Enjoy Spring at the Ponderosa Ridge Bed & Breakfast
While we wait patiently for the apple trees to produce their apples you can still take in the beauty that is Apple Hill.
Ponderosa Ridge is a majestic bed and breakfast settled on a stunning property surrounded by woodlands and a quaint apple orchard. The property includes three acres of apples with six varieties (Golden & Red Delicious, Granny Smith, Mutsu, Fuji and Arkansas Black). The orchard was planted long ago by the farmers at the farm next door, Smokey Ridge Farmstand & Winery. During harvest season guests get to you pick these apples and take home some tasty souvenirs. What the guests don’t pick Bonnie uses in her exceptional breakfasts and baked goods. Any apples that are left are turned into Hard Cider by Smokey Ridge.
Bill and Bonnie, the owners of this gorgeous establishment, ensure that their visitors get the very best experience when they stay at Ponderosa Ridge. Bonnie’s breakfasts tend to be large, so bring your appetite. A sample breakfast menu includes Bacon Cheddar Chive Biscuits, real Corned Beef Hash w/poached eggs and homemade Strawberry Pudding topped with strawberry whip cream and chocolate shavings to finish. If that doesn’t whet your appetite Bonnie recently has been perfecting her panna cottas so don’t be surprised if one finds its way to your plate during your stay.
Bill and Bonnie always loved the hills and mountain areas of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Bonnie had wanted to run a bed and breakfast after she and her mom has stayed in one in Oregon. Ask Bonnie about that experience—it is her story to tell. Deciding it was time to start a new adventure together they packed up their home in Sunnyvale, CA and headed to Placerville, CA. Placerville was the perfect place, close to South Lake Tahoe, in the Apple Hill Area, great hiking, excellent restaurants nearby and a terrific history.
Ponderosa Ridge Bed and Breakfast received its name from the many majestic Ponderosa Pines that surround the B&B and cover the property. The owners felt it essential to sustain the beauty of the forest surrounding them and chose to have the pines ‘vaccinated’ from the bark beetle to save them. Bring a book or just relax in your own thoughts as you listen the soft song of the wind drifting through the pines creating a lovely soft sound.
The bed and breakfast is open all year long but, spring is a great time to take in the showcase of fragrant flowers and blooming fruit trees (peonies, azaleas camellias, irises, apple, plum, pear, flowering cherry and more). Make sure to check out the handcrafted peony stained-glass window when you visit. The B&B is surrounded by trails and hikes or you can sit on the wrap-around porch and watch the humming birds ‘play’. Be sure to ask Bill about all the different wildlife you can see around the B&B like squirrels, deer, coyotes, opossums, skunks, raccoons, birds of all kinds, ring snakes (harmless), turkeys, bears in the fall and even a mountain lion.
With dozens of activities that are both entertaining and relaxing, phenomenal homemade breakfasts, and a sense of peace and serenity, visitors to the Ponderosa Ridge B&B will find themselves falling into a deep and relaxing state of body and mind. Visit www.ponderosaridgebnb.com and book a stay soon.
