Best route from Santa Rosa to S. Helena

[Bruce_Rudman]

I still think if you’re not planning to stop to drink, Mark west Springs Road (to petrified forest rd) is easier and quicker. On the other hand…

[Bob_Hunnicutt]

Calistoga Road is okay if you’re used to driving twisty roads. I don’t think it’d be bad for motion sickness assuming that passenger is in the front seat. If it’s raining, however, I’d suggest Highway 12 to 29 or stay overnight and do it in the morning. Even if you’re sober, familiar with the road, and oncoming headlights don’t bother you, it still sucks in the rain.

A big NO on Spring Mtn Road because of car sickness because it’s narrower and twistier than Calistoga Rd. 128 isn’t all that great either at night if you don’t know the road and it’s twisty and a long drive. Mark West Springs goes from just north of Santa Rosa into Calistoga Rd. and isn’t really any better as far as curvy roads and nighttime driving.

I’ve been over all those roads lots of time. I used to commute over Calistoga Rd. I don’t miss driving it on dark, wet evenings or frosty mornings.

[Steve_Nordhoff]

@Frank Murray III

I made this drive back and forth with Mr Nordhoff 3-4 times last month and one time, I swear he was trying to make me puke. Lovely road but…eat light or drive slow when you hit it!

Indeed, I was trying, no luck though. As long as Frankie is near Rosso pizza, his stomach is cast iron. P.S. That was Oakville Grade, which is quickest, but very curvy.

[Frank_Murray_III]

I’d walk a mile in the snow bare foot if it meant I could eat at Rosso.

Hey, since we’re on the subject of Santa Rosa, Brandon, before you make the trip over the hill make sure you think hard about where you will eat. my god, I love Rosso and if I lived in Santa Rosa or nearby it, I would pester their owner about making me a partner and then I would open a location down here in Orange County. What a meal they deliver.

Rosso Pizzeria - Local Favorite Pizza in Santa Rosa & Petaluma

You had to bring up Rosso, didn’t you Mr Nordhoff.

[M.Kaplan]

What? You don’t love Tex Wasabi?

[Frank_Murray_III]

@M.Kaplan

What? You don’t love Tex Wasabi?

I had to look it up on Google, as I had not heard of it. So, err, I guess not so much. I did eat at a place last time called Petite Syrah near downtown, which I had thought did a real nice job. Can’t have Rosso for EVERY meal. Mark, have a good weekend.

[M.Kaplan]

Tex Wasabi’s is owned by the celebrity ‘chef,’ Guy Fieri, melding those two oh so compatible cuisines, sushi and BBQ. Perhaps the worst food I’ve ever eaten on purpose; but I have an excuse, having stumbled there full of Pliny the Elder after a long session up the street at Russian River Brewing Co. You have a good weekend, too, Frank.

[KyleCWilkinson]

If we’re talking about food in Santa Rosa, then you have to mention Phyllis’ Giant Burger!

And I remember there being a really nice pho place on the other side of town… but it’s been two years since I lived there/Healdsburg so I can’t for the life of me remember the name.

@John Morris

@KyleCWilkinson

Spring Mtn Road is so awesome.

Provided you have good brakes. Mine faded out completely on my 1970 Datsun with three passengers once. I managed to gear down and make it to the bottom without letting on that we had no stopping power.

Yikes!


Other awesome Sonoma County Roads (forgive me for not remembering their names):
Taking River Road out of Santa Rosa toward the coast. All windy and whatnot. You go past Korbel and through Guerneville (stop at that ice cream parlor and get some of their mixes while you’re at it!) and then right before you get to Goat Rock Beach, which is awesome on its own, you can turn around on that little embankment and have this incredible view of the river and a small part of the valley. If seen at dusk, it is really breathtaking. On the way back, I somehow turned off River Road and got onto this incredibly and ridiculously windy and hilly road, where I think I stayed under 15 mph for the duration. I remember it took me like 90 minutes to get back to Santa Rosa. It was incredible.

And then also if you get on Dry Creek Rd and keep going past Sbragia, and come up to the Lake, and just keep going and going and going. You get up into Rockpile AVA and it is just great.

[Bruce_Rudman]

@M.Kaplan

Tex Wasabi’s is owned by the celebrity ‘chef,’ Guy Fieri, melding those two oh so compatible cuisines, sushi and BBQ. Perhaps the worst food I’ve ever eaten on purpose; but I have an excuse, having stumbled there full of Pliny the Elder after a long session up the street at Russian River Brewing Co. You have a good weekend, too, Frank.

On the other hand, we had a pretty good meal (albeit a carb fest too) at his other local restaurant, Johnny Garlic’s in Windsor. Very good Kobe Beef French Dip and my wife had a nice Ahi Burger. Not fancy but good.

[Merrill_Lindquist]

@Randy Bowman

Driving any of those roads at night will be as slow as being behind a truck during the day, particularly if you haven’t traveled them before. Too fast at night and you either get a deer hood ornament, flight time when you’re going too fast to make a turn or a sudden stop into the hillside.

You’ve got that right, Randy. I was driving my daughter back to Calistoga one dark, rainy night from “over there,” and we got “bumped” by a deer over on Calistoga Road. Scary.

[Merrill_Lindquist]

@H Wallace Jr

Taking any of the roads for the 1st time after a dinner (with wine I’m assuming) is probably not a good idea. I’d stay in SR and do the drive in the AM.

I agree. In my opinion, the easiest route from over there is Mark West to Petrified Forest. Second choice Calistoga Road to Petrified Forest. Third choice is Oakville Grade. Spring Mountain does not even enter the picture.

[Brian_Tuite]

@Merrill Lindquist

In my opinion, the easiest route from over there is Mark West to Petrified Forest.

Besides, this past summer the county finally smoothed out many of the bumps in the road with fresh asphalt. Nice ride now, especially the bends along the 1900 and 2000 blocks of MWSR up to the lodge. Also on Porter Creek near the rock quarry. It’s the safest route for sure.

[Brandon_P]

We had an amazing weekend in Sonoma/Napa. We ended up taking Mark West to Petrified Forest on Sunday morning. The road was well paved. We were forced to go pretty slow due to some really slow drivers though. Overall, it took about 45 minutes from Mark West to downtown St Helena. I would recommend this route for anyone with motion sickness for sure.

I didn’t take any formal notes, but some of the notable places this weekend include:

• Littorai - beautiful property, nice tour around the grounds and seeing the care they take for the vineyard, including making their own compost. Wine is pretty darn good too.
• Carlisle - finally made the list and picked up my first order. Great wine and Rosso pizza to accompany the wines.
• Arnot-Robers - met Duncan at their new space in Healdsburg. Great low alcohol wine from California. Well made.
• Skewis - Hank and Maggie were pouring at the tasting room, very nice friendly couple. Pinot was awesome
• Myriad - didn’t taste this time, but spent an hour chatting with Mike and Leah. Always appreciate seeing how humbling he is and very thankful for his generosity.
• Pott - met Aaron & family at Qioxote winery for pickup/tasting. Tasted through 2 of the 09s and had a few barrel samples. I can’t believe he doesn’t have a bigger following with the quality. I still can’t pronounce any of his wine labels.