After surviving the heavy rain and wind in the Redwoods, we headed south and spent a night near Humbolt Redwoods Park. Mary drove for an hour and a half on 101 and all the way through the Eureka city center. At one intersection, a man drove up next to us and gave her the thumbs up. We had a good laugh over that.
We arrived in Calistoga on the 13th and set up at the Napa County Fairgrounds. Not the most scenic site in America, but we do have a golf course out the living room window. The couple camped next to us are from Anacortes! Since the weather was good, we visited Calistoga’s Petrified Forest and Old Faithful Geyser.
Napa Valley is a gorgeous area, with rolling hills, a few rocky cliffs and thousands of vineyards. Yes, thousands – there are so many more now than in years past. They run all the way north to Ukiah. The weather has been good, so we managed a hike on Mt. St. Helena, which gave us some spectacular views of the valley. Bicycled for ten miles today and met a dozen turkey vultures that were hanging out on a fence. We also visited a communicator friend of Mary’s, Marta Williams. She lives an hour from Calistoga on a wonderful 32 acre ranch. It was great to meet her horses, cats and dog and to catch up in general.
This area is also famous for it’s geothermal features. You see steam rising from fields and Calistoga is full of spas and mineral bathhouses. We had to try something, so we soaked in a pool one evening and last night Bob had a massage while Mary had a mud bath. That was quite an experience, to be covered completely in hot mud, but it was very relaxing (except for the little burn on the inner thigh – ouch).
Visited Jack London State Park in Sonoma County, and were surprised to find that he died when he was only 40. The park was his home for many years, and several of the buildings are still in good shape. He had quite a full life of adventures and was a prolific writer. His estate is absolutely gorgeous, quiet and filled with trees, a lake and rolling hills. We could definitely live there.
Photos are Mt. St. Helena with vineyards in the foreground and mustard in the vineyards.
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