Bodega Tips and Stories

Bay Bites Debuts!

Today I take on a new subject here on the Bodega Tips & Stories Blog – I’ve been asked to share my take on the restaurants here in Bodega Bay.  Later, I’ll follow up with others from the surrounding area.  I’ll also make you one promise:  I attest that I have tried each and every restaurant that I am Bay Biting.

There are 14 restaurants in Bodega Bay alone, with the farthest located 1.5 miles north of the Visitor’s Center.  With food styles ranging from deli, fast food & diner to the ultimate in fine dining available anywhere, each restaurant has its own unique cuisine and atmosphere.

Many guests come in to the Visitor’s Center and want me to “tell me about your favorite” place to go.  I try to be both positive and impartial.  So like I do for them, here on the Blog I will only write about the good bites I’ve had over the years.

Of course, when I go out to eat, my personal choice depends on how fully stocked my pocketbook is, the company I’m with (if any), and mood that I’m in.  On the list that we give out in the Visitors Center, I’ve added two graphics for restaurants; where there is a doggie ,
it indicates outside seating for the well-behaved pups, and where there’s a corn cob there is at least one vegetarian dish offered.  And remember, there is also an extensive DINING LISTING on this Blog’s main website, BodegaBay.com.

So, let’s get started this time around with the Brisas Del Mar and The Sandpiper.

April Events in the Bodega Bay Area

To miss the Fisherman’s Festival, which will be held at Westside Regional Park in Bodega Bay on April 4 & 5, is unthinkable! A huge fundraiser for the community, with the majority of funds raised going to provide college scholarships, you will enjoy wonderful music, unique crafts, tasty food, a charming pet parade, you name it. Fun for all.

Then there’s the Castle and Kites Festival, to be held on April 25 at Doran Beach. Learn more about the art and joy of flying a kite, all shapes and sizes. And for the artistic souls, sand castles are to be built…grainy ephemeral fantasy worlds will be created by some and enjoyed by all.

Some say Spring offers the best weather of the year out here on the Sonoma Coast…come check it out for yourself, during one of these events, or any day!

Help keep the Fireworks in Bodega Bay!

Here is a bit of history - every 4th of July or thereabouts, Bodega Bay has provided local and surrounding area residents a traditional free fireworks display over the Bay. As it happens, because of the regulations,Bodega Bay is the last of the Northern California Coastal towns allowed to have legal fireworks over the Bay.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not criticizing these regulations. It's these same regulations that are designed to keep our coast as pristine as possible and so far so good. Bodega Bay  has been "Grandfathered in" by these regulations and unless we keep doing the fireworks, the clause will be suspended and there will be No More Fireworks.

Which brings me to the point of my blog - Money. Fireworks have to be paid for by someone. In the present state of our economic situation, I hesitate to ask anyone for anything. The providers of the

fireworks have told us we need to pay them $10,000 for the display on the 3rd, and if we want to do it on the traditional 4th, they want another $10,000.. YIKES!  These fireworks come from China for the most part and of course as with everything else, their cost has "sky rocketed - no pun intended.

What I'm asking is, if you want enjoy the 4th of July and the fireworks display out here, help us by sending in contributions. While our local businesses do help, there is only so much they can afford to do. This is a free show, but unless we raise the money by May, we will be forced to discontinue the Grand 4th of July tradition of Fireworks on the Bay, FOREVER. If you would like to help your contributions can be mailed to:

   Sonoma Coast Visitors Center
   Fireworks Fund
   PO Box 518
   Bodega Bay, CA 94923

Or dropped off at the Sonoma Coast Visitors Center   950 Hwy One, Bodega Bay. Our hours are 9-5 M-Th, 9-6 Fri, Sat 9-5, and Sun 10-5.

Please help us to make this our bang up Fourth this year!

Blog post contributed by Julie-Ann of the Sonoma Coast Visitor Center

Chowder Contest Results! Spud Point Crab Company Wins Again

Imagine.

Imagine planning for an event hoping against all odds that at least 300 people will come out to the coast to take part in the Best of the Bay – Chowder Day in Bodega Bay 2009. The day dawned with bright sun, blue skies, and the wind nonexistent. By noon, one hour into the event, 400 people had lined to pick up their maps to go seek the legendary “Best of Bodega Bay” chowder. By 2pm the doors had to be closed as we ran out of maps and chowder.  

Bodega Bay Chowdafiles came from as far as Osaka, Japan (they translated the Japanese phonetically for their ratings – Ari Gato). Of course many local towns were represented: Bodega Bay, Santa Rosa, Rohnert Park, Petaluma, Oakdale, Fresno, Sonora, Cloverdale, Cotati, San Francisco, Benicia, San Diego, Sacramento, Folsom, Placerville, Camp Meeker, Truckee and San Martin, just to name a few.

Out of state Bodega Bay Chowdafiles came from: Salem, Ma; Hilton Head Island, SC; Boulder, Co.; Altoona, PA.; Dayton, Nev.; Pontiac, Il; Denver, Co.; and New Jersey. 

Remarks were as varied as they were the same:

Lots of clams -------------------Too Many Clams

Subtle flavor --------------------Too spicy

Simple & Tasty -----------------No distinctive flavor

Classic ---------------------------Plain

It’s like a Rave party on my tongue & Jesus is the DJ ----- Reminds me of soup from a can

Creamy --------------------------Too thin

Clamtastic -----------------------Too salty

Hearty --------------------------Too many potatoes, carrots, veggies

Tastes like my mom’s – that’s big points ----------Canned

Innovative spices ----------------Not spicy enough

Magically Delicious…….

Can’t please everyone.  

After all that, now the results: Again for the 4^th year in a row, the Spud Point Crab Company garnered the winning votes. All the other restaurants were tied within a vote or two.  

Many people headed out to the beaches after having their fill of crackers and chowder and were treated to see whale moms and calves on their way up to Alaska, where they will feed for the summer. Most were seen from the best vantage point – Bodega Head.  

Last but not least, don’t forget our next 2 festivals that are scheduled in April. Fisherman’s Festival, which is held at Westside Park April 4 & 5 is a not to miss event. Huge fundraiser for the community, with the majority of funds raised going to college scholarships. Music, crafts, food, pet parade, you name it. Fun for all. Then there’s the Castle and Kites Festival held on April 25 at Doran Beach. Learn the art of flying a kite – all shapes and sizes. And for the artistic souls out here, sand castles are to be built.  

Dungeness Crab Factoids from Julie-Ann

May and June are the most common months in which mating occurs, though it can occur at other times of the year. Mating occurs between hard-shelled male crabs and newly-molted, soft-shelled female crabs. The female stores the sperm in a seminal receptacle until the fall when the eggs are fertilized. She cannot molt in the fall when the male does because she loses the sperm receptacle at that time.

When the fertilized eggs are extruded, the resulting mass, often called the sponge, is attached to the female. A large female may carry in excess of 2-1/2 million eggs. Females carrying eggs usually bury themselves in sandy razor clam beaches during the fall.

Hatching and Development

The embryos develop during the winter and the eggs darken to a dirty brown. Between January and March, the larval crabs hatch and swim freely in the sea. They do not resemble adult crabs at this time, and must molt repeatedly and grow much larger before they are recognizable as crabs.

When they reach a quarter of an inch in size, approximately one year after the mating that produced them, the juveniles finally resemble the adults they will become. At that time, they take up bottom residence, though it will be another 2-3 years before they reach the minimum sizes for legal catches.

Since the male reaches sexual maturity a year before he reaches legal harvesting size and females are completely protected from legal harvest, the Dungeness Crab is unlikely to be decimated by over-harvesting.

Guess where we were standing when we took this picture

Catch any of these recently? Tell us your story...

Anyone have a good crab catching story for us? 

The weather is amazing

Fall on the Sonoma Coast is amazing and sometimes a walk on the beach, a great burger and a cold beer is all it takes to lift your spirits. Guess where this picture was taken?  First to get it right and send us their address gets a prize!

News from Bodega Bay

Let There Be Light

In a harbor, there are stanchions with lights on them - one side of the harbor is red, one side is green– the lights guide the boats in and out of the harbor.  From time to time the stanchions need to be replaced, either from old age or if a sea captain gets a bit wayward and knocks them over or down. 
Jeff Thompson from CS Marine came in several weeks ago to talk with me about finding lodging for the crews that would be replacing the stanchions. One bright sunny – semi smoke filled morning-  in floated a huge tug guiding a crane with a 120’ boom.  Boy that’s tall!

First Day of Summer in Bodega Bay - By Julie Ann

Amazing…

Several Japanese Ladies came in yesterday.  They are from the Oakland area. When asked what they wanted to see, one mentioned that every year they come to the Coast Guard Center and perform Taiko ceremony for them. Was I impressed?  You bet!  There were 6 ladies in the car. The one who I was speaking with is 72 and her friend who was with her was 78 and the other 4 ladies were averaging 68 to 90?  Yikes.  You should see the arms on these gals. Let alone carry the heavy drums and beat them….One of them is retiring and thinking about opening a Taiko school and also possibly Tai Chi school here in Bodega Bay.

Speaking of ladies – there’s a new blond in town, Lola.  What ever Lola wants, Lola gets.