Inside Sonoma

There are two wonderful benefits to all of the rain we’ve been having in Sonoma County over the last few weeks: a swollen Lake Sonoma and an early mustard season.

The first has been news for two weeks or so. As reported in the Press-Democrat, Independent-Journal and even the San Francisco Chronicle, Lake Sonoma was at full capacity for the first time in more than 10 years—a tremendous feat considering that it had been at an all-time low.

The winter rains bring a bounty of wild mustard amongst old-vine zin.

Late last month, representatives from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (who run the lake) said the water level had exceeded 245,000 acre-feet, its theoretical capacity. There was so much water in the lake that it actually surged into the flood pools, triggering Army Corps engineers to engage in a bunch of controlled releases designed to prevent downstream flooding.

A lot of these precautions are nitty-gritty things that we, as ordinary folks, wouldn’t notice (and shouldn’t really be concerned about…except that we locals won’t get the mandatory order to conserve).

That said, for a glimpse of our very own version of Lake Michigan, head west on Healdsburg’s Dry Creek Road and check it out.

As for the mustard, simply look around. Just about every vineyard is teeming with yellow at this point. The mustard, which is, technically, a weed, sprouts after heavy rains. You could consider it a naturally occurring cover crop.

Our favorite mustard scene in the entire county: in the Alexander Valley along 128, just southeast of the Jimtown Store. As you travel toward Geyserville, the field explodes in yellow on your right. It’s bright. It’s beautiful. And, like most of northern Sonoma County, it’s unmarked, undeveloped and ready for anyone to drive (or bike or run) up and enjoy.

Sure, they’ve got that Mustard Festival over in Napa, but those snobs have nothing on this.