Travels to Sutter Creek, CA

Lucky for me, amidst the craziness of planning for my trip to Indonesia, last week my husband and I were able to cash in a Christmas present gift certificate to Hanford House in Sutter Creek, California.  Two nights at a bed and breakfast was certainly a great way to slow it down and take some time to relax!

Many northern Californians travel to Sutter Creek and nearby Jackson to visit the wineries located in Amador County.  We decided to take advantage of the 4th of July holiday to escape to the foothills for some  quiet time.  Hanford House is an upscale bed and breakfast located near Main Street and offers beautiful guest rooms in the main building as well as adjacent larger cottages.  They even have pet-friendly rooms!

Upon arrival we were pleasantly surprised to walk through the comfortable living room to the parlor, which boasts handwritten notes from visitors dating back to the 1980s.  Lovely antique pine tables and chairs seat guests for the gourmet breakfasts.

Fortunately for us, the 'Blue Room' was located just adjacent to the parlor. We were pleasantly surprised to enter the serene guest room, complete with charming blue and yellow toile bedding.  Although the room was equipped with a flat screen TV and DVD player hiding in a pine armoire, we sunk into the queen sized bed and slept peacefully.

We knew to expect breakfast, but the care and presentation of both courses - three, if you count the warm blueberry-lemon scones delivered outside our door at 7:30 a.m.  To start, we were served fresh fruit with a vanilla Greek yogurt drizzle and chicken-smoked mozzarella sausages sliced into thin medallions.

And as if that wasn't enough, next came decadent French toast with a vanilla cream....we were delirious with happiness!

Taking advantage of the guest bicycles and took off on an early July 4th morning to explore the town and surrounding areas.

Finding most of the shops closed this early in the morning, we detoured off Main Street to explore the surrounding hills.  I loved that we could go from 'city' to 'country' in a few short blocks!

Heading back to town, we caught a few of  bits of Americana along the way!

One of my favorite stops was the Fine Eye Gallery - just look at the amazing collections of beautiful artisan glassware and pottery!

We made it home in time to select some movies from their large, up-to-date selection, and settled down for another fine treat - cheese, fruit, crackers and glasses of lovely local wine.

The next morning didn't disappoint - the scones were lemon, and the pancakes an amazing banana-blueberry, served with warm maple syrup and fruit.

I think the best part of our trip to Sutter Creek was really just spending relaxing instead of feeling like we were traveling.  The Hanford House owners couldn't have made us feel more at home!

I highly recommend looking just outside your hometown for a hidden treasure like Sutter Creek!