Beautiful blue-green Pacific in Drake Bay, California
We wanted to go somewhere within a day or two's driving time. We haven't taken a car trip for ages. We thought about Canada, but we've been there. We thought about Washington, but we go there a lot. We thought about Idaho, but want to save that for another time. That left Oregon or California. For some reason, we didn't want to go anywhere in Oregon, so we put our heads together, checked out our Wyndham and WorldMark books and zeroed in on Clear Lake, California. It sounded like a beautiful place to go for a fall vacation.
Well, that got me to thinking that Clear Lake isn't that far from Napa Valley, Sausalito, or the Oakland area, so we could make it a tour of the Wine Country and see a friend of mine (Judi Colby-Forman), who lives in Nicasio Valley, which is practically next door to Sausalito; and Dean could see an old friend of his from Taos (Israel Stein), who lives right over the Richmond bridge near Oakland. And, so we began planning our trip.
It was fun to be doing a car trip again. We could take our time and actually "see" the countryside, up close and personal, instead of flying over it! We began our journey on Thursday, November 8th, and drove through as far as Redding, California. We were reminded that the last time we were here was about 4 years ago to attend a Michael W. Smith Christmas Concert. Amazing memories! This time, we were just stopping over night on our way south along I-5..
We checked into our Howard Johnson motel, got a little rest, then walked up the street to one of the best restaurants ever! We ordered 1/2 a rack of the most delicious ribs we have had in ages. After dinner we walked back to the motel. (We needed that walk after that dinner!) Then, we tried to decide whether or not we were too tired to go to the midnight showing of "Skyfall," the newest 007 movie due to be released in theaters the next night. It wasn't a hard decision, and we opted to go. I have to say, it was worth staying up all night to see! We got back to the motel at 3:00 a.m.
Needless to say, we were really, really tired when we got up @ 9:00 a.m. to get some breakfast, shower, check out and get back on the road to head south. Dean opted for coffee and I opted for Dr. Pepper to keep us "alive!" Driving south was so beautiful. I drove this time (because it was daylight) and though I took the "long way around" to get to my friend, Judi's house, it was certainly scenic! Neither one of us had been in this part of California before.
Acres of Grape vines at Robert Mondavi Winery
We stopped in Napa Valley, along the way, and visited the amazing Robert Mondavi Winery. It was a new experience for me, but Dean had been on these kinds of tours before. We took a tour and saw the rows and rows of grape vines, wearinig their beautiful fall foliage. Next, we went into where they press, mix and age the wine. That is quite a process. I hadn't realized that they use yeast to help the distilling process, just like they do in beer or ale or whiskey. All I could smell was the very distinct odor of the yeast. The last part of the tour, took us into a "tasting" room. I was apprehensive about this part, but rather than turn my glasses upside down, I let the tour guide pour it, did all of the "sniffing," "whirling," and when it came to tasting, I stuck my tongue in it and said, "Yuck!" I don't know whether or not I offended the guy or not, but I did the same with two other wines. I'm sorry, folks, drinker or not, I think any wine is yucky. There is a distinct yeast taste to it, and for the life of me, I don't know what the big deal is about it--at all!
Dean inside Winery Processing Area
Hundreds of barrells of aging wine.
Dean in front of fountain, entrance to Winery.
We arrived at Judy's home about dinner time and were welcomed with open arms. She and George were so gracious, first to have us there, and second to feed us such wonderful food, provide a room and bathroom of our own, and lastly plan our activities for the next day! I hardly know Judi, but she is quickly becoming a dear friend.
Beginning of our 5+ mile hike.
Raccoon paw prints on the beach.
On Saturday morning, we woke up early, had a great breakfast and headed out to hike in a seashore preserve called Point Reyes National Preserve. We walked along the beautiful beach that lies along Drake Bay. Oh, the beauty of this hike. It was a 5 1/4 mile round trip. I can honestly say, I enjoyed every mile of it and only started getting rubbery legs the last 1/2 mile.
Judi and Lori, walking the beach.
Catching some sun reys near the end of our hike.
After the hike, we went to a nice restaurant in Fairfax that the Forman's recommended. It was called PunJabe's Burritos. It was Indian food served in their flat bread, rolled up like a burrito. It was very good. After lunch, 4 very tired hikers were ready for visiting, a delicious dinner, prepared by Judy and George, and then, off to bed. We had a wonderful day.
Lori, in front of a wonderful gallery in Sausalito.
The fountain in the center of the park.
Dean, posing with an R.C. Gorman painting in background.
On Sunday, Dean had planned to drive over the Richmond Bridge, to Oakland, where he wanted to visit with his old Taos buddy, Israel (Izzy) Stein. Israel is now a Cantor in his Synagogue and so he has asked us not to call him "Izzy!" Before traveling over the bridge to see Israel and Sue, we took a side trip to Sausalito. I have always wanted to go there, and I wasn't disappointed. It is an artsy community, much like Taos! In fact, there is a little shop there, called Kokopelli Gallery, that has Southwestern artifacts and jewelry...and low, and behold, the owner, Johathan Lucero, is from Taos. Small world. We also visited a gallery that featured an artist by the name of Rodney Lough. He is a photographer, par excellance! He is a BYU Grad, and makes his home in Happy Valley, Oregon! We keep finding out just how small our world really is!
Israel Stein and wife, Susan.
Dean and Israel (Izzy).
Our visit with Israel was very interesting. When he left Taos, he went back to New York, where he studied to become a Steinway Piano re-builder. He has his own business in the basement of their tiny little home. He had a full-sized Steinway Grand piano in his garage, with the "guts" taken out of it, and he is in the process of re-building it. Amazing what one can do with an old piano. We had a nice visit, and at its end, said our good-byes and went back to Judi's house. We stopped on the way to get a bite to eat, because we were starved. We stopped again in Fairfax.
One little side note...Judi and George live on Lucas Road, in Lucas Valley. And, yes, it is named after none other than, George Lucas. He happens to own nearly all of the valley, and has a huge, fenced off estate, complete with recording and movie studio on the property. We stopped there on our way out of town to takes some pictures of the fence, pastures, and gate. (He's not liked very much there, something about water rights! Sort of reminds me of another actor I know, namely Robert Redford, in Provo Canyon, Utah!)Monday morning early, we posed for some pictures with Judi and George, said good-bye, thanked them for their wonderful hospitality, and went on our way to go look for Jack London"s "Valley of the Moon" Museum and the grounds of his amazing ranch. It didn't take much to find it, and we were so very glad that we came. We took so many pictures, that it makes me wonder if I should do a separate writing on this part of our trip. In fact, I think I will break this vacation up into three parts. This will conclude the first part, and part two will be our visit to Jack London's Ranch. Last, I will cover our trip to Clear Lake, which was a highlight of our vacation.
Ta-Ta for now...
No comments:
Post a Comment