Hiatus is over!

So after a short writing break, we’re back. Time to finish the Hawaii road trip and move on to our WW,Too tour.

When we last left our hero…… we were in Oregon getting ready to depart for California. This section of the trip takes us along Hwy 101 and the Oregon / California coast through some of the most beautiful country in the US. The coast is certainly pleasant to see and pretty fun to drive but the times we dodged in and out of the giant Sequoias was just as amazing.

We didn’t elect to pay for the experience of driving our car through a giant redwood (somewhere around $20.00) but we did take a little side trip through the Avenue of the Giants. The weather was great and the cruise through this forest was incredible. Trees towered more than 200’ above us and were wider than Kim Kardasian’s better known asset. Really amazing that people had the foresight to preserve these wonders of nature and not cut them down for firewood or to build a really nice shed.

Once we cross the state line to California the views got a little more mundane. We went from coastal views to farmlands, dried hills and pretty much a general brown state of things. Not a lot of water in the area where we were and most of the streams and rivers were shallow or dried up. Guess that explains why the water from the Colorado River is diverted to California and never makes it to the ocean.   At least here in Colorado we get to see it before it becomes Kirkland’s Best.

Long day of driving, about 6-7 hours until we reach our destination or should I say “mecca”. Our overnight will be in Calistoga, right in Napa Valley and home to some excellent wine! Just like a moth to a flame, we found our way to Napa Valley with no problems. We had reserved a room at Villa Mimosa just inside Calistoga city limits for the night and arrived in time for cocktail hour!

We were met by the manager who was quite pleasant and welcoming. Nice B&B with 6-8 rooms, all private and just renovated. The original building was a roadhouse from the 50’s that the new owners had completely remodeled into a marvelous B&B. Outside there was comfortably padded furniture with pillows and blankets for those cozy, cool evenings, along with nice music playing in the background. Not Ted Nugent but some relaxing tunes that went really well with the complimentary bottle of cabernet provided by the manager. After a long drive, just what the doctor ordered!

The next morning we decided to hit up Alexander Valley vineyards for a tasting. This is one of the very few remaining vineyards that does not charge for a tasting. If you want to upgrade to their “reserve” wines, you can pay $10 for the tasting of about 8 wines and if you chose to buy a bottle, the $10 is applied to the cost. Actually a pretty good deal. The tours of the cellars and process areas are totally free and include a sampling of their reserve wine in French oak and American oak barrels, just for a taste comparison.

Back on the road and off to Gilroy, California, garlic capital of the world!!!!!!!!