Monday Jesse had to go back to work, and Rebecca flew in. We walked around the neighborhood, and then I took her to Fisherman's wharf for Dungeness crabs and miller light. Many touristy photos ensued.
On Tuesday morning we went up to Napa, taking the scenic route (up 101 and across 37) to the first place we'd stay in Napa, the state park. We saw a few camp sites, and Becca picked the best one. After some tent setting up and general settling in, we took a drive around the area. On our friend Hal's advice (if it comes from grapes, Hal will know about it and be right) we started at Mondavi. The facilities there and wines are great. Our tour guide was a little scattered, but we enjoyed ourselves immensely and Hal was proven right. All other wineries model their customer relations and tours on Mondavi's example, and it was a great introduction to the area and to winemaking.
After Mondavi, We stopped in at Beaulieu Vineyards and began the first of what was to be many over-purchasing of wine. In addition to the bottles we had sent home, we purchased a bottle for that night. It was Rebecca's first time camping so we needed to ease her into it. From BV, we stopped at a grocery store in St. Helena and picked up some sausage, bread, cheese and bacon. back at the camp site, we cracked the bottle of wine into some styrofoam cups (they're in now, trust me) and started cooking up a feast. Believe me when I tell you that as good as Chef Boyardee and beef jerky are, they do not compare to fresh sausage, bread, olives and a great bottle of wine. It also helps the camping experience to have your girlfriend there.
On Wednesday, we woke up and had a great breakfast in Callistoga (the town at the northern end of the Napa valley). We then returned to our campsite, which was conveniently located in a state park with many hiking trails. We set out on a hike without a map, compass and almost without water (we went back and got a bottle). Fortunately, we brought a cookie (more on that in a bit). It was a beautiful walk through some gorgeous scenery, walking next to a stream and up through the canyons to a ridge line. It was a lot of uphill walking, and at times Becca needed some convincing that we were on a worthwhile endeavor. She has a tendency to either ignore my threats entirely or just laugh, but it all became quite serious when I got my hands on the cookie. With it firmly in my possession (Picture 43) I was able to convince her to redouble her efforts. It all became worth it when we crested the ridge and caught a glimpse of mountain tops with which we were level in the distance.
After the hike, we went back into civilization and bought some hamburgers ($35 for hamburgers, fries and two beers in St. Helena - sweet.) We then immediately commenced dinner shopping, which was to be more sausage, bread, and olives (camping with the girlfriend is really tough). The next day we were coming out of the woods, so we stayed up late, stoked the fire (I chopped firewood and impressed Becca) and made smores.
Napa photos part 1
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