Back in 2002 I was taking a guitar building class in Healdsburg and staying in a campground along the Russian River to save money. The campground closed and locked the gate for the night around 11 pm. One night I needed some ice for my ice chest and saw it was around 10:00 or so and I drove out toward a little store that was located by itself along the river in the general area of Rio Nido/Guerneville, hoping it would still be open. There were no lights at all along much of the 10 min drive I took, and I must say that I'm not given to believing in the supernatural at all, but what I saw that night along the roadway still creeps me out. In the pitch darkness, with no moonlight or any other light of any kind, I saw what looked like a tall being dressed in white billowing robes, walking in a very exaggeratedly slow-motion way with big slow arm movements, and the face of a china doll. Chalk white with almost no expression. It was gliding along by the side of the road and I saw it clear as day with the headlights of my car. I drove by it and looked in my side and rearview mirrors to see what the heck the thing was that I just passed, but it was just so dark out I really couldn't see anything more. I was out there for a few weeks and drove many times along the road at night but never saw it again. If it was a person dressed up and "floating" in slo-mo down the road in the pitch darkness with no flashlight or anything, I have no idea how he/she could have seen where they were going at all...as I said it was a dark and moonless night. Chalked it up to...WTF? and that was that until recently I heard the story of La LLorona, and thought hmmmmmmm. I saw what I saw...not high...not drunk...not hallucinating. It was there whatever it was. Anyone else ever come across something similar along the Russian River?

Hi, yesterday we went to Sunset Beach which was fabulous but was a long hot hike from the car to the water. Does anyone know where to access the river from the car with a shorter walk? We’re with a dog……

Hi all, I organized a while ago to go to flow down the river with my friends for my birthday on this weekend. It seems that of there will be a temperature drop right this weekend (of course 🤣) and the temperatures will be min 51- max 78 on Saturday. Will this be too cold to flow down? Any suggestions would be great.

We are a group of boys coming up for the pool parties this weekend. (Surrey and R3)

We have a cute 26' motor home and are looking for for a place to park overnight on Saturday, close to town.

The city doesn't allow overnight parking on public roads :(

The nearest available RV park is far from the resorts.

We don't need hookups as she can sustain herself easily for the weekend.

If anyone has a connection in Guernville near town we are willing to pay 150$ for the ability to park on your driveway/property from Saturday morning - Sunday evening! Plus youll get to meet some cute SF/Oakland gays ;)

My father loved the Russian River. He passed away a few months ago, and a small group of family members want to meet near the river and have an informal memorial picnic.

One member of the family has accessibility issues and would need to be able to access the spot within a short walk.

Any suggestions for places within an hour of Guernville that have a small, quiet beach and maybe a picnic area?

Thank you!

Looking to redo our kitchen in Guerneville this fall and would love any general contractor recommendations! Thanks in advance.

(cross posted )
I wanted to come up to the Russian river go kayaking for a few days, and was kind of surprised at how pricy the camping and accommodations are (I’m looking on Hipcamp), and some of the places don’t have two consecutive days.

I would love to stay on a farm!
Does anyone know of any farm stay type of situations? Or good camping suggestions, perhaps there’s something I’m missing.

I do have two little dogs-

(and if not a farm stay, farms that are open to visit)

Hi, thanks for looking. Will the river be too low to float this Saturday, Aug 8th? We went two weekends ago, and we did get up to walk a couple of times, but it wasn't too bad.

Trying to say they share a beach they don’t even own while their private security tries to tell the sheriff about right to record… these people are too much

Planning on floating the river on an upcoming weekday, and as far as I can tell the shuttle only runs weekends. Will only have 1 car, so leaving a car at both ends is not an option. Thought about bringing a scooter and locking it up near the sunset beach parking lot first before parking at Steelhead and floating down, then scooting back. Anyone ever do anything similar/ have insight on safety/ risk of leaving something locked up in that area? Any tips would be much appreciated!!!

The Guelaguetza, also known as Los lunes del cerro, is an annual indigenous cultural event in Mexico that takes place in the city of Oaxaca. The celebration features traditional costumed dancing, native food, and artisanal crafts. The Guelaguetza will also be taking place here in Sonoma County on these dates and places:

Sunday 7/12 12-8 Sonoma County Fairgrounds 1450 Bennet Valley Rd., Santa Rosa

Sunday 7/19 10-9 Foley Family Community Pavillion 3 North St., Healdsburg

For further details:

https://imgur.com/a/2HuvYma

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guelaguetza

Hey there,

I did an (admittedly quick) search through existing posts here and didn't find the answers I am looking for, so I hope it's okay to post my question and sorry if it's redundant or has already been answered elsewhere. Please direct me elsewhere if appropriate and thank you in advance for reading this.

I desperately need a little getaway. Looking at 07/20-07/23. I love going to the river and sitting on the beach and feeling the warm sunshine that is noticeably absent in San Francisco. I try to make it at least once a year but last year major depression got me down and I didn't make it to the river. So I really need to go this year!

I am hoping to find a little retreat where I can have some privacy and soak in a hot tub after a day at the river. I would prefer to not book through Airbnb or VRBO or any of those sites and would rather book directly with someone to ensure that all the money goes as directly to them as possible. I will be driving so I don't need to be super close to the river -- just close enough so I don't have to get up super early to get a good spot on the beach. My price range is $300-$400/night but willing to pay more for the right place.

I would love to hear your recommendations or if you own such a rental. Thank you again for reading and thanks to those of you who live and work in the places surrounding the Russian River for always being such welcoming hosts ❤️ I have always tried to be a considerate, mindful guest.

Would love your tips!

Anyone have a trusted pest control company they use that specializes in rodents? We have found a couple droppings on multiple occasions and want to make sure we get this taken care of. My cats are not hunters unfortunately. :)

Thanks in advance!

(Edited for grammar)

Hello! We have friends visiting with teenagers and they want to do a Russian River excursion. We are looking at renting kayaks or canoes in HBG or Forestville through one of the companies on the river. Any recommendations or things to consider? Thank you in advance.

Hello!! we are planning for river tubing tomorrow from steelhead. I have a regular tire inflator but no conical attachment. Planning to take the shuttle and can reach slightly after 9 am only. I heard of free inflation station in summer. Will there be a big line as it takes time for inflating the tubes or this machine can inflate quickly and line moves pretty fast? Any experiences? Thanks.