Napa Valley

After two delightful days in Monterey we departed Wednesday on a trip along the California coast enroute to the Napa Valley. Lush greenery and beautiful coastlines, but not nearly as many groves of oranges to see. We arrived in the city of Napa after lunch and began our drive up the valley. Pat had plans for tours and wine-tastings and I went along as the driver/navigator.

The fields of grapevines are endless. The scenery is too good for postcards. Our first stop was at Robert Mondavi Winery. We walked around for a bit, shot a few photos and moved on to the next stop, the V. Sattui Winery. Here Pat did the wine tasting bit, although, thankfully, she did not spit the residue into a pot. I don't think the folks in California have ever had the pleasure of seeing a southern gal spit. This winery had a great gift shop with high end items and a very good deli that reminded us of a scaled down Whole Foods.

When we returned to the city of Napa in the afternoon we made a beeline to "Sweetie Pie's", a local bakery/deli. If you have ever watched the Food Channel on cable, you have probably watched Giada's show. I'm not sure about how to spell her name, but I sure know why I watch the show. Needless to say, most men watch the show because of their interest in the culinary arts. Anyway, on a show several months ago when our trip was in the embryo stage, Giada made a visit to Sweetie Pie's. We made it a point to visit the shop yesterday and again today. It was worth it.

Today we returned to the Napa Valley specifically to go on a tour of the Rutherford Hill Winery. The setting is so beautiful that it is used almost daily for weddings, receptions, galas, parties and fund-raisers. This tour, like the others Pat researched, is build around a wine-tasting followed by a 45 minutes tour. We struggled somewhat with the wine tasting as most of the available wines were red, ranging from $35 to $75 per bottle. The tour, however, was an entertaining and informative 45 minutes.

At the conclusion of the tour we headed to the outlet park so that Pat could help me pick out some walking shoes. Instead she left me to fend for myself while she went to Gymboree's to pick out clothing for our yet unborn grandson. October will not arrive soon enough!

Tomorrow Tour Director Pat has us scheduled to visit the Jelly Belly factory in Fairfield, CA. Can't wait to see how the little devils are made. Afterwards we set out for Reno for a slight diversion, and then to Jackson Hole, WY where we will stay four or five days. I have convinced Pat to go wild water rafting while there. I don't think she is going to succeed in getting me to go on a balloon ride. We'll see!