For dinner we stuck with our tried and true Wild Goat Bistro.
Linda had her usual Four Cheese, Fig, and Pig pizza:
I had the Halibut with summer squash potato cake and grilled asparagus. The local pinot noir was warming and welcome after the long drive.
We’ve been there twice before , but never noticed that behind it is a lovely river walkway with other restaurants, bars, and even a proper music venue which was featuring a full band with brass and piano as we walked by. Next time we’ll explore further.
In the morning we followed the receptionist’s recommendation and went to Hallie’s Diner around the corner. Just the right choice. Sweet neighborhood place that seemed to have a clientele that was mostly locals who’d known each other for some time. The service and food were both excellent. Nothing fancy, but just right.
Petaluma is a sweet little town that reminded me a bit of Asheville, NC - A similar old downtown that seems to have the facades from the early part of the last century, but with new insides. There are also a lot of old Victorian homes since, unlike San Francisco, it was spared the earthquake of 1906,
Two stores along the way particularly caught my interest - the Seed Bank which sells heirloom seeds and “artaluma”, which appears to be a space dedicated to supporting kids in being creative in many ways - with classes and other resources.
I particularly loved these book titles
Once we were on the road, we had about 4 more hours of driving to do so we decided we’d have a lunch break in Garberville, about 2/3 of the way there. When we saw the sign outside, we knew we had to continue our exploration of diners of Northern California and stop at the Eel River Cafe which did not disappoint.
Linda was taken with the cow collection wall
Finally reached Arcata around 5:00 pm where a warm welcome was waiting from Jo and her wonderful dog, Molly. She swears that Molly knew it was us in the (rental) car driving down the block even before we stopped or said a word. More on Molly and her human tomorrow.