By Katy Budge

I think we can all agree that the phrase “May we live in interesting times” can be permanently retired, yes? The past 15 months have been one for the books, and I’m ready to turn the page.

That said, I was able to do some memorable “COVID camping” trips. And, as always, did my level best to support local food establishments – a goal that had never seemed more worthy. Here are just a few of the “Forks in the Road” highlights …

The Tour de Flambé

In addition to COVID, a huge part of California was on fire during the summer/fall of 2020. Perfect time for camping, right? Oh well. We pressed on. “It’ll be an adventure,” we said.

One delightful find was bleu Market and Kitchen in Mammoth Lakes, a charming spot with very good and very reasonably priced goods and ready-to-eat meals. Plus, it was the first place in a loooong time that we could actually GO INTO and enjoy a beer while we waited for our food. All socially distanced and masked up when we weren’t at our table.

Good bakeries are always a must stop, especially when you find one like Great Basin Bakery in Bishop. Enough said.

A bookend to the relatively giddy freedom at bleu was the stressful drive through the Lake Tahoe area just after ALL the state campgrounds got closed due to fire danger. Understood, of course, but it made for an “interesting” day. Thanks to Harvest Host, we managed to land at the scenic and welcoming Plumas Pines Golf Course in Graeagle; we rolled up right at happy hour, and luckily, they had a full bar! Another camper told us about the nearby Brewing Lair in Blairsden, so of course, we had to check that out the next day.

Our route then took us around yet another fire area, which at that point had been fairly well contained. The banner at Quintopia Brewing in Quincy said it all.

Points North

A few weeks after the Tour de Flambé, we had planned another trip to Samuel P. Taylor State Park near Point Reyes National Seashore, where I’ve wanted to camp for YEARS! Thanks to a friend’s wedding scheduled nearby, it seemed I finally would. COVID had other plans for the wedding, but … we pressed on with the camping.

A lot of foodie spots were still closed, but thankfully not the venerable Nick’s Cove, just north of Marshall. We stopped there on a chamber of commerce day, and enjoyed spicy bloodies and yummy fish and chips overlooking Tomales Bay.

Also open was the upscale Palace Market, where we not only stocked up on local cheeses and other delights, but also saw these perfect 2020 napkins (from EM & Friends Co.)!

From there, we headed to the Clear Lake area, which would be a hoppin’ destination if there were an easy way to get there. After a stop at The Barlow, an outdoor market/foodie heaven, in Sebastopol, we finally arrived at the very accommodating and dog-friendly Smiling Dogs Ranch winery (again, thanks to Harvest Host). Nice wines, and even nicer people.

The Clear Lake area itself was a patchwork of towns – some quite delightful, and that is all I will say about that. We did manage to find bloodies with a lake view at the dog-friendly Boathouse Restaurant, and dockside beers at Richmond Park Bar & Grill, so all good!

One of the last stops in the area was at Peace and Plenty Farm, which seemed a perfect way to end the journey. Here’s to peace and plenty in 2021!