State Route 1 is runs north and south along the pacific coastline. The drive is refreshingly beautiful in all types of weather. We took this coastal road after leaving San Francisco and headed to Bodega Bay. A small coastal town with foggy mornings and an ever changing tide that varies the landscape depending on the time of day. We took up residence for the weekend at Bodega Bay RV Park, a cute little campground that has trails that lead right to the beach, Salmon Creek, and coastal dunes. Whether biking or walking, visitors spent their time enjoying this trail at all times of the day. We absolutely loved our stay here, despite chilly weather.

We spent time at the shore playing. We biked to the beach and hiked dunes all while enjoying the beautiful views. As I said before, this is a small town and it feels intimate, void of many people this time of year (middle April).

On Saturday, we spent the day at Point Reyes National Seashore and in the surrounding little towns. The day was beautiful inland, sunny and warm. However, the shoreline was foggy and damp. We drove along the coast, unable to see much of anything beyond land. Once we parked at the lighthouse parking area, we were able to talk approximately a 1/2 mile paved walk out to the lighthouse. At that point we could peer down over the craggy cliffs to see blue waters and a few people even spotted whales making their way to the surface! The lighthouse was closed due to Covid, but we were able to see the beautiful foggy coast and with that we were pleased. I imagine Point Reyes is stunning on a clear day for anyone who wishes to visit. Below are some foggy photos of what was viewable on our day of exploration.

After a restful weekend in Bodega Bay, we made our way to Napa Valley where we set up camp at Skyline RV Park. The park included much of the surrounding area with trails for biking and hiking and beautiful vast landscape. We got a little heebee jeebees at one point realizing that some of the grounds used to belong to a large sanatorium. The history of many such places leaves “spooky” grounds and with a little research my husband found there was a burial area on the grounds that ……. The state hospital, which owned the sanitorium, still owns adjacent grounds where buildings appear to still be in use. However, many of the santitorium buildings still stand on Skyline’s land, the walls covered in grafitti and windows busted out. The spooky buildings feel omnipresent. My 4 year old asked what some of the grafitti said. I read “HELP” as it stated on the wall. He told me that we better go inside and help whoever wrote that… BIG NOPE. “We will be passing on that my dear.” Yikes!!!

All about the wine.

I must provide a background on my knowledge of wine, my preferences, and my personal history before giving my input on Napa Valley. I’m a red wine drinker. I like an occasional sweet wine white wine like moscato, but I enjoy it on special occasions. Typically, I love cabernet savignon, a few red blends, and most malbec. I’m from Indiana and my understanding of wine lingo is limited. I’m just here to give you my upfront opinion on things and you can decide from there if you wish to visit or know more. I must preface that I once called myself a WINEY instead of a WINO… So there you have it.

I set about several weeks before our trip trying to book wineries. Due to covid restrictions, most places in Napa and nearby Sonoma valley do not allow walk-ins. My first thought was Holy Cow… the prices! Average prices ranged from anywhere between $40-$150 for a tasting, typically including just 4 pours of 2 oz… Many places looked so spectacular, including a full fledge castle, that I was half tempted to pay the extra just for the experience. It was then that I realized that the things that made these particular wineries special (wine caves, dungeon basements, and sky trams) were not offered at this time, due to covid. However, prices were not changed just less experience for the consumer. Perhaps I’m a cheap person, I mean I do love garage sales… but typically I’m willing to pay for better quality on some things. However, when the “specialty” of the winery is taken away, but they still want you to pay as if the special attributes are there… I just feel a little used and perhaps their eyes on profits rather than good wine. By this point in my research, I realized I wasn’t so fond of going to the fancy well known places. I started delving into the unique lesser known wineries. It was then that I found my gem, my special place… the place I will always think of when I look back on Napa…

Truchard Vineyards

First of all… please just look at the photos of this little slice of heaven.

Obviously, the look of the place says nothing about the taste of their wine. However, it says a lot about the company, the family, and the roots from which the vineyard was established. Tony and Jo Ann live in the picturesque white home on the property. Everything is grown, produced, and bottled on their land. The wines they produce help to provide them with wine for the year, as well as for production of sale. I don’t know about you, reader, but when I heard a story of Tony consuming so much of their Roussanne wine that they planted a section of the property just for him and Jo Ann… I immediately wanted to try that wine. If they love their wine that much, their passion is about more than profits. It’s about good wine and I’m definitely on board with that.

Truchard Vineyards is the only winery in Napa, to my knowledge, that offers a tour included with the cost of their tasting for a modest tasting price. I was immediately keen on booking with them. If any of you are similar to myself, my image of Napa included ambling through the vines with a glass of wine, embracing the feel of the land that created such robust flavor. Unfortunate suprise, most wine tastings are in tasting rooms rather than on the vineyard itself, if they even happen to grow their grapes in the area. Truchard surpassed my expectation of what Napa would be, all in one tasting.

I arrived to a farmhouse and barns with vineyards traipsing in the distance. There was only a few workers there and I introduced myself to find that I had the tour and tasting to myself. Carlix met me with a matter-of-fact attitude and lead me into their wine storage area. The wine that was ready for sale was stored in the barn, where outside one can view the fermentation tanks adjacent to the family garden. We sat outside at a picnic table near the gazebo where he took the time to describe the history of the family owned vineyard. I learned that the property itself has 13 different soil varieties which helps produce more variety of wines than many other vineyards.

Once introduced to the Roussanne, I believe I’ll daydream of it forever. The grapes used have more time on the vine than other varieties providing them with more robust flavor. The vines grown from volcanic soil also assist in providing the Roussanne with its incredible essence. My red wine pallet has been completely converted and I don’t know if I can ever go back… I am thankful for their private vineyard for showing me the other side of wine.

Other wineries

As I previously mentioned, I had tastings at several more wineries during my visit. Tank Garage winery was my first experience of wineries in the area and it was definitely different from any winery experience I have yet to have. I suppose it could be labeled hip, but I’m such an old woman in my ripe age of 30 that I felt it wasn’t my vibe. Their website dotes that they are the “coolest winery in Napa Valley.” I guess they needed to brag about something because their wine definitely lacking. The tasting is in the town of Calistoga and would be considered a tasting room as there is no vineyard or property other than a small shop. The place is set up like a car garage with gas tanks and old car memorabilia. The wines were okay, but nothing that really made itself memorable to me. Their bottles, on the other hand, definitely stuck in my mind. Either brazen with wild photos or labeled with “lewd” text. One in particular, named self-love, depicts mental health and how we should encourage self-love to help fight against mental health decline. Yet, another describes people going through the pandemic. While I whole-heartedly support their awareness goal, the lewd language displayed on the bottles was a little unsavory for my taste. I don’t particularly want to display a bottle of wine in my home that depicts the F-word, when I have impressionable children. However, the same some could argue about the consumption of alcohol in general… so to each his own! Let’s just say this winery was not my jam.

Lastly, my tasting at Gundlach Bundschu winery was okay. I learned a few things about California chardonnay and how it differs from other chardonnays in its buttery flavor. So for you red wine drinkers out there, if you haven’t tried California chardonnays, give it a try before ruling them out all together. While the winery and vineyard was beautiful and expansive, my experience here was sub-par. I was tasting alone and was provided with a large table able to seat 6. When I got up to use the restroom, with still one tasting left to go, the server cleared my table and I returned to my last tasting having been thrown out. I politely asked what happened and was told they thought I had left, but funnily enough I had not yet paid. The server offered to provide me with the last tasting I had that was thrown out, then came around and asked if I needed anything else or would like my check… Um… Yeah… I’d like that tasting… I suppose if this place didn’t charge $40 for 4, 2-oz pours I wouldn’t have been expecting much, but I definitely would not recommend this winery to anyone simply due to my experience of poor service. On a bright note, they provided an extra tasting at the beginning as a sample.

Overall, when I think of Napa I will think only of Truchard Vineyards and the amazing experience I encountered. If you are looking for other experiences in the area other than wine, you can always stop by the Jelly Belly factory where you can enjoy a relaxing afternoon tasting jelly beans, touring the factory, and learning about the history behind the company. We certainly enjoyed it! The boys ate jellybean shaped pizzas and my husband and F were able to play a video game swatting jelly beans from the air. It was a wild and colorful afternoon.

Next up…. YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK. Prepare yourself for shocking views and breathtaking adventure.