Why are we still hiking?!?

Wednesday, April 15^th, 2015.

San Francisco, CA / Calistoga, CA

We wake up a 9:30am. This number was drunkenly reverse-calculated last night, based on the time that wineries close in Napa Valley. Today we are leaving San Francisco and checking into a new hotel in Calistoga, located on the north end of wine country. Before we leave, however, first things first: Brunch.

Thanks to Yelp we find a cute little café within walking distance from our hotel. There are literally 2 tables in the whole place and Laura snakes one of them while Sarah and I wait in line to order. San Francisco is famous for toast (apparently), so I order the daily toast special. It is smothered with mascarpone, orange slices, and other yummy fruit. This brunch is proof that SF really does know how to make a piece of toast.

2 more stops before we officially leave. First order of business is to visit the Trouble Coffee and Coconut Club. This is my request (it’s the subject of an old This American Life episode). What I didn’t know is that the coffee shop is in a little known neighborhood called Outer Sunset, which provides direct access to the beach. It’s empty and beautiful. After several photos we take off for stop number 2: City Lights bookstore. This is Laura’s request. I attempt to buy Ulysses but end up with A Portrait of the Artist instead. Ulysses is out of stock; a fact that only takes 10 full minutes of wandering the aisles while repeating the alphabet over and over again to confirm. I think that this would be easier online, but I keep that thought to myself.

We are officially leaving the city at 12noon; we are far ahead of schedule and decide to make a stop at Muir Woods forest. The drive there is terrible for people who get carsick (a category that includes all 3 of us). Luckily I am driving, so it’s not that bad for me. Laura and Sarah sit quietly, trying not to puke, as I drive very slowly along the curvy, hilly roads. Eventually we arrive and decide to take a quick look around.

Somehow our “quick look around” morphs into a surprise 2-hour hike. We are all pretty go-with-the-flow travelers, so it’s not entirely clear how this happened. What is clear is that I am wearing a dress and no one has water. Near the end of the hike we are moderately dehydrated but cannot stop laughing. We are officially on our way to wine country!

The wineries close at 5pm and now we are running short on time. I convince everyone to buy lunch at Rite Aid and eat it in the car on the way to first winery (I know that there are not a lot of businesses located near the wineries). About 5 minutes later we drive past a perfectly good deli. Oh well, popcorn, trail mix, and granola bars are good too!

We arrive at Jacuzzi Vineyards around 4pm. Hooray for our first tasting! We chat with the friendly barista and try 5 different wines. I am not crazy about them, but Laura ends up buying one bottle. After our tasting we have time for one more stop so we head across the road to Cline Cellars. The wine there is also just okay for me. However, they serve us a piece of salty chocolate and a taste of port before we leave, so I am happy.

Around 6pm we arrive in the very charming town of Calistoga and check into our very charming hotel, which is called Dr. Wilkinson’s Hot Spring Resort. I drop Laura and Sarah off to check in and immediately drive to the gas station. I am dangerously close to empty, a fact that I have been keeping to myself for the last hour.

Once we are checked in for the night, there is really nothing else to do. Sarah and I walk into town and buy a large pizza and some more wine. We spend the rest of the evening snacking, drinking, and sitting in the largest hot tub that I have ever seen. We are on vacation and aiming for maximum relaxation.

Tomorrow is a full day in wine country. We are super excited!