Mother’s Day gift
That quiet morning, only the sounds of the trees moving in the rhythm of their own and the rustling of the paper book pages were heard. No children, no chores, no meal prep.
That day found me and my husband deep in the land of towering redwoods, tasty sandwiches, twinkling wind chimes and relaxation.
It was a day on a trip without a kid.
How? Very simple! [or so it looks after years of practice]
For Mother’s Day gift this year (and every year to be honest) I asked for some time away from our very active 5-year-old child.
This time, I took my husband with me. It’s been a hot second since we spent any time alone and were long overdue according to my annual travel planning goals.
Secrets of Russian River
We booked a cute inn in Guerneville, California, a cute town on the banks of the Russian River and went hiking at the local state park – Armstrong Redwoods State National Preserve.
How surprised would you be if you showed up there, looked around and thought …
“Hmm, this feels like a dejavu”.
To me it felt like we were in Muir Woods… Before the herds of tourists and parking challenges.
Seriously! What an amazing “secret” park.
It was wonderful. Beautiful forest filled with bird song, some wild flowers and very few people. Very ancient redwoods. Clean and easy to walk with a stroller or on foot.
We found a tiny waterfall and avoided most of the tourists by taking the longer route to the main destination. There were tons of interesting facts to learn about nature or not, if that’s not your thing.
Local summer getaway
As schools are shutting down for summer, it’s time to add some redwoods to your agenda!
A very helpful park volunteer, park store attendant, shared that weekends are getting busier with summer, whoever parking is still available to enjoy the park any day of the week.
It’s two hours away from San Francisco. There are camping options in addition to the park being close enough to civilization.
And if you haven’t been to Guerneville – pack your swimsuit, sun hat and get ready for delicious local ice cream and river fun.
