Waiting for crabs, watching for whales

Crab pots waiting to be filled

On a recent day at the Sonoma County coastline, I saw row after row of colorful crab pots neatly stacked near the water in Bodega Bay, waiting to be dropped into the sea and filled with delectable Dungeness crab. If you visit Wine Country in late autumn through early spring, you can expect to find fresh crabs caught off our shores in area grocery stores, specialty markets, and also featured on the menus at many inland and seaside restaurants. The coastal stores (such as The Tides) also carry fresh bread, cheeses, bottles of wine, and many other goodies for assembling a daytime picnic or after-dark dinner in the privacy of your hotel room.

As an appetizer, one two-pound crab easily satisfies two people; buy two crabs, some prepared salad, and a loaf of crusty bread and you have a substantial dinner or lunch for two or three. Ask the fish market to clean the crabs (a nasty job better left to the pros) and crack the shell lightly. Stock up on napkins or paper towels (mining the crabmeat can get messy, but that's part of the fun), and have your favorite cocktail sauce handy, if you so desire (I like my crab straight). Pour yourself a glass of Sauvignon Blanc (tastes great with crab) and then, dig, dip, and devour.

A choppy sea at Bodega Head on September 27

While waiting for crab season, scores of locals and visitors are perched high on Bodega Head, binoculars and cameras in hand, enjoying the sight of whales spouting and splashing. Just in the past week I witnessed numerous spoutings by the playful humpback and blue whales, which scientists say have been lured by a population explosion of krill, a shrimp-like crustacean. The whales seem to be taking their time feasting on the krill, the better to entertain the humans who are all jostling for the best viewing spot. Sometimes the wind on the Head can be brutal, with the meek running back to their cars to grab parkas. At other times it's glorious – calm, warm, and overcast. Word to the wise: try to make it there in the morning, when you don't have to squint into the sun to see some of the largest mammals on Earth.