We drove up to visit Kay and David’s house. Last time we were here they were just building it.
Highway 101 goes from 4 lanes to two lanes through the old growth redwoods here. The state wants to widen the highway, but the locals want to save the redwoods. Some of the big trees are right up to the white line on the side. I would go with saving the trees and leaving the highway narrow. Their house is on 80 acres in hills in a thick chaparral forest. It is up a really, really steep 4 mile dirt road, mostly their driveway. This is the greenhouse and house behind the fall oak trees on the way in.
They are totally off the grid using solar, generator and a spring. It is a beautiful house in a really pretty area. Kay and John in the kitchen. We had left over turkey sandwiches for lunch on their deck in the sun. It was only in the high 40’s, but warm in the sun.
We went on a 4 mile hike, on their driveway. I lived in these kind of hills as a child and love it. Kay and Sue petting some little ponies in the neighbors yard. Oak trees silhouetted by evening light.
Kay, David and John on the road. Sunset out the bus window.
Some of the birds outside the bus at the Richardson’s Redwood Grove RV park. Oak trees lining the road on the way into Calistoga.
The coach at the Calistoga fairgrounds RV park. We soaked at the Calistoga Spa Hot Springs this afternoon. There are lots of hot spring resorts here, but almost all of them you have to either stay there or get an expensive spa treatment to soak. This place is one of the only that will let you soak. $25 per person, but worth it.
The sun came out, it was almost 70 degrees. Old Faithful geyser in Calistoga goes off once an hour. Of course you have to pay to go in and see it, and we didn’t. Some vineyards along my bike ride this am.
We toured the Sterling vineyard today. You take a gondola over a lake up to the ridge to the winery. We took the $39 each premium tour. Tasting is pretty pricey in this area. It was self guided with different stops to taste wine. John with the different sizes of bottles.
Big and smaller barrels of wine. The view from the top of vineyards below.
One of the tasting areas on an outdoor patio. Then we went upstairs for the premium part of the tour. Through these lovely Christmas decorations and got to taste some of the premium wines and see the artwork. The wine was so so, but the artwork was nice. Ansel Adams, Picasso, Raphael- mostly wine and vineyard themes.
John on our way back down the gondola. The tree and vineyard lined drive out of the vineyard.
In downtown Calistoga we went into the Man Supply and I came out with this fabulous man. Looks like we will miss the Lighted Christmas Tractor Parade this weekend. Here we are in wine country but we went to the one brewery to taste beers and have dinner in the historic Calistoga Inn.
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