Planning Your Stay
Phones: There’s no cell phone reception here on the farm. However, the house is equipped with a land-line (dial 1, plus area code); also wireless Internet, so you can make calls with Zoom, Skype, FaceTime, etc.
Smoking: Our home is strictly non-smoking. If you do smoke outside, please toss your butts in the garbage.
Grocery Shopping: The city of Petaluma offers the widest array of options, including Whole Foods, Trader Joe's and Safeway. In nearby Pt. Reyes Station, options include the Palace Market, plus specialty items at Toby's Feed Barn and Tomales Bay Foods. Local bakeries include: the Bovine Bakery and Brick Maiden (Pt. Reyes Station), Route One Bakery (Tomales), and Wild Flour Bakery in Freestone. We recommend that, for the bulk of your groceries, best to go shopping prior to arrival.
Kitchen Pantry: We stock a variety of items, including tea, sugar, flour, rice, spices and condiments.
Kitchen Kiosk: We have a small, self-serve kiosk in the kitchen, with an assortment of locally-crafted artisan, organic foods and items, including whole coffee beans.
Weather: Our coastal micro-climate is much cooler than even a few miles up or down the coast, let alone a few miles inland. If it’s 90F in Petaluma, for example, it might be 70-75F here. Also, in June-August, we can get lots of fog (impossible to predict, especially with Climate Change), but bring layers of clothing, just in case.
Gas Stations: We recommend filling up your gas tanks before heading to the ranch. There are plenty of gas stations in Petaluma, and the nearest gas station is 13 miles away in Pt. Reyes Station. If your tank is nearly empty, we usually have a gallon or two of gas available here at the ranch.
Electric Charging: Our home is not equipped with a quick charge (though there is an easily accessible standard 120V outlet if you park by the back door of the house. There’s a quick charge station for electric cars in Pt. Reyes, in the Tomales Bay Food / Cowgirl Creamery parking lot.
Shoeless House: We like to keep the farm outside the house, which keeps the inside cleaner. We request that all guests take off their shoes before entering. Bring warm, comfortable socks or slippers for walking around in the house.
Access to Pastures: We allow access to the fields only with a guide (i.e. one of the Straus siblings). But don't panic - there's tons of beautiful places in our neighborhood for taking walks and hikes!
The Beach: There's a small stretch of beach directly across the street, perfect for launching kayaks and canoes. We have beach towels and an Igloo cooler available. Bonfires are not allowed on the beach.
Bon Fires: On request, Michael will setup a bonfire for you out behind the hay barn. We have all the fixins for s’mores.
Housekeeping: We don’t offer housekeeping services during your stay.
Quiet Hours: 10pm - 8am.
Pets: We don't allow pets. Sorry! (We do make rare exceptions, like for Marshmallow the bunny - she was very cute).
Local Services: Looking for an in-home private chef / caterer, just let us know and we’ll hook you up. If you order delivery via DoorDash, please tip your drivers well … it’s a long drive (they’re mostly based in Petaluma area). Janese Smith offers wonderful deep tissue massage, hot stone massage, and will come out to the ranch; as will our friend Alexis Richardson who is a terrific acupuncturist. Talk with Blue Waters Kayaking about renting kayaks (on weekdays, they might be able to drop off / pickup kayaks at the ranch). And contact BabyQuip for rental and delivery of cribs and baby gear.