the 4th Street experience

Going a little deeper into the town after lunch, we stumbled upon this beautiful building - an old Carnegie Library turned museum and historical society - and an equally peaceful street - 4th Street - with interesting shops and a very good coffee shop called Avid. The impulsively taken photo above is one of my favorite of the whole trip.

Great Petaluma Mill

The Great Petaluma Mill, where the River Front Cafe was located, turned out to be a significant downtown landmark. The repurposed old grain mill had another decent restaurant we would later visit - Wild Goat Bistro. I liked the big  cobblestone circle, great for turning around the car.

River Front Cafe

I guess you could say this was our third impression of Petaluma. The idea of crêpes by the river appealed to me, and the River Front Cafe delivered exactly that. Mrs. had something more Mediterranean. 

Petaluma second impressions

We next stumbled upon this area, which was already better as it featured multiple businesses on the Petaluma River, a pedestrian bridge, and an old train trestle slated to become a promenade. I thought maybe that this was the "downtown" but in fact we had just barely scratched the surface.

Petaluma first impressions

Petaluma was an unknown and we approached it from an unflattering angle. Then I had to pee. In my feverish search for a restroom in the unknown city, I stumbled upon this first glimpse of the Petaluma River. Eventually I found a restroom and things got better after that.

Ohm Coffee Roasters

This interesting space not far from the Plaza is evidently one of downtown Sonoma's more popular coffee houses. As I recall it rained a little on the way there.

rainbow weather

This trip featured its share of April Showers. If you look closely you can see the very short-lived rainbow visible from our room at the Inn at Sonoma.

Breakfast Day 2026

A nice wholesome breakfast was had, courtesy the Inn at Sonoma, featuring vegetarian quiche, watermelon, yogurt and coffee. 

the cloud that resembled Oregon

Of course the previous year we were in Oregon.

another Sonoma stroll

Delhi Belly

Couldn't resist the clever name. I think I overate.

Pascal's

Where a person grabs a coffee in Glen Ellen post Jack London State Historic Park. One has the option of speaking French here, s'il vous plaît...

Beauty Ranch stroll

It was a also bit of a hike getting back to the parking lot.

Beauty Ranch cemetery

Where Jack and Charmian London chose to have their ashes spread. The settlers of this land had already established this site as a cemetery (bottom photo). It was a good hike to get to this peaceful, remote spot.

Glen Ellen lunch break

A satisfying lunch was found at the Glen Ellen Village Deli, right in the center of the tiny village of Glen Ellen. On my first visit many years ago I stayed in the Jack London Lodge which can be seen in the background of the second to last photo below.

stone dining room

A few steps away from the cottage was the stone dining room, where the Londons took their meals and entertained guests. I don't recall seeing this on my first visit.

Charmian's bedroom

After the Wolf House burned down, Jack London had the "cozy window seat with glass panes" above built for Charmian's bedroom. She moved back to the one-story cottage at the end of her life when the stairs in the House of Happy Walls made life difficult.

a man of many desks

More than any other room in the cottage, this one had made a big impression on me on my first visit. This time the room seemed different; I didn't remember so many desks. This time it was explained to me that each of these desks had a specific purpose. One was for his writing, another for managing the ranch, and the others... I forget. In any case it's an impressively organized space.

sun porches

Jack and Charmian London were fans of sun porches and each had their own in the cottage. Both did a lot of reading, writing and editing in these well-lit spaces.

the cottage

After the Wolf House burned down, Jack and Charmian London had no choice but to live in this pre-existing cottage - not as grand but every bit as charming. Over the years they put a lot of work into this place.