Calistoga Day Four & Five...

Last two days!

Today we got up a bit slower.  Shocking I know.  I think we may have drank the city yesterday.  But surprisingly enough with good wine and well paced drinking throughout the day with food, you don’t have a hang over the next day!  Yay!!!

When we finally did roll our asses out the door, todays plan was to head northwest to the Russian River Valley area.  I was pretty excited about this since I had never been past Calistoga.  Lisa and her man stayed up in Guerneville in the Russian River Valley area and she wanted to show me the area. 

First we decided to stop in Healdsburg though to check out the town and have an early lunch.  We found it quite easy and even easier found a parking spot.  The place seemed to be jumping so I was actually surprised how easy it was to park!  Sweet!  There were lots of fun little sculptures here and there that I tried to catch on my camera and the city was super cute!  

This horse was made of all metal and wood!

Really cool sculpture - all spoons and water dripping through them making the sweetest sound!

 It was a darling little small town and this area was really pretty.  A lot of the shops I think my mom would actually love, so I was making a mental note to make sure to tell her to get up here at some point.

We wandered in and out of a few shops checking out the area then our stomachs instructed us to eat.  We landed at Costeaux Bakery.     

Breakfast of Champions

What a great little find!  Lisa ordered a spinach omelet and I got a turkey cranberry sandwich on this amazing multi grain bread.  So good!!!  I also got myself my 1^st adult beverage – a hibiscus!  Yum!! 

Around this time we also noticed that the service everywhere we have been is somewhat slow.  We’ve never been in a hurry so it’s never a big deal but I find it kind of funny that it seems to be a Northern California thing – slow service.  You just come in, chill for a while then eat.  Don’t get me wrong – I fucking love it and I do wish our Southern California folks would slow the hell down but its something to muse on for sure.

As we got ready to leave I actually bought a loaf of the multi grain bread.  I hope it keeps because it’s so friggin good!!!

Of we went.  Back on the road and after a few missed turns we were on our way.  We ended up driving through a pretty windy road through the redwoods.  Just beautiful!!!!!!  I really just could not get over the scenery.  So green!  So gorgeous!!!  The road was a bit hairy at times and I drove like a gramma trying not to get us both carsick and we ended up passing a bunch of wineries.  We decided to just pull into one that looked pretty and or inviting. 

MacRoste it was!  It was up a bit on a hill overlooking gorgeous vineyards.   

As we walked up we were greeted by a very perky girl with two glasses of wine in her hand.  “Welcome!!!  She squeaked.  “Glass of our Chardonnay?”  Um hell yes!!!!  Who greets you at the door with wine?!  She told us a bit about the winery, telling us they have been making wine for 28 years but just opened this winery 5 months ago!  So brand new!!  We came into this beautifully designed building that had a panoramic view of the vineyards through huge open windows.  Um gorgeous.  We were sat at a long table and had an option of 3 different tastings.  

Lisa and I chose different ones so we could taste more varietals.  Our gal was super nice and believe it or not – I loved the Chardonnay!!!!  What the hell is wrong with me!!  Yes I bought a bottle!  Of WHITE!  I’m a shell of my former self.  Anyway, a really great experience and they had some really great wines!  I’d love to come back here but will call ahead to make a reservation so we could sit outside!  Gorgeous location!

Hello beautiful!

We drove along the beautiful redwoods and vineyards for a while then landed at Korbel Winery and Delicatessen.   

By this time we were kind of hungry again so we opted to grab a snack.  It was perfect!!!  They had a tasting room, but we wandered into the Deli and ordered a couple of small salads.  We then grabbed a table outside under the redwood trees.  It was such a beautiful setting I couldn’t get over it!!!  I also ordered myself a pomegranate bellini which was so yummy!!!  We snapped pictures, munched on our salads and sipped the sparkles.  So beautiful. So peaceful.  An absolutely perfect stop.  Defiantly going to return!

Our view

My view when I looked up

Again...could die happy

After this we drove awhile more and landed into the Guerneville area Lisa was wanting to revisit and show me around.  We drove through the tiny town, then drove to the Bed and Breakfast they stayed at last time.  It was so cute!  The whole place reminded me of Big Bear.  She then showed me the little off beaten path where you can go and lay on the river!  Now this floored me.  I didn’t realize the Russian River was like a little River town.  We saw folks floating around the river, laying out on the beach, relaxing out there like it was Havasu!  I had no idea!!!  There were a bunch of different areas you could do this and I’m so coming back here!!!  I plan to stay up this way so we can enjoy the river beach aspect of it as well as the wineries! I’m so excited for this find!  Thank you Lisa for showing me!  

I may paint Herbie this color

After that we decided to hit one more winery before we headed back to our motel.  We didn’t have a very good idea of where we were, and it was getting near winery closing time so we opted for Old World

A little tiny winery we passed that I liked the name of.  It ended up being like a little farmhouse with a very nice little gal that did a cheap tasting.   

I was a bit worried at 1^st because the first couple of wines I tasted were not good.  But she explained some issues they were having with some of the harvests, etc and boy could you taste it.  But then the Petite Syrah she poured for me was really good!!  There was another blend that was yummy as well.  Then there was this weird grape called the Abouriou that she said was usually a hit or miss with people.  I guess it's not common here in the US, more of a European thing.  I didn’t care for it but it was certainly a trip to taste.  I bought a bottle of the Syrah – it was onsale!  And after we stopped and hello to the chickens (I told you it was a farm) we hit the road. 

We shot back to our motel way quicker than I thought and relaxed for a bit.  In fact – Lisa passed right out!  I caught up on some emails, chatted with mom, read one of my magazines then my stomach won out and I woke Lisa up so we could get dinner.

We walked back into town and decided to hit up the Calistoga Inn & Brewery.  They had beautiful outdoor seating and a guy was playing guitar and singing and it ended up being the perfect last dinner of our vacay.   

I ordered the special steak and it was fantastic!  It had these caramelized onions all over it that were soooooo good!  Then I had fun purple potatoes which apparently are Peruvian Potatoes.  So trippy! Lisa got a yummy basil pizza (Oh I miss cheese) and I had a really great Russian River Pinot Noir called Romililly.  I want to remember that because it was quite good!  We then split a Blackberry Crisp that was also delicious!

Back to our room we came, early enough to hit the hot tub for a bit, and now back in our rooms tired and happy.  Oh...and here's my haul:

 Lisa just purchased one bottle from Tedeschi but it was her 1st purchase at a winery ever and I was so proud - so I had to capture it!

The next morning we got up, did our usual coffee and stumble, shower, packed up and out the door.  I said goodbye to the Cottages and goodbye to another rad vacay as we headed out.

 We opted to head home via the 101 again since it was so beautiful and it's really only like an hour longer than the 5.  The 5 is just so ugly and depressing.  So again -a few missed turns and we were on our way!  We pretty much did a straight shot to Gilroy.  As you may have read, I was super interested in stopping at the Garlic Capital.  Well, sadly this did not live up to my expectations.  BUT - we still of course enjoyed ourselves.  I think I was picturing some sort of garlic mecca, with many garlic stores and yummies, etc.  Well - it's really just a run down little town that has a lot of boarded up stores and interesting folks roaming around.  But - still cool and interesting.

After checking out our food options we landed on the Old City Hall Restaurant for our lunch.  

It actually ended up being rad.  We sat out on the patio.  It was the only place that wasn't crowded.  It was nice and chill and the poor little waitress was running around like crazy and very happy when she realized we weren't in a hurry.  Plus there was a cat!  This little cat was running around the patio and so cute and friendly.  I named him Gilroy.

How can you resist those eyes!

I ordered a delicious red (I swear the wine is just better in Northern California) and a chicken sandwich.  It was ok.  Gilroy got some of it of course.  Lisa got a catfish sandwich that she said wasn't all that great, but again - Gilroy made out.  He loved us.  Rubbed against our legs, purred, meowed thank yous and hung out with us.  The best thing we got was this roasted garlic appetizer.  I mean we had to get something garlic in the garlic capitol!!!  It was so damn good!  It came with little crositinis and balsamic dressing and the garlic...ooooooo the garlic!  So delicious!  We enjoyed our slow lunch then headed on out.

We made another stop at the Madonna Inn - because...well...it was so rad.  This time we actually popped a squat at the copper (yes copper) bar and got some wine and cake!  I also decided I needed to purchase a set of those gaudy water goblets so I did!  A purple one and a green one!

We hit the road again.  I was so glad we opted for the 101 route.  It was so beautiful!!!  We were apparently having a really weird tropical storm and we did start hitting weird random rain bursts starting after San Luis Obispo which made for some gnarly driving conditions and lots of traffic but still...gorgeous!!!!  At one point we pulled off the side of the road and gazed out at the ocean.  It was one of the most serene moments I have experienced in my entire life.  The clouds were dancing over the ocean.  The sun peeking through.  The ocean was so flat and quiet.  I think it had to do with the storms.  You could hear a pin drop for miles.  It was spectacular.  I could have stood there for hours.

Peace

Back on the road (But I have made a mental note of this vista point) and after a very long drive home we made it!  I dropped Lisa off to her lovely boyfriend and happy dog.  Rob greeted her with a kiss and a beer and I had a little twang of loneliness which was quickly curbed, as I was still on such a high.  I got home at around 10pm and unloaded my car in the rain.  The kitties were so happy I was home!

This trip has been an absolute ball!  I probably spent almost as much as I did last time I was up here and don’t have one regret.  This is my once a year vacation and dammit I’m going to enjoy it!  The place we were staying was perfect!  The town of Calistoga has treated us well.  I’ve found some new places up here I want to explore and some new ones I want to revisit!  Lisa and I make good travel buddies and I’m sure this won’t be our last trip together!  I do want to bring Libby back up to Russian River as well...I know she'll love it!

As always I’m so grateful for opportunities like this!  Taking the time to get away for a few days is really something I’m so glad I’ve worked into my life.  I’ll splurge sometimes and not feel bad.  That’s what vacation is for!!!!

I'm home now, back to the real world, but with some awesome memories and adventures under my belt as well as a shit ton more wine!

Calistoga Day Three...

Holy crap it’s already day 3!!

Today was the day we decided to head down south.  I really wanted to revisit Domaine Caneros and I knew I would end up purchasing a few bottles (which I did!) so off we went!

Our reservation was at 11 but we rolled in just after 10am.  The drive down was just beautiful.  My iPod blasting my “Happy Playlist” and Lisa and I laughing and singing along at times.  We chilled in the parking lot a while finishing up our lyrical amaziness and then headed up about 10:30.   

Back to my favorite!

The blondes do Napa

They were super cool and sat us early.  We sat in almost the same exact spot as Libby and I did last year.  So awesome.  I opted this time for the more expensive flight and Lisa decided just to do a glass of the Pinot.  I also ordered the smoked salmon plate to get some food in my belly and it was absolutely delicious!

I could die happy

I loved all the varietals I tasted but didn’t end up buying any due to the cost.  I did purchase some of the ones I purchased last year though and remembered how much I enjoyed them. 

  

This was one of my favorite moments.  Sitting at this beautiful winery that over looked the Sonoma valleys, drinking delectable wine and eating yummy fresh smoked salmon is seriously my heaven.  I was so happy and basked in the moment.  It's times like these I would like to actually grab time and just say wait...wait for just a little longer.  It all goes by so fast!

1 Champagne and 2 Pinot Noirs!

After this Lisa wanted to check out the downtown a bit so we headed to Oxbow Market – another regular visit when Libby and I were here.  We wandered around then opted for lunch at CA Momi.  It was a bit different than before, but still very yummy.  I got a prosciutto sandwich and Lisa a spaghetti with a fishy type sauce.  We of course accompanied our food with some Pinot Noir.  Yum! 

Drunken adding

Wandering around the market a bit more, I picked up some cupcakes for a surprise gift for Libby (you all remember the cupcake saga from last year right?) and then we grabbed a cup of coffee and enjoyed some mini cupcakes so Lisa could taste the hype.

We decided then to head up Silverado Trail and hit Miner Winery per the recommendation of the guy over at Rutherford.  And what a recommendation it was!  This winery was another family winery.  You went upstairs to the tasting room and a very cool ginger helped us out.  We just did one taste we’d share.  It was fantastic!  The reds were ok, but I actually loved the Rose and the Sauvignon Blanc!  Um who am I???!!!!  We tasted a few at the bar then chilled outside on the beautiful patio a bit while we finished the flight.  I ended up buying the 2 whites.  WHITES!!!!  I did also pick up a bottle for my sis in law.  I'd told her I'd get her a bottle of wine for her birthday.  I chose the Syrah which was quite good and a bit on the fruity side.  It was actually a wine that the Miner folks got together with the other fellow they share a vineyard with and came up with this yummy wine.  I'd like to come back to this one and make a reservation for one of their cave tours the guy was talking about.  I really liked them alot!

Self timer at Miner

View from Miner

The Miner folks recommended Chimney Rock Winery so we backtracked 6 miles joking that this place better be worth it.  Well funny enough the wine wasn’t (This was literally the only place I didn't buy wine) but the experience was! The wines were ok, but the prices!!  Ouch.

This is where we met Rick – a quirky guy with long curly hair who supposedly is a mechanical engineer.  Now – I want to believe him, and I’m sure it’s all true – I mean he did show us some pictures but it was so random! Ha!  Him and Lisa hit it off and chatted the whole time. 

Thanks for the wine Rick!

 She’s like a dude magnet.  He offered to pay for us to do another tasting…um ok!  So there we were chatting and laughing with this random guy.  He is married and super cool and talked of all sorts of things and really wanted us to join him for dinner which we politely declined, but he did pay for our tasting.  When we said our goodbyes we went to pay for our original tasting and they laughed and said don’t worry about it.  Rick seemed to be a favorite of the Chimney Rock folks (he’s one of their more colorful wine club members I’m assuming) and we didn’t have to pay.  Rad!!!!!  So that was fucking awesome.  

We then headed back to our motel to unload our goodies and then wander into town for our nightly dinner hunt.  We walked into town a bit earlier and got to check out some of the local stores.  One of my favorites was Studio Kokomo.  Really lovely artwork and photography and I almost bought one of the hand-painted wine glasses but decided not to.  I may just have to make another trip up here for one of these glasses.  He he he!  I did end up getting cute tank at one of the little boutiquey stores though.

We landed at Hyrdo Grill for dinner – a place Lisa remembered from college as a pasta place they used to frequent, but we were happy with what it was now.  She got herself a fish burger and myself a turkey burger.  Very good!  We again – guess what – yup got wine.   By now I was starting to feel the wine a bit.  

I heart this pic of us

We then headed over to Brannans again for a drink at the bar, hoping to run into Lexi.  We did!  We each got a glass of Pinot and this is when I realized I was getting pretty tipsy.  Lexi came over and said "Hey!  It's my girls!!!!"  and we exchanged phone numbers to meet up later, but here I am typing this blog with quite the buzz and swollen ankle (I’ll get to in a minute) and I don’t think it’s going to happen.  Anywhoo – great night! 

Pretty tipsy at this point

Lisa and I then tipsly headed back a different way to our motel and happened upon a playground.  Now – when you’ve been drinking – common sense tends to leave you.  Lisa said she could hop over the fence and did just that, swinging a bit on the tire swing.  I stayed outside snapping photos.  She tried to hope back over and it did not end up as graceful as she hoped…slight injury.  I then felt the need to show her the proper way to hop over a fence.  My hop over was fucking awesome and exactly what I wanted to prove.  My hop back over was not.  I was wearing fancy flip flops with a slight heel, oh and I’m "Not Sober" as we called it,  and landed very wrong.  Slightly sprained ankle which is now a bit swollen.  So ya that happened.

Before the fence incident

We’ve now been back in our room laughing and eating the junk food I bought at the store.  Lisa did a dramatic reading of yesterdays blog:

Ready for her Oscar

And now I’m probably going to pass right out and hope not to be too hungover tomorrow.  This has been an awesome day!!!!

Oh and PS – Lisa is a writer and she’s been coming up with titles of memoirs.  Mine is “Delicious”.  I love this.  I really think it’s super appropriate.  So be on the lookout….Jami’s memoir coming titled “Delicious”.

Yes.