(Watch first the above short video. Then read the below.)

I think we all have the pilgrimages we need to make sometime in our life. Our so-called bucket list of things to do before we die. A place to visit for the first time. Or, an old place of memories to re-visit.

It’s like this with my relationship to Sonoma County where I lived for four years and only left to try and save a marriage. I’ve returned a number of times. One time, in 2009, to hike again the spectacular park I used to hike in almost on a daily basis. It is 5,000 acres on the wet side of the Valley of the Moon, where I lived. The northern part of the Valley of the Moon. Rising like a great island of nature right out of Santa Rosa, California. An hour north of the Golden Gate Bridge. The middle of the Sonoma County wine country.

Everyone talks about diversity today but hardly anyone knows what they’re talking about. They only parrot the talking points of our leaders and media talking heads. To me, Luther Burbank was the founder of true diversity in America. It was not the racial diversity everyone is focused on like cell phones. Rather it was a diversity of plants and trees and vegetation. He was the greatest spreader of diverse trees and plants and grasses and vines and all growing things of nature. He sprinkled his creations over various places through his life. But the key place he brought natural diversity was in Santa Rosa.

People often complement how wonderful and different it feels out in the wine counties of Napa and Sonoma for their relaxing, carefree experiences of visitors. Yet I truly feel on of the most powerful things that draws people to Sonoma is the diversity of nature. Like few other places in nature. The Golden Gate park is another which was greatly influenced by Luther Burbank. But Sonoma County is blessed with the most diversity of nature – by design of Burbank – of anyplace in the world. In Sonoma County, one might live next to plants imported to the area from across the world. The plants and trees and vegetation speak to mankind. And, in areas of their greatest diversity, like Sonoma County, they speak such a fascinating language that always calls one back to this land.

The area means a fun time with some fellow travelers one weekend in the summer probably, when the roads and wineries are jammed with tourists. I lived near Highway 12 that ran from Santa Rosa in the north to the town of Sonoma in the south. I would drive my children to school in Sonoma when I lived out here in the late 90s and early 2000s. South on Highway 12 past Ledson winery, then Kenwood and Kunde wines. And on and on until the reached Sonoma and her school. During school year, Highway 12 as not crowded and the drive was probably the most beautiful drive I have ever/or will ever be on the days I drove my daughter and son to school from the top of the Valley of the Moon to the bottom each day.

I ended up hiking into the huge Annadel State Park each day. Walking the horse trails that were the steepest I’ve ever been on. There are many horse people out in Santa Rosa and over the years they have constantly had fights with the mountain bikers in the area. But the years I lived out here was before all the mountain bikers so the trails were unusually quiet and clear for a park right in the middle of a town. Anyone who knows anything about Annadell knows that this is true. Not a large island of land suddenly plopped down on the town from some Scince Fiction movie. But rather, a town consciously built around all of this congregation of nature.

It’s interesting how these two ideas of diversity play out. One is programmed to always think about racial diversity. Yet there are so many other, important – probably more important – forms of diversity. There is the diversity of people as written into so many programs today. Yet, what about a life living amongst a great diversity of nature? Like Sonoma County more than any other place in the world.

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Now, I’m back here in Sonoma with my wife and her daughter Sarah and husband Casey, waiting for Sarah to have her baby. It will be induced in a few days from now. It is such a special time to return to Santa Rosa for me. I’ve rented a home just north of Santa Rosa. The other night, we had dinner in Healdsburg with my old friends from Santa Rosa, Jackie and Larry MacDonald.

We are only a few miles north on 101 from Kaiser Hospital in Santa Rosa where Sarah will deliver. It is right on Old Redwood Highway that parallels 101 weaving through shopping centers and little towns like the one I rented in of Wikiups. It has a Santa Rosa zip code but probably about 5 miles north of the city itself.

Close to Shiloh State Park where I want to hike some. And, close to a particular “bucket list” destination pilgrimage place in my life: Chalk Hill Winery maybe five miles north of where I’ve rented the home.

The photos below were taken today on a trip out to Chalk Hill winery. On one of the more beautiful drives I’ve been on in Sonoma County: Chalk Hill Drive and road leading up to it. Thanks to Seal and his music for this piece which is the same as played on the 2009 hike of my son Alex and me on this Midnight Oil site.

Chalk Hill winery in below photos. (I’ll probably put them at the end of my video above. But they deserve to be viewed for as long as one wants to view them for.) That pilgrimmage I’ve always wanted to make to one particular winery. I’m not all that sure why. But the, here we were driving up Chalk Hill Drive which has to be one of the most enchanting drives in the wine country. It even compares with Warm Springs Road from Kenwood into Glenn Ellen.

The winery is located on around 1,300 acres in a type of valley within the mountains. I called Ross at the winery earlier and asked if they were open. After all, it was December 11, not exactly the height of the wine season. He said sure, come on up.

Video above of taking the road up to the winery. We get behind a number of bike riders which is interesting as I’ve been riding a bike around by town by east. But this helps me slow down the GoPro shooting on top on our car. I shoot with a remote device within the car to make the film. The sound recorded by the camera needs to be turned off in the next release as do a number of things need adding. But wanted to show the approach to the winery on a two-lane road in the wine country. One of the best roads I’ve been on in my years in Sonoma.

Arrival at the end of a pilgrimage I’ve been thinking about making for many years. Going to Chalk Hill.

The road to Chalk Hill

Vineyards planted in vertical position: one of the unique features of Chalk Hill

A gorgeous little valley within the Chalk Hill kingdom. An explosion of microclimates.