So we went back on Day 3 for more amazing California scenery. The first thing we did was to drive up and visit Muir Woods. Muir Woods is a beautiful park that had some amazingly tall redwoods. Since we didn't have time to make the 5+ hour journey up to see the Redwoods in the Redwood National Park, Muir Woods gave us some of those tall old trees instead.
After navigating some curvy, hilly roads with sharp turns, we pulled into the parking lot and it was packed! As much as I'm happy the park is conserving the forest by not building any more parking, the situation was a nightmare! We had to wait until another visitor left before we could get a spot.
But once there, it was very worth it. The forest, for having so many visitors is amazingly peaceful. It reminded me of my time in Colorado, except without the heavy hiking! We walked around, took some pictures inside giant tree trucks and moved on, all the while looking up as the trees towered above us.
Afterword, we headed up to Napa valley. I was very excited as this was the only part of San Francisco Area that I had never been to before. The drive into Napa is very picturesque and we saw a lot of beautiful land on the way up (yes, I sound like a broken record, but California is by far the most beautiful state in the country!) We hopped out and took a picture by the big Napa Valley sign. Apparently, we started a trend because after we did it, several cars pulled up and did the same!
The first winery we stopped at was the Sterling vineyards. My aunt and uncle chose this one because it is a beautiful winery to tour. First we went up on a tram ride to the top of the hill where the winery is located, which was really fun! Then, we got to try a lot of wine and we had a delicious meat and cheese tray we enjoyed while enjoying the sun and scenery. Pretty cool!
Next we went to the Mumm champagne place. Again, nice scenery and we all had champagne samples. Although everyone else was not a big fan, I had a fun time trying the different kinds and found all of them to be pretty delicious. In fact, I finished the other samples people didn't want, but thankfully I didn't go overboard! haha.
Last, but not least. We went to the Beringer winery. This one had some really cool architecture! This winery was built like a fortress and had some cool stone walls and even a castle (unfortunately, we didn't have time to go explore it!) But, we got to try a lot of different wines at this place too and the staff at Beringer were very nice and friendly. So, we took a lot of pics, Sharon and I bought a bottle each of red wine to use for cooking when we got home, and then we were done.
Lastly, we ate dinner at a very nice Napa restaurant. Cindy Pawlcyn's Woodfire Grill was the perfect way to end the evening. The food was very California (diverse, different yet homey feeling and down-to-earth) and we left feeling full of food, wine, and fun!
I loved the drive back through Napa. It was just gorgeous! The sunset was perfect, the small, windy countryside road felt warm and comforting. It was exactly what I imagined in my head when I pictured the perfect trip so long ago when I was stressing out during my last semester of graduate school. It was a great moment and a great feeling and I won't soon forget how calm and relaxed I felt.
Here are photos from this part of the adventure. Enjoy!
The next post is Alcatraz and the strange trip we had going back to Arizona. Stay tuned!
Nick
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