirt or wrap to go wine tasting. The tasting room is open daily from 11 to 4. If you feel adventurous, sign up for a vineyard tour in Bella’s Pinzgauer, sort of a Swiss version of the Hummer, with more style.

The Store
How do you stay cool downtown when the sidewalks are soaking up sunshine and sending it back to you as radiated heat? Step into a candy store. Chocolate has to be kept cool and you can benefit from the extra AC.
The original Powell’s Sweet Shoppe opened on the Windsor Town Green in 2003, as one of the first tenants in the mixed-use downtown village. And yes, there really is a Powell. His name is Michael Powell and he wanted to create a complete environment where you can get lost in memories of Abba-Zaba, Big Hunk, Look bars and more.

The concept was so popular that Powell began selling franchises in 2006 and sold his first one to Eva and Gary Finnan in nearby Healdsburg.

Each Powell’s Sweet Shoppe follows a formula of offering excellent gelato, good gourmet chocolates and shelves overflowing with old and new style candy bars and treats. Need four pounds of purple M&Ms? How about a Sugar Daddy? Jelly Bellys? Powell’s seems to have it all—and much more.

The original Powell’s runs the classic Willy Wonka film non-stop, with a special Muzak of candy-themed songs. Stay long enough and you’ll hear Sammy Davis Junior sing “Candy Man.” You can be cool and buy a bag of retro candy or stay cool by lurking for awhile next to the gelato case.

These are just a few examples of cool spots where you can spend some time getting the heat down a few degrees while also having some fun. Perhaps you’ll discover many other places that beat the summer heat and exude a cool vibe. It’s Sonoma County, after all.  •

COOL HANGOUTS
Area codes 707
 

Armstrong Woods State Natural Reserve
17000 Armstrong Woods Rd.
Guerneville; 869-2015
 

Francis Ford Coppola Winery
300 Via Archimedes
Geyserville; 857-1462
franciscoppolawinery.com
 

Bella Winery and Vineyards
9711 West Dry Creek Rd.
Healdsburg; 473-9171
bellawinery.com
 

Powell’s Sweet Shoppe
720 McClelland Dr.
Windsor; 836-0808
and 322 Center St.
Healdsburg; 431-2784
powellsss.com