Napa Valley California

Lassen NP proved to be unique, vast, and eerie. We were surprised to see it was last active in 1915. Point Reyes NP was our next adventure. With my sister, Marge, in tow, we spent 2 days exploring the coast and its natural beauty. Elk were visible at Point Reyes in a large herd with a large female population and 4 males looking for action. The historic lighthouse at Point Reyes was 300 steps down from a high cliff. It had been in operation for 105 years and replaced by a beacon in 1975. It was illuminated by an Order I Fresnel lens. We imagined being the lightkeeper and his family stranded at this barrier point with only fog and the ships as a companion. Bodega Bay and the Sonoma State park went for miles along the cliff filled coast. The scenery from the tops of the cliffs and the Pacific Ocean were spectacular. Climbing sand dunes reminded us of Indiana. We were lucky to spot a couple of seals sunning themselves on the rocks. Lots of seagulls, white and brown pelicans, and herons were in every low tidal area. The next two days were spent in the wine country. Miles of winding roads led us to some of Napa and Sonoma Valley finest wineries. Our nephew Dan was our tour leader. Dan is a sommolier for the Aqua Restaurant in San Francisco. His proud mom Marge (my sister) accompanied us. Imagine our delight as we drove up to our first winery Far Niente, established in 1885. A private tour of the operations of the winery amazed us all. We were taken down two levels into the cave where they stored the wine in Oak Barrels.Then we were served several wines including a very expensive 1996 Cabernet Sauvignon in the" library". What a taste sensation! Imagine how much it hurt us to spit out the wines or even leave some in the glass! If you are visiting many wineries, it's a tactical necessity to avoid getting trashed. Lastly, we sampled a dessert wine named Dolce which we all agreed was outstanding. At each winery, we were given the VIP treatment, three of the owners met with us personally. They enjoyed explaining their wine making process and what made their wine so distinctive and unique. Dan relayed stories of his restaurant guests' reaction to their wine. Each winery added to our knowledge of vineyards,grape handling, and climate. Most of our tastings were bottles which were in the $50-100/ bottle range with a few even higher! All wanted to be part of Aqua's wine list since it is a high-end restaurant. Dan had sold a $2000. bottle of French wine last Saturday. We enjoyed two gourmet's delight, California-style meals at Marge's favorite haunts. We have one more day in wine heaven (our liver can only take so much) and then we head to Yosemite NP.