Gobo's Lunch Bunch 2014 plus: Bodega Bay, April 26, 2015

Lunch in Occidental, CA at Negri's Italian, during Bodega Bay Trip, April 26, 2015

Ken and I are the only Lunch Bunchers today as we have the leisure time.

So we are headed out for a Day Trip over Sonoma County. We will travel through the wine country, the Russian River and Bodega Bay.

Our first stop was actually in Solano County at the Jelly Belly Factory where we picked up some bargain Jelly Belly candies.

Then our second stop was in Sonoma County way out where the Bodega Highway and the Bohemian Highway intersect at the Wild Flour Bread located on the Bohemian Highway a few meters north of the Bodega Highway. I picked p a loaf of bread and a blueberry-rhubarb scone.

Just 6 more kilometers north on the Bohemian Highway we get to the village of Occidental where we will be eating lunch at the recently renovated Negri's Italian Restaurant.

The same neon sign though

Here Ken takes a close up of the sign

Occidental was founded in 1876 as stop on the North Pacific Coast Railroad connecting Cazadero to the Sausalito ferry. The current population is just over a thousand.

The railway caused a rapid expansion of the timber industry, and by 1877 there were six sawmills in the Occidental area. Trains also brought vacationers from San Francisco. As it is just south of the many Russian River resorts.

The village of Occidental

Across the street

The remodeled bar now has some outdoor seating.

Exterior and interior were recently remodeled

The obligatory Gobo's Lunch Bunch food photos. But the pasta course and main course photos are missing since I was too busy eating. :-)

Start with a delicious minestrone soup

The remodeled interior. Note the back of the waitress' blouse at the far left of the photo.

More light

The Negri Racing Stable stained glass sign remains.

Still have large parties

Now the salad.

We both decide on oil and vinegar salad dressing

The beans are hidden behind the vinegar bottle

Well that's all of the lunch photos.

Now on to Bodega Bay, but first a stop in the village of Bodega some 9 kilometers from Bodega Bay. The school house and the church that were so prominent in Alfred Hitcock's movie "The Birds" are actually located in Bodega.

This is "The Birds" schoolhouse

Ken taking a selfie. Note the Catholic Church is to the right side of the photo.

Here I am pointing at the sign on the gate in one of the photos above

Now we head on over to Bodega Bay but don't stop until we reach the Salmon Creek Rest Stop just north of town.

One tent on the beach

It is a bit chilly

A walking trail

We then head to the end of the Russian River along Highway 1 and turn east to follow the Russian River back to Highway 101. At Santa Rosa we get onto State Highway 12 and ride through the wineries of the Valley of the Moon into the town of Sonoma. At the Sonoma Town Square we head over to the Chocolate Cow for an ice cream cone.