There, amid notices for trailers, canoes and firewood for sale were fliers advertising back-porch zendo, yoga classes in several disciplines, "organic house cleaning," someone wanting to trade labor for food from a sustainable garden, and the services of practitioners in "assisted emotional clearing" and "equine-assisted self-exploration."

The most perplexing solicitation had been posted by someone identifying herself as an "organic baby-sitter."

Did that mean she didn't eat children?

Bohemian influence

I was starting to like this place. Even my room at the 18-room inn fit the Occidental profile, albeit in a very evolved, four-star kind of way. The cozy retreat, dubbed the "Safari Room," had butter-colored walls and was outfitted with an oversize bathtub, a gauzy mosquito-net canopy over a king-size bed, a hand-painted African animal mural on the wall. Piles of leather suitcases served as nightstands. There was no TV (inns like this are for real romance, not "Sex and the City" reruns), but a CD player, a gas fireplace and a good book provided diversion enough for the three nights I snuggled in.

As Wolsborn had said, the area is full of accessible surprises for visitors, and even some that will intrigue but are forever off-limits. Bohemian Grove, just up the road near Monte Rio, was founded more than a century ago by the all-male Bohemian Club of San Francisco. The rustic retreat is said to host some of the country's most influential politicians and corporate bigwigs during a closely-guarded confab each July.

The Bohemian Highway, which bisects Occidental on its run between Freestone and Monte Rio, takes its name from the mysterious enclave.

Curious to learn more about the area, I ventured the next day to the nearby Occidental Arts and Ecology Center. The 80-acre preserve's organic gardens and orchards have been a source of inspiration and training for thousands of gardeners since its establishment in 1974 as the Farallones Institute. People from around the world come to take courses in sustainable food systems, permaculture, biointensive gardening and such, while the public pours in for periodic tours and plant sales.

Wednesdays are volunteer days at the center, so I donned gardening gloves and joined a handful of others, ranging in age from 2 to 86, to help with pulling weeds and cutting back perennials under the tutelage of garden managers Doug Gosling and Michelle Vesser.

"Volunteer days are great for us, because there's lots of good energy and conversation," Gosling noted as a distant gong sounded and the group headed up a hill for a fabulous vegetarian lunch.

Plant rarities

Next stop was Western Hills Rare Plant Nursery, just up the road, where Maggie Wych, originally from England, has for 32 years nurtured and propagated rare and exotic plants from around the world. She doesn't advertise and there's no Web site, but people from far and wide come to buy seedlings and admire what Wych describes as her "experimental garden."

"There's no plan; it's just whatever will grow. We try to do things other people don't," she explained as we admired a specimen of rare Cupressus cashmeriana (Kashmir cypress), which Wych described as "the most elegant and beautiful of conifers."

Swinging back to Occidental and inland on Graton Road, I journeyed next to the fringe of Russian River wine country for a tour and tasting at Marimar Torres Winery. The ochre-colored, Mediterranean-style aerie features a high-ceilinged tasting room with vineyard views for sipping the estate's well-regarded chardonnay and pinot noir.

Just down the road in the town of Graton is a restaurant said to be the best in the region. It was 4:30 p.m. on a Wednesday when I stopped at the Underwood Bar & Bistro, which already was buzzing. I ordered an appetizer - white sardine bruschetta - and after that, a bowl of mussels with smoked chorizo that qualifies as one of the best shellfish preparations I've ever enjoyed.

Executive chef Matt Greenbaum and general manager Sally Spittles opened the Underwood two years ago after a decade of success with the more casual Willow Wood Market Cafe across the street. The small-plate, Mediterranean-inspired menu features, among many choices, five oyster preparations and cheese plates served with caramelized walnuts, quince jam and sliced apples.

Bee travel editor Janet Fullwood can be reached at (916) 321-1148 or jfullwood@sacbee.com.