Author: Easin' Along

As tourists in California, Helen and I observe the variety of activities around us. We see rock climbers, surfboarders, mountain bikers, kayakers, and many other pursuits in which we have not participated, but…we do drink wine. Napa Valley, CA, is for wine lovers, and we arrived ready and willing to join in.

Our home in Napa is the Napa Valley Exposition RV Park, a unique setting for a campground.  We are adjacent to the county fairground and within walking distance of downtown Napa. Our first impression was good.  We had a wide concrete pad to park Dora with plenty of room for Ruby.  The shower facility was just across from our site. A friendly camp host greeted us and directed us to campsite number two.

A show of hot air balloons served as entertainment for the first morning after our arrival. For the first time in a long time, we had little winds blowing through our campsite, and the balloonists took advantage–a great way to start our day.

After breakfast, Helen and I made the short walk downtown.  Helen wanted to walk to the Visitor Center and obtain information about tours and tastings from various wineries, all 400 of them. The Visitor Center was not easy to find, and we walked many blocks before a local citizen pointed us in the right direction.  Before that, we passed the statue of a toast to Napa, Joe’s Brewery, and the Napa Cigar shop, where I picked up a couple of fresh Maduros.

The helpful staff at the Visitor Center gave us some maps and brochures and some enlightening information–reservations are a must for tours and tastings, especially for some of the more popular wineries. COVID-19 restrictions on the size of tour groups reduced the number of seats significantly.  In addition, one vintner told us that some unpleasant incidents in San Francisco over recent years caused large numbers of tourists to divert to Napa Valley. The Visitor Center volunteer recommended several wineries, and Helen immediately got on the phone. The next three days were going to be fun!

Helen mapped out an itinerary for tastings.  We secured reservations for some of the tastings and hoped to find a spot at other wineries as walk-ons. We started at Robert Mondavi Winery, one of the oldest and largest in Napa Valley. A canceled reservation resulted in two seats on the tasting patio.

We learned that we could share a tasting, which usually includes samples of three or more wines. Planning to visit two or more wineries a day, we thought this would save us some money (and the potential for a breathalyzer test). Carlos, a happy young fellow, was our server. Carlos served us three wines and explained the characteristics of each.   Carlos also gave us some history of the winery and Mr. Mondavi’s contribution to the industry in Napa Valley.  I encourage readers to read more about it here. All of the wines were good, and we could not decide on a favorite–we were just happy to be there.

V. Satturi Winery was next on our list and another attempt at walking on. Our timing was good, and we secured another seat by way of a cancellation. The tasting room was a bar inside a gift shop filled with tourists.  We shared a tasting once again.  Jack, our server, filled our glasses one at a time, then disappeared after each one to eat his lunch. The wine was ok, but not what I would consider memorable.

On day two, we started at Pestoni Family Winery.  Helen made reservations for this tasting after a recommendation from the Visitor Center. Our tasting would begin at the early-for-wine hour of 10 am. A hostess led us to a lovely outdoor bar on the edge of the vineyard, where Sarah greeted us.  A group of ladies from the Chicago and San Fransisco area having a reunion of sorts soon joined us.

Sarah served generous samples of the three wines in the offering and then added about three more as a bonus. All of the wines were exceptional. I loved the Red Blend. Pestoni does not sell wines to the public except in their store and through their wine-by-mail club. We left empty-handed but had a delightful time with Sarah and the new friends we just made. Helen and I hated to go, but we had another reservation at 11:30 to drink our lunch.

Mumm Napa is a sparkling wine maker, again recommended by the Visitor Center staff. I love champagne and eagerly looked forward to this visit. After sampling all of the offerings, I decided that the Brut was my favorite and purchased a bottle later that day.

After the Mumm tasting, we attempted to get seated at Cakebread Cellars, with no luck.  The person greeting us said the next available booking was in June. Never one to be denied, Helen got on the phone and obtained tasting tickets for the next day.

At Cakebread Cellars, a winery recommended by our friends John and Debbie, we had our most fun experience. Another Jack met us at the entry and led us to a courtyard to begin the tasting.  Unlike our previous tastings, with wine served to us at a table, we would walk to different stations at Cakebread and receive samples while standing. Jack, an employee with many years in the wine industry and Cakebread Cellars gave a thorough presentation of each wine served and sprinkled a generous serving of humor with each pour. He was very entertaining.  The group that walked with us came from all over the country and seemed interested in meeting two Tennessee hillbillies. We enjoyed meeting each of them as well. Our time at Cakebread went by all too quickly, but another tasting awaited us before lunch. I suppose it’s never too early for good wine.

Knowing how much I enjoy champagne, our son, Collin, recommended we visit Chandon and try their varieties. For this tasting, we would not share samples. Once signed in, a hostess led us to a shade-covered patio and a table with three champagne glasses for each of us (top of this page). After trying three champagnes, all of which are available everywhere in the country, our server brought out one that is only available through their club. By far, it was the best champagne I’ve ever tasted.  “By The Bay” is the name, and I purchased a bottle to bring back to Dora for Happy Hour.  It didn’t last long.

Chandon was our last tasting, although we drove to two other wineries, Stag’s Leap and Round Pond, only to hear once again that reservations were not available. Oh well, we will have to live with six winery visits in three days and leave it at that. The two wineries we missed had lovely grounds and vineyards, and I’m glad we made an effort.

We loved Napa Valley, where there’s always time for wine. After much thought, deliberation, discussion and price-checking, we each chose our favorites and recommend them highly. They are pictured below.

It’s time now to be Easin’ Along, but maybe I’ll take a bath before my nap…

When you drive along the coast in Morro Bay, California, the first thing you notice is “The Rock.” This massive chunk of an extinct volcano once served as a marker for Spanish ships sailing along the coast searching for the harbor at Morro Bay.  Helen and I were also looking for Morro Bay as a convenient stop-off between Vandenberg Air Force Base and Napa Valley. Within the shadow of “The Rock,” Morro Dunes Resort Campground would be our home for the next three days.

We arrived in mid-afternoon and were greeted warmly by the friendly staff at Morro Dunes, a large campground just across the street from the beach. Our campsite, number 139, was on the Resort’s northeast corner and very close to the RVs on either side. We barely had room for a picnic table, but the close quarters were one of only two negatives we encountered during our stay. The other was a cold, brisk wind that lasted all three days.

Thankfully, we “glamp” in an RV equipped with a fireplace and not a tent so that we can handle the cold. Nevertheless, the wind and drizzle along the coast threw a wet blanket over our plans for beach walking. Helen braved the elements for an afternoon stroll to look for shells and found an abundance of sand dollars.  She collected a few and took pictures of a number of them nestled in the sand.

We scrubbed beach walking from our activity list and chose instead to walk through a Saturday Farmer’s Market in downtown Morro Bay. Local police blocked off two streets and converted them into an outdoor market. Dozens of vendors set up shop with a tempting array of fresh vegetables, pastries, jams, and jellies, and prepared food cooked onsite. We purchased several bags of vegetables–some of the best-looking broccoli I’ve seen in years–as well as two slices of pie, maple pecan, and strawberry rhubarb. We tried to resist but found ourselves incapable.

Before the stroll through the market, we jumped at the chance to browse the shelves and racks of Fabulous Finds, an antique shop and thrift store.  Readers know how much we love flea markets and consignment stores, and we think the best ones are in small towns.  Fabulous Finds did not disappoint. We needed a folding chair for Dora’s dining table and a wall clock to replace one that fell off of the wall somewhere between Memphis and Albuquerque. Luck was on our side, and we found both for under $10 total. Helen also found an inexpensive knick-knack container for all of her knick-knacks.

After three days, it was time to Ease Along. We had a great time in Morro Bay despite the weather. Next up is Napa, California, the vineyards, and a forecast for better weather. Please join us. We’re “Rockin'” on!

The one aspect of RV travel that I enjoy most is the opportunity to experience new things and new, out-of-the-way places–almost daily. Ease Along with me here, and I’ll give you a sampling of such an opportunity. Two of our grandchildren will join you.

After a great visit to Bryce Canyon, Helen and I traveled to Las Vegas for a three-night stay at Nellis Air Force Base, one of our favorite campgrounds. There was nothing extraordinary about our time there; it was a chance to clean our RV and take a few more chances in the Casino. Compared to last year’s visit, Las Vegas was packed with tourists this year.

Next up was an eight-night stay at Vandenberg Air Force Base in Lompoc (Lom-poke), CA, where our son and his family would join us for five of those nights. Helen and I used the first three days to do some general exploring and commissary shopping, but my primary task was to keep Helen from exploding. She was so excited about the arrival of her grandchildren, and I feared she wasn’t going to make it. Thankfully, they arrived before disaster struck–with trailer in tow.

Their time with us would also provide an opportunity to meet Honey, our grand-dog. Honey, a six-month-old Golden Retriever, is the inseparable companion of our granddaughter, Abby. She is a lively but well-behaved pup and did well on our walk along nearby scenic Surf Beach.  When a sneaky coyote ventured into our campsite, Honey sat calmly until the rascal scampered away.

Once everyone had the kinks out of their legs, it was time to visit a few of those out-of-the-way places I mentioned above, beginning with La Purisima Mission in the Santa Ynez Valley, two miles north of Lompoc.

Established as the eleventh Franciscan Mission in California following the Spanish colonization of Mexico, La Purisima Mission is a recreation of the living conditions of 1,000 members of the Chumash Tribe from 1812 until 1824. The Mission, restored by the State of California and a few private donors, is vast. Authentic representations of the shops, kitchens, living quarters and church are open to visitors. Our family enjoyed La Purisima very much.  For readers wanting more information, I have a link inserted here.

For our next fun and unique experience, we decided to visit Ostrichland at the insistence of our grandchildren.  It had been a while since I last hugged an Ostrich, so I was all in. We drove back into the Valley, near the town of Buellton, CA, until we spotted a large farm where about fifty Ostrich and an equal number of Emus roamed the grounds.  Admission was five dollars for us seniors, and a bowl of Ostrich food was another dollar.  I passed on the food, but everyone else in our crowd jumped right in.

The Ostriches must have eaten already because only a few took advantage of the offering. The Emus, however, were not to be denied. Carter served lunch to all of them that could stick their long necks through the fence opening.  What a hoot (or grunt in Emu dialect)! I took several pictures, including one with an Ostrich photo-bomber. Once all of the fowl were full, we were off to the Danish-inspired Village of Solvang for shopping and sightseeing.

Named one of the Ten Best Historic Towns in America by USA Today, Solvang is a place unknown to me. Nevertheless, this town has charm and breweries, wine-tasting rooms, and some of the best Danish pastries I’ve ever eaten. I couldn’t pass on the Cherry Danish and the Cinnamon Crisp. Solvang, founded in 1911 by three Danish-American educators, has four windmills and a replica of Copenhagen’s Littlest Mermaid to add even more Danish appeal to the town. The grandchildren took to the ice cream with great relish.

Three outings in the Santa Ynez Valley proved once again that America is a fascinating country with something for everyone on every corner.  Everything we enjoyed at this stop came as a complete surprise to me and a whole lot of fun.  Regretfully we had to say goodbye to the family when the time came for everyone to move out. Here’s a picture of our clan that turned out well.

We just completed the first month of this journey with three more ahead. Stay with us–we just got started, there will be more out-of-the-way places, and we’re still Easin’ Along on our way to find them.