The big news around the North Bay this past week has been the meteor crash that sprinkled Wine Country with historic “big bang” particles.
But professional observers say streaking fireballs lighting up Sonoma County skies and stunning stargazers are part of the on-going Orionid meteor shower, so-named because it has the Orion constellation as a backdrop. And the show is just getting started.
Keep your eyes peeled: National Weather Service forecaster Steve Anderson told The Associated Press that warm temperatures and cloud-free skies are making the bright lights more visible, a phenomenon that should only increase as the weekend approaches and the shower continues.
Yet outer space exploration can be a daily delight for residents of and visitors to Sonoma. Make a fun-filled trip anytime out of these lunar-themed destinations.
Harvest Moon Estate & Winery, Santa Rosa
The Pitts family will tell you all about lunar cycles: “The moon at and about the period of fullness that is nearest to the autumnal equinox. In the legend of the Harvest moon, it is said that all full moons have their own special characteristics based primarily on the whereabouts of the ecliptic in the sky at the time of year that these moons are visible.”
OK, then. But you can also have a great time tasting the wine at this lovely Russian River property, like Zinfandel, Harvest Moon also hand crafts small amounts of Russian River Valley Gewürztraminer, Pinot Noir and Dry Creek Cabernet Sauvignon.
2192 Olivet Rd., Santa Rosa, 707-573-8711, harvestmoonwinery.com.
Robert Ferguson Observatory, Kenwood
Learn why this area is called “Valley of the Moon” as you gaze at the stars and the stunning lunar orb from this world-class research center in Sugarloaf Ridge State Park.
Highlights include the daytime PlanetWalk, a living scale model of the solar system that has been shrunk more than 2,360,000,000 times. You start at the “sun” and leisurely walk a 4-1/2-mile round-trip journey to the orbit of Pluto, lined with trail signs representing each of the planets in the solar system, and placed at a distance from the PlanetWalk’s virtual Sun proportional to the actual distance between the Sun and that particular planet’s orbit.
At night, you can see the stars and planets themselves, through high power telescopes, paired with lectures and seminars if you wish. Note that the dates near the New Moon are very popular, when skies are darkest and astronomical objects aren’t washed out by moonlight.
“Star Parties” are fun gatherings up 11 p.m. in the summer, and the Observatory store stocks all the products a would-be astronomer could ever want: planispheres, safe solar glasses, red flashlights, foot and hand warmers, binoculars, guides and more.
2605 Adobe Canyon Rd., Kenwood, 707-833-6979 rfo.org. Daytime solar
observing is free. Star Parties are $3 per adult; under 18 free. Parking Fee is $8.
Doce Lunas (Two Moons) Restaurant, Kenwood
This charming little oasis “launched” about two years ago in the Valley of the Moon, for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and an out-of-this-world ambience including a grapevine-covered, trellised patio area.
The Mediterranean menu delights with amuses such as watermelon, mango, white balsamic, and pink peppercorn; fried green tomato appetizers; and entrees of cedar-plank salmon hollandaise or Auntie’s braised pork ribs. The specials go the extra mile, offering hard-to-find-in-these-parts dishes like Hawaiian opa fish (also called Moonfish!), or Hawaiian Kalua pork with Bermuda onion chutney, kimchee, and pita. Save room for the sticky toffee pudding.
8910 Sonoma Hwy., Kenwood, 707-833-4000, docelunasrestaurant.com.
Fritz Underground Winery, Cloverdale
Should a larger meteor hit (oh no!!) this is where you’ll find us, safe and sound beneath the earth and wearing our protective tin foil hat. Some wineries have caves, but here, the entire operation is buried underground, dug into a remote hillside on the edge of Dry Creek Valley.
Built in 1979, it spans three stories showcasing a gentle, gravity-flow wine-making process and “bubble” architecture with windows that look like sunglasses peeking out of a grassy rise. Enjoy the specialties of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, plus Sauvignon Blanc, Zinfandel, and Cabernet Sauvignon either under the earth or on a sunny patio ($10/flight), and if you show up on a weekend, you can make an appointment for a tour of the entire subterranean architecture ($20/person). During special wine camps, you can even blend, bottle and cork a Pinot Noir of your very own, guided by winemaker Brad Longton ($175/person).
24691 Dutcher Creek Rd., Cloverdale, (707) 894-3389, fritzwinery.com. Open 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily except for holidays.