Layne pointed out this is the first time we have been to Napa Valley and not gone wine tasting. Bummer, and thank you Covid. However we were both happy to see the valley itself isn’t wrecked as the vines suffered quite bit during fire season a few years ago.
We did see signs of fire but on the margins of the valley so if you drive the Silverado Trail as we did (Highway 121) everything looks normal. Normal for Napa Valley that is, a land of massive wealth celebrating tradition that stretches back all of fifty years and far less than that for the ultra wealthy tech millionaires who want to leave a legacy more fashionable than silicon in a trade about as cut throat as Silicon Valley. Wine is delicious and paradoxically full of bullshit when you are making it. I enjoyed the Guadalupe Valley in Mexico because they are up and coming and aren’t necessarily putting on a show. I like wine but the folderol that is involved in the descriptions and the tasting terms gets me irritated.
We thought about doing a harvest host stop where we might get a private tasting and spend a night at a winery in exchange for a purchase. However they don’t do off the cuff a point:ents around here, requiring up to five days advance notice which is the sort of restriction we can’t handle! We are dolts when it comes to timing so that was a non starter. We left the Bay Area and went north on a wing and a prayer as it were.
We crossed the magnificent new Bay Bridge to Alameda and went by the marina whence we sailed to Key West in 1998. We kept our boat in Alameda and spent most weekends sailing the bay getting to know our brand new Gemini catamaran so we could handle it on the trip through Central America. All too often people ask travelers about their equipment and when people asked us we always replied: practice. They wanted to buy toys to put on the boat and we advised to use the boat so you got to learn how to handle it. Same with the van, we always advise to use it before you take off. I hate giving advice as no one listens to well meaning bores like me. Buy a new toy! Especially if you have a boat!
There were the predictable problems driving north on Interstate 580 with an accident messing up the flow of thousands of cars climbing the hills and struggling through the Caldecott Tunnel. It was nice not having a deadline to meet and I wasn’t worn out from a day at work.
The Promaster gives a nice tall platform similar to a big pick up which makes it easy to see ahead and anticipate the braking and accelerating waves in lines of traffic. It all worked out and we got to Napa and entered the long winding road through the vineyards.
It’s a lovely drive and I am grateful to the crazy folk who feel the need to spend their fortunes on making wine and doing it with such style. It’s ridiculous to see French chateaux and Italian stone farmhouses set amid the grapes but it is a lovely relaxing drive and beautiful to look at. I had a great time even without tasting anything. The vines are perfect and flourishing, the roads are smooth and the accessories, barns and walls and fences are all as they should be. There was however the small problem of where to sleep.
Like everything else around here campsites cost more than they should so we set about finding a better option for one night on the road. There was one option in downtown St Helena and we stopped at a nearby day use only park to cook dinner and wait for dark. I wasn’t keen on sleeping downtown even though others have done it. The overnight spot had no prohibitions but it just felt like we might get moved along. No big deal but not ideal for a good nights sleep. I found an alternative and we drove fifteen minutes up the hill to a town I’d never heard of called Angwin. They have a grocery store with a big empty parking lot behind it. No great shakes but it worked. The next morning I drove us back down to St Helena to the little park where we had dinner.
St Helena is a pretty little town with a busy Main Street and Layne was hanging out of the window like a dog sniffing the air wishing she could go window shopping. If you have a compromised immune system masks social distancing and caution are the order of the day. We will be back when the plague is vanquished. We met her cousin for lunch and had a grand aft4noon trading travel stories and explaining how van life works. Lance used to live in the city but has retired to Sonoma County leaving the gritty city life to the youngsters. He buys and worships used Ferraris so you know we’ll be back as he promises a test ride.
We’ve parked for the night at a lovely little rest area on Highway 101. Our visit with Lance wrecked our plans as we stayed far too long having a great time chatting with our delightful hosts so instead of back tracking inland to drive the Highway 36 wonder of a road we had to take off straight toward the coast. It was a lovely drive in any event and we are hoping to spend some time on what’s known as the Lost Coast, wild camping near Cape Mendocino, an area of which I have read good things. Finally we are back on the road, alone and with horizons unlimited. We have a date next week in Seattle but until then we drove as we please. And I should note we may be going into an Internet hole for a few days. All will be revealed as soon as we see it for ourselves!
