San Francisco and homeward

We reluctantly left Tanglewood House after breakfast Saturday and drove down to San Francisco. Luckily we received cash for the tire replacement and put the Yaris debacle behind us. We brought the warm vineyard sun with us and San Francisco was unusually hot and dry. After we checked in to the Omni Hotel, we ventured into Chinatown. The Oriental Pearl caught our eye (ok, it was the only thing downhill in an all-uphill town!) and we ordered the dim sum lunch sampler without knowing what we were getting. We tried to identify what we were eating, but the main goal was to keep up with the endless platters being delivered. Turns out this was on Rachel Ray's list of places to eat, so our luck continues in finding good food in unfamiliar towns.

I wanted to ride a cable car, and as fate would have it, one was available right as we left the restaurant. Only two "seats" on the edge of the car remained, so off we go down the street of San Francisco hanging on for dear life! It was a classic scene. We walked to Fisherman's Wharf and jumped on a tour boat at random ($15 each seemed fair for an hour tour...) to cool off. Great views of the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, the $1M+ boat required yacht club, and the city.

We had just enough time to clean up before headed out for Moroccan food with friends Kris and Owen - great food, even better conversation, and a wonderful way to wind down our trip. We'll be back!

Rewind: Yountville and Russian River Valley

I thought I was out of sequence somewhere. After our balloon ride, on the recommendation of our pilot, we took a road trip northeast to the Russian River Valley. Before we left Yountville we walked to the famed French Laundry to take photos. We weren't able to get - or afford - a table for 2, so we just admired from the sidewalk. I bet a $500 meal tastes great, but save it for your 50th anniversary.

We enjoyed the scenery along the way, stopping for fresh cherries sold on the roadside and the Petrified Forest in the cool trees. Clos de Bois is one of our favorites back home, so we stopped to see where it comes from and tasted their reserve stock. The staffer in the tasting room recommended Diavola for lunch, and it did not disappoint. I had a butter leaf, blue cheese, and date salad while Wally picked lightly grilled romaine hearts with a vinaigrette. Perfect for light lunch on the go. From there we were off to Ferrari-Caranos, a pretentious estate with gorgeous gardens (we went just for scenery, no wine!) and a stop at Quivira, a small family winery that was the most down to earth place we visited. We loved each of the 8 wines they poured us, and managed to bring home only 2. We moseyed back to Sonoma and tried Rinn's Thai just off the square for dinner. What a find! The BEST Thai we've ever had and the most reasonable prices for the entire trip. Highly recommended for when you can't do wine/cheese/bread anymore.

Chateau St. Jean

A beautiful winery in nearby Kenwood - recommended to us by our innkeeper. We finished our purchases here and then had a picnic lunch in the walled gardens, glass of wine in hand on a perfect day. Dinner that evening was at Kenwood Restaurant on the patio (a recommendation from the tasting room attendant at the winery). Wally - as usual - trumped me by ordering roasted duck breast with orange ginger sauce and assorted veggies, while I made due with a strip steak covered in herb butter with asparagus. Dessert was flourless chocolate torte with raspberry coulis, the best either of us has had. We regretted skipping the salads earlier, but it was a nice change to head home pleasantly full instead of achingly stuffed.

Last day in wine country

Sort of a grab-bag of photos; the impressive chateau is Ledson.

Yosemite

Driving to Yosemite took us through the Central Valley - a huge agricultural area where everything we eat is grown, apparently. As you approach the foothills of the Sierra Nevada, the road is on the edge of a cliff with constant switchbacks. Video to come... We entered the park on Hwy. 120 which gave us a great view down the Valley. Since we arrived in the late afternoon, we checked in to our tent cabin and then had dinner before walking some of the bike paths, just marveling at the 3000' cliffs all around. We made it through a 43 degree night with no bears and lots of wool blankets, despite our main heater and light being off (they provided a lamp and space heater.) The next morning we took the Valley Floor Tram Tour - a great way to see the prettiest sights in the park with no driving. The weather was gorgeous as you can see. While on the tour, we saw the helicopter search and rescue teams practicing plucking climbers off the cliffs, and saw boulders dynamited off trails from rock slides. An exciting day!

As we left the park on Hwy. 140, a ranger stopped us to look at our front tire: there was a significant bubble on the sidewall and the front two were almost completely worn. He helped us call National and recommended we put on the spare to get down the mountains. National said we could drive to Fresno (look at a map to see how far that is!) to get a new car, or if we replaced the tire, they might pay for it.We carefully made it to Mariposa and a recommended garage, but alas no tire available. Three more stops with no success, and we're on to Merced. We finally get to a Pep Boys and have the tire replaced - $95 and an hour later, we're on the road. All told, it took us 8 hours from leaving the park to our bed in Sonoma. I'm reserving energy for the fight with National over getting our money for the tire replacement. Even if we have to pay it ourselves, it was worth it to avoid a possible blowout on the way home. Many thanks to Glenn Gibbons at the Arch Rock entrance for his sharp eye on our tires!

We slept well after our adventure yesterday. Today we're wrapping up a few wineries we haven't covered yet, and revisiting a few we liked but didn't buy from. San Francisco tomorrow, then home Sunday. Where did the time go?!

Balloon ride

If you're ever looking for a good reason to get up a 5 am, ballooning is it! It was cold and early and dark, and as we rose up in the sky, all of that ended. It's extremely peaceful and a great way to orient yourself to the geography of the area. Highly recommended, especially with a champagne brunch to end the morning.

Loxton

We stopped at Imagery, a winery owned by Benzinger, for a picnic lunch next to the bocce court. Next we were off to Loxton - appointment only, since the winemaker himself handles tastings. Chris Loxton is below, explaining that the secret to wine is to grow the best fruit you can and not mess it up along the way. "I'm not a magician!" He lives on the property most of the year, except for a trip back home to Australia in January. One of our favorite memories so far. We bought a bottle of his most excellent syrah and had him sign it for us - we're saving it for our 10th anniversary.

Benzinger Family Winery

This was our first stop on the Sonoma wine tour on Monday - Benzinger is a family-owned winery that does biodynamic organic farming in a bowl-shaped spot in the valley. We got a great overview of how to make wine, and we finally found a chardonnay we both like. Our guide said the family is committed to the local area and is one of the few wine families that hasn't devolved into infighting or sold off to a conglomerate. A great place to start.

On the way to wine country

the fig cafe

Pan seared chicken breast with mashed potatoes and mustard greens; sirloin burger with white cheddar, tarragon aioli fries

Travel day

We were up very early this morning to catch our flight - the up side is that we get a lot of daylight to enjoy California. Since we were traveling on frequent flier tickets, we upgraded to first class from Atlanta to San Francisco. The seats are bigger, you get a real meal with china and silverwear, and the attendants just seem to care more. Definitely worth doing on long flights.

After landing, we somehow managed to navigate the airport and picked up a rental car (note to anyone doing this after us: down to baggage claim, down to the parking garage. Across to another garage. Up an elevator. Up a winding ramp. Up an escalator. Then you ride a train to the rental car area. Seriously!) The skies were sunny and clear when we got there - very little fog so we had great views driving in. We drove to San Francisco to meet Kelly and Scott for lunch, managing to make NO left turns the entire time. If you think Boston is a nightmare to drive in, then never attempt San Fran. We ate at All You Knead, a quintessential food spot near the corner of Haight-Ashbury. The portions were huge and welcome after a long day of traveling and the time change messing with our food schedule. Kelly told us that plenty of people give their leftovers to people on the street after the box them up. Instead of Goodwill, most people go to local parks for clothing swaps - bring your stuff and pick out some at the same time. We got a good feel for San Francisco in the short time we were there. The Victorian row houses are gorgeous, the parks plentiful, and the streets are ridiculous. It's a city with a distinct style and feeling; one of the best reasons to travel.

Off to the wine country! After a quick trip across the Golden Gate bridge, we were soon enjoying rolling hills covered in vines. Glen Ellen is in the Valley of the Moon - north up from Sonoma and more residential and quiet. Tanglewood House is a beautiful suite with gardens surrounding the private entrance. There are hammocks, a gazebo surrounded by roses, and a patio table where we can have breakfast. Incredibly romantic and relaxing - just what we wanted! When we arrived, our host's grandchildren were enjoying the pool and their Mother's Day visit, so we had an opportunity to settle in and enjoy the wine and cheese set out for our arrival. We've spent a couple of glasses trying to figure out where to go for dinner...decisions, decisions. More tomorrow!

View from our room:

Counting down

We're headed to California on Sunday - a week in Sonoma and Napa, with a short stay in Yosemite. Check back for photos and video as we go. We've planned a much more relaxed itinerary than usual; we have some definite plans (a place to stay, a balloon ride, a night in Yosemite), but otherwise we're playing it by ear. For anyone that knows me, that's a change! Should be a great way to celebrate our 5th anniversary.