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| That little dot of yellow is me among the redwoods in Little Hendy Grove. |
Every October for the past four years, and hopefully for many more years to come, Scott and I pack up the camper van and head to
Hendy Woods for three nights of soaking up forests and farms. We roll in late on Thursday night, and wake up in an embrace of big trees. We start each morning with coffee and reading, then go for a hike.
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| Our portable home. |
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| The campground itself has small redwoods, tan oaks, Douglas firs, and madrones. |
We hike through thickets of huckleberry and redwood trees, the edges of the forests a full of ferns, madrones, and bay laurels in the wetter parts, manzanitas and tan oaks in the drier parts. We pass the hermit's huts and imagine
Petrov living in the elements, but hopefully experiencing some peace.
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| Wild grape vines |
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| Little Hendy Grove |
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| In Big Hendy Grove. |
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The big oak tree in the meadow.
 | | Bracken, wild grapes, willows, poison oak, and bay laurels along the edge of the forest. |
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In the afternoons, we hop on our bikes and head to a winery for a tasting. In our four years, we have visited eight different wineries, and of the eight, there is only one that we didn't like and wouldn't return to. The valley is full of crisp whites and nuanced pinot noirs. I don't drink much white wine, so some of the subtleties of dry reislings, sauvingon blancs, and unoaked chardonnays are lost on me, but I do have a love for and a pretty good understanding of pinot noir, and the pinot noirs from the Anderson Valley are among the best I've tasted. Visiting in October means the harvest is finished and the vineyards are relatively calm. Very ripe grapes that weren't selected for wine still hang on the vines, and most wineries don't mind if you sample the different varieties. I love to snack my way through a vineyard, tasting the fruit and thinking about how the fruit informs the wine.
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| On the bike between vineyards and the campsite. |
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| Wine tasting |
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| Very ripe Gewurztraminer grapes taste like honey and tropical fruit. |
Jumbo's WinWin, a classic diner, opened in Philo this year, and now we have a place to stop to pick up an oniony smashburger and crispy fries before heading to a tasting. We stopped by for lunch on the Saturday of our trip, and the place was hopping. Locals and roadtrippers came through, each grinning over their food. This is a great addition to the remote area.
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| Jumbo's WinWin |
We love the hikes, the wine, the bike rides, and the views, but maybe the most special elements of our trip each year are the apples. Hendy Woods State Park is adjacent to
Philo Apple Farm, which has a delightful honor farm stand. In the autumn, the stand offers a unique and delicious variety of heirloom apples. Usually in our three days of a visit, we stop by on bike at least once a day, and we eat apples with breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The farm grows several
Albert Etter varieties, and if you know me, it's likely you've heard me talk about Etter and
Wickson,
Crimson Gold, and other sharply flavorful varieties. These apples make any grocery store apple, even the famous Honeycrisp, taste like a pale shade.
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| Philo Apple Farm |
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| Where the redwoods meet the apples. |
We leave the Anderson Valley full, in love with each other and with this planet, feeling both at peace and strong enough for what isn't peaceful. Capable.
Here is to you and your own Philo.
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