Napa Valley Aug. 29, 2008

Day 5: Napa We Love Ya
Here we are. Our last day in Napa. We are done arguing with the hotel staff over their choice of music. We are done with the tired buffet breakfast. The bathroom is nice, but the room overall was so-so. I would not stay here again unless the rate was phenomenal. We were penny-pinching, so it worked for us, but if I had the money, I'd stay anywhere in Yountville. It is just the cutest little town and the restaurant availability is amazing. I'd rename the place Kellerville. That Yount guy is dead. Thomas Keller is King.

Since our trunk is now filled with suitcases, we can't put the top down. Just as well. The Volvo turned out to be the perfect car for the trip and Frank is very happy. Up the road one last time to visit the St. Supery winery. Another self-guided tour that's free. You can go out into the vineyard to see a display of different types of pruning and pick some grapes. We skipped the tasting. They do have a gallery where you get to smell different wine odors, which was educational.

Our last stop of the trip is the Robert Mondavi winery. Another hotel guest told Frank that the tour was amazing and we arrived just in time to take it. The tour turned out to be the best tour of the trip. I wish we had done it first. Our tour guide was so knowledgeable about the area and wines. We just learned so much. We now understand how to read a wine label. We got to pick grapes off the vine and taste each varietal. All in a beautiful setting. We didn't like the wines, but the experience was well worth the price.

Last stop in Yountville for lunch at the Pacific Blues Cafe. No time for lunch at Bouchon. I had a turkey burger with blue cheese and the most remarkable jalapeno jam.

Our flight was the 5:00 Friday night computer geek express from San Jose to Austin. Everybody at the gate was staring into a laptop or Blackberry. We made it home in one piece. Overall a great vacation. Not a cheap place to go, so a few days is fine. I did wonder what it is like for those who do the tastings to select wines for their own cellars. Turns out all the stuff you buy in the store is virtually crap. Who knew? I do vow to return and go to the French Laundry some day. Highlights overall were the Mondavi tour, the Sterling tour, and dinner at Bouchon.

Napa Valley Aug. 28, 2008

Day 4: Napa We're Sicka Ya
OK, enough wine tasting. It's stinkin' hot. Frank loves to drive. We've got a convertible. Let's head for the coast. After breakfast at the hotel, we put the top down, program the GPS for Bodega Bay, and head East. The drive from Napa to Sonoma goes through some amazing land. Rolling hills of grapevines - the Carneros region. The rest of the drive through Petaluma is unremarkable. Pretty soon, I spy the sign for Highway 1. We are almost there.

We drove up the coast a little ways and then it was time for lunch. Back in Bodega Bay, we dined at the Tides Restaurant. There isn't much around. We were hoping for a Captain Kidd's experience (our favorite fish place when we lived in Redondo Beach), but it was trying to be too fancy. We both had fried sole sandwiches and fries. There is a gift shop and a fish market, which we browsed briefly. Out on the deck, you can watch boats unloading fish and the birds who wait patiently for some scraps. There was a partially sunken sailboat in the harbor. When we asked the waiter about it he mumbled something about the owner being "behind in his rent".

We decided to drive up the coast and take the scenic route along the Russian River and down through Sonoma. The drive through the giant redwoods was nice, but wouldn't do it again. Sonoma isn't all that. We didn't stop at any wineries. Napa just is so much more lush and beautiful. Sonoma looks too new.

We do make one stop at the Domaine Carneros, which is an absolutely beautiful setting in the Carneros region. We didn't do a tasting. After climbing the stairs in the brutal heat, we were spent. Need to go back to the hotel for a nap.

The hotel has a lap top that you can borrow for an hour, so I looked up the menu for our dinner. The restaurant has a fixed menu that changes every day. Pork chops. Frank had pork chops last night, but he still wants to go. (you can't have too much pork!)

For our last dinner, we are going to Ad Hoc, which is another Thomas Keller restaurant in Yountville. I just realized that we have no pictures of us all cleaned up for our nights out. Sigh. Ad Hoc is a fun place. Great music. Our waiter was knowledgeable about the food and wine. Our appetizer was Spanish meatballs with fresh tomatoes picked that morning from the French Laundry's garden, just down the road. Our main course were giant pork chops over smashed Chick Peas and fresh squash from the French Laundry garden. A cheese course was next, followed by a berry cobbler over homemade vanilla ice cream. Except for the tough pork chops, the dinner was wonderful.

Top down again. After seeing Sonoma today, we are no longer sicka Napa. Back to the hotel, but we skip our nightly Beringer Port. Too pooped for Port.