NAPA

Good Morning, Saturday! Our alarm went off early and it was a gorgeous morning!

Tripp and I took Uber to the airport and got the rental car. Came back to the apt and picked up my parents - then headed to NAPA!

After an hour and a half drive, we made it to our first stop - Robert Mondavi winery.

 We had a tour at 11:30, so we walked around a bit before it started.

We walked around the vineyards to start - our tour guide was great. Super informative and kept me interested.

It was all beautiful and smelled like wine!

Time for tasting! We had chardonnay, rose and cabernet sauvignon.

We picked some of the grapes as we left and tried them - they were seedy, but good!

 Driving through Napa. Vines and grapes everywhere!

Next stop was Duckhorn Vineyard. 

 

I had heard a lot about this place, so wanted to go see it. We didn't book a tour, so they let us walk around and sit for a bit with a complimentary glass of sauvignon blanc.

 

It was about 2:00 and we were starving. We drove to Calistoga and ate brunch at Calistoga Kitchen. Note - the reception in NAPA is horrible... so we drove around a while trying to get a signal to figure out where to go. 

 

It was the cutest - the restaurant was in a old house and I loved the decor.

Brunch was delicious and it was time to head to Sterling for the gondola ride :) We drove through Sterling before we had lunch and noticed a line of about 20-30 people... but we were so hungry, we decided to get food first. Welllll, when we pulled back in after lunch - the line had quadrupled. Probably 100+ plus. It was hot and sweaty, but mom and I were hell bent on doing this!

The four of us rode in the gondola - about a 2 minute ride ha! It wasn't over a vineyard and it wasn't a spectacular view, but it was a unique experience and we all enjoyed it.

The winery is at the top of the gondola - 300 feet above the town of Calistoga with panoramic views of Napa valley. It's a self-guided tour, so we walked through it quickly after being on our feet for an hour + waiting.

This was the main view point - so pretty! Mom was of course reading all of the informational panels :) 

Saw this cute little house surrounded by vines.

Then, we headed inside to sit and taste. It was a very different experience than our first tour... there were people everywhere (we weren't in a secluded room) and the "guide" poured the wine and gave a short description.

We weren't crazy about any of the wine - Mondavi was still our fav. After waiting in a MUCH shorter line, we took the gondola down to leave.

Dad found this "Before I Die..." board at the bottom so we all wrote on it. 

Tripp started: I want to... Katie be happy with me for 
Mom next: I want to... "see my grandchildren." (hint hint)
I followed: I want to... "have 3 healthy, happy kids."
Dad ended: I want to... "see Jesse Vescon Hollowell IV" (he did that on purpose... since he knows having the fourth will be a somewhat controversial topic between us ;))

Most of the vineyards are closed by 5, so we drove to the hotel after Sterling. We stayed at the Hampton Inn in Windsor. We booked late and didn't want to pay a ton - so we roomed together :) It was a really nice hotel. For dinner, we walked across the street and got Taco Bell. We brought it back and ate outside by the pool. It was glorious! Went to bed relatively early around 10, and woke up the next am at 9. The hotel had a huge complimentary breakfast, so we ate and then drove to J Winery for our appt at 11:30.

Loved these quotes we saw during the tour - I am printing these off and putting at my desk at work I love them so much!

We went to J for the champagne. We started the tour with Chardonnay and then had Brut Rose and then Brut champagne. I will definitely look for this champagne in stores.

 

After J, we walked over to see Rodney Strong.

 

Mom got an extensive reco list from a friend, and Dry Creek Grocery was on the list for lunch. We weren't hungry, so we just walked through it. It was really neat inside and all of the food looked fabulous.

Last stop - Francis Ford Coppola. We walked around this huge place! It was cool - almost felt like a resort.

On our way home, we stopped in the Marin Headlands to show my parents some of the best views in the bay area.

SO MANY BOATS! It was so cool!

Following Mon night tradition, we walked across the street to Perry's :) Love these three.

When we got back from NAPA, it was HOT in our apt. Napa was hot and that's normal, but SF isn't supposed to be this way - hence no air conditioning in most of the buildings. My parents had planned to stay with us and I was so glad they did - When else are we all going to have a bunkin' party in a 500 square foot apt in a high rise?? 

It would have been fine. However - it was SO hot... as in 80+ degrees all night. We left the doors open which we never do because of the loud noises from the street, but we had no choice. I felt horrible for them (and us really) :/ I slept for about an hour max all night - sweaty, miserable and listening to every honk and siren on the street. I know they didn't sleep good either.

My mom was the only smart one with a mask to cover the light - hootie hoo :)

We kept saying "opportunities for memories" and convincing ourselves all would be OK :) We are so thankful they came out to visit. Even though our time here is coming to an end, I was so happy family came to visit Tripp and see his life here. We laughed until we cried a lot - and I wouldn't have had it any other way.