The forest is not the only place to visit as nearby Guerneville offers plenty of local restaurants and food. With burning sun and hills to overcome, we walked the redwoods, knowing that afterwards, there would be a reward - ice cream. We drove to Guerneville, a getaway for inhabitants of San Francisco. It is small, even tiny, next to the Russian River that tends to flood during spring, yet has many opportunities for a satisfying meal.

We left out car a five-minute walk from the unique Chile Pies Baking Co. where the girls melted together with scoops of ice cream while I had the best pear and caramel pie in my life. The moment I offered it to my friends, I regretted it as it disappeared faster than it should have (just a joke). The shop cafe is beautiful in every way: it is located in an old bank where you can see the old bank vault mixed in with a shop featuring local artists’ work. We did return there once more for both pies and ice cream as we simply could not skip this place when in town. When we entered The Boon eat + drink, we felt like old friends. The girls were called by name, jokes flew like birds, and the food was stunning. Simple, local, and stunning. Their website says: "Boon eat + drink is a bustling farm-to-table California bistro in the heart of Guerneville”, and true it is.