Day 11: Tuesday (Waking up in Wine Country)

Ah! A great night’s sleep in the AirStream with a very relaxed breakfast. We decided against visiting the wineries that required a reservations so we could go at a leisurely pace. Loving this feeling of being vacated.

Mornings are lovely and cool. By the afternoon the sun is doing its job and heating things up. I imagine this is really good for the grapes. Which are really good for the wine. Which is really good for us.

It’s interesting to drive 20 miles and pass as many wineries— all different, even though the vineyards themselves look the same.

First stop was at Peju Winery. We were impressed with the grounds— beautiful gardens, sculptures of naked ladies, and these really lovely trees that bent over the drive as if to protect us from thoughts of returning to work in a few days.

Laurie was our guide through our first official wine tasting experience. Here we were, drinking wine at about 10:30 a.m. You’d be proud— even under the influence, we only purchased two bottles to take home with us. They had a great self-guided tour which sparked our interest in the process involved in wine making. Who knows— maybe someday we will try making a batch of our own. If it’s any good, we’ll call you and you can come try it.

After walking around a while, we got back in the car and headed just a few minutes down the road to V. Satturai Vineyard where we just got lunch at their fancy pants deli. Very delicious sandwiches and salads. 

Sitting in their shaded picnic grove was relaxing and put me in the mood for a nap. In Napa. Clever, right? So we headed back and spent a few hours resting and reading at our Bed and Breakfast.

Rousing ourselves for the 1-mile walk to downtown Napa, we hoped that once we started smelling the food at our restaurant of choice— Bounty Hunter— our appetites would be aroused. Indeed, the aromas from the kitchen stirred our inner carnivores and we ordered the Smokehouse Platter. We were able to ALMOST finish it.

That delicious smokey flavor called for a tiny bit of frozen yogurt to cool our guts. And the mile walk back home was pleasant through this sweet, clean, happy little town. Some 11 year old boys scared me by throwing caps from behind a parked car. 

There was organizing and packing to do-- we had kind of spread out. Not sure we'll be able to sleep. Pretty excited about heading home tomorrow!

Day 10: Monday (The Longest Vacation Ever!)

Okay, Body. This is vacation. You're supposed to get some extra sleep. You're supposed to be on West Coast time by now. What's with the waking up at 5:30 stuff?!

I was showered by 6 and ready to pack by 6:15. Bob got up at 7.

We were packed and heading out the door by 8. Thank goodness for a GPS. There were so many turns in the city, I have a hard time imagining following an old fashioned map to our next destination: Point Reyes National Seashore.

(Our tentative plans to stop at Muir Woods were abandoned when we saw the road sign announcing that the Muir Woods parking lot was full-- before 9 a.m.!)

Did I mention it was a very foggy morning?

Turns out that Point Reyes North Beach was the perfect place for us to land for a little while. Something about the ocean always brings tears to my eyes.

As soon I put my bare toes into the water I knew I'd NEVER swim in this water! It was really, really cold. But I could look at it forever.

Nevertheless, by lunchtime we had completed the drive to Napa. We caught some lunch in a local Italian place.

Our sandwiches were big enough to feed us for lunch and have enough left over for supper. Which was awesome because all we wanted to do was unwind at our new digs, the coolest ever, Airstream Trailer!!

Some young guests who had already started drinking Napa Valley Wine before 5 p.m. stopped by to say hi and check out our ultra-cool trailer. I think they will be up much later than we will be tonight!

Day 9: Sunday (Sunny Day in the Park)

This morning-- another lovely cool morning in San Francisco-- we opted to eat at our b&b but get coffee at a local shop. It was the best coffee we had enjoyed all week! And the proprietor of the coffee shop seemed genuinely pleased when I told him so. Did I tell him I had made the coffee every other day?  No. Why spoil the complement?

Our second day in the city, and already we are feeling more confident navigating the public transportation system. Caught a morning bus and one transfer later we were at Golden Gate Park. This was to be our landing place for the day.

First stop, the Japanese Tea Garden. Here we began to regain the sense of peace and oneness with nature that we had so enjoyed in Yosemite.

We will probably learn more about the garden after we get home than we did that day, thanks to the Internets. They offered free tours, but we prefer to explore these places on our own.

Bob could hardly wait to introduce me to the view at the top of the de Young Art Museum. There's an elevator that takes visitors up to the 9th floor and it offers a 360 degree view of the city, but first we spent a little time looking at a room of hanging sculptures that used shadows as part of the art. So very cool!

Not really wanting to engage again with the crowds (it was Memorial Day weekend, you know?) we thought we'd head over to the San Francisco Botanical Garden. Truly a delightful experience and worth the entrance fee we wouldn't have had to pay if we were residents!

As old people who don't have young children, we could sit and relax whenever the heck we wanted to. And so we did.

We even had fun at the bus stops and on the bus, occasionally talking to locals who we found to be exceedingly friendly, for the most part.

A little down time at our hosts' home and off we went down the hill (Bob's phone said it was 9 degree  grade) to a weird dinner of a cup of really tasty Manhattan Clam Chowder followed by sweet crepes. Oh and the decaf coffee warmed us to the core which was so helpful given that the evening breeze and the incoming fog made things quite chilly for our walk back. Why is going downhill SOOOOO much easier than going back up?

Day 8: Saturday (Where did we wake up today?)

Could today have been any more different than yesterday?  I suppose it could have been, but we certainly felt like we have been transported to a different universe. From the serenity of the wild lands of Yosemite to the manic city of San Francisco. It's a little crazy.

It all started out calmly enough. Here's where we ate breakfast. Yes, that's San Francisco spread out below our temporary home in Noe Valley which ironically doesn't seem like a valley at all.

We spent the day walking through the town (okay, part of the time we were riding the bus). We visited the Farmer's Market and the arts and crafts stands across the street.

We walked down along the waterfront to Pier 39 and beyond. Ate lunch at a restaurant with a window seat and this view:

After lunch we headed over to the Golden Gate Bridge to see if it was still in good shape. Bob has been to San Francisco several times. I've been only once, way back in 1998. This doesn't get old.

I'm sure we'd get used to the bus routes if we were here for more than two days, but we did make it back to our lodging for a quick rest before heading out to Lupa Trattoria for an amazing dinner.

I don't know if I've ever been in a city that is better suited to people-watching. So many beautiful faces, so much love (and so much suffering) all within the city limits.

It's chilly tonight, sitting on the deck. I understand it's pretty hot and humid back home. So sorry folks. I'm freezing. Time to head inside!

Day 7: Friday (Riding off into the Sunset)

Transitions are exciting. And that meant I was awake at 4:30 this morning. Packing was easy: just take everything that’s ours. And since we are not flying for several days yet, we didn’t have to be very strategic about what we put where. Never even met our host at Nature's Nook— that’s how private and quiet the place was.

Our last drive into Yosemite— sweet. and short. Doesn’t it always seem like that the last time of anything? The awareness that we won’t be doing this again, at least for a really long time, made everything even more beautiful than it has been. If that’s even possible.

It also seemed short because Wawona is just a few miles inside the boundary of the park. I guess if I’m going to follow the trademark laws I have to call it Big Trees Lodge now. You can read about the conflict here. This would be a cool place to stay sometime. I really felt as though I had traveled back a hundred or so years in time.

Next to the hotel is the Hills Gallery, showcasing the work of Thomas Hills, american painter whose work (along with others) inspired folks in the East to make the trek to california to see the grand Yo Semite.

Yes, we are already dreaming about coming back with family/friends. Bob's pre-trip research advised us to come in May— after the worst of the winter and before the crowds grew so large in summer. We think that our timing was perfect.

Only regret: not getting up to Glacier Point. But seriously, we have no regrets.

On today’s agenda? A two-hour trail ride on horseback (neither of us were assigned to the several mules that are part of the party.) Arrived early to the stable so we had a chance to look around and say hello to the horses. Both of us got a little nervous when they showed us the required safety video. Okay, so we will stop complaining about having to wear helmets. 

We are assigned to our rides based on a mysterious algorithm of our weight, height, riding experience, and confidence level. Bob was assigned to Rookie. I got Chance. 

Magical trail ride mostly in shade, up and down little hills, through one little creek bed. We passed “real” riders who call out  “a dude line is coming through!” to his companions further back on the trail.

Three guides, 10 guests, so we had a long convoy. Our guide--Kendall-- told stories and gave nature information about what we were seeing on the trail.  He told us that mountain lions can kill horses. This was not something we wanted to think much about. Especially after all the signs we’ve seen in the park which told us that if attacked by a mountain lion we are suppose to fight back.

Forest. more ponderosa pine. meadow view. This was first day  in the past five that we haven’t seen waterfalls. although, Bob says, when that horse stopped to pee it kinda sounded like a waterfall. 

You don’t want to hear about the 5 hour trip from Yosemite to San Francisco. Let’s just say it was long. Lots of great scenery. Many traffic updates from our trusty gps. And now we are parked on a very steep hill in Noe Valley, San Francisco. Staying in another beautiful airbnb home. You can tell I'm tired by my sentence fragments.

Day 6: Thursday (Last day Yosemite)

Our last day in the Valley and we had a few things on our wish list. We managed them all except for Glacier Point. Just couldn't bear the thought of being in the car as long as it would take to get there. The day was so very bright and beautiful we wanted to spend as much time as we could out under the big sky.

Speaking of "BIG," one of the things we've talked about is how small everything is going to seem back in Pennsylvania. The hills. The rocks. The trees.  I hope that in some way I have internalized all this space and hugeness in a way that will stay with me. When I touch the trees, i feel their steadfastness, their fortitude and patient acceptance. I want to be like a tree...

Every other day we've driven past the trailhead for Bridalveil Fall but today it was our first stop in the valley. Don't laugh--- it was a warm up walk for us. Half a mile. And that's the round trip. But we got some nice photos!

We have met a lot of very nice people while on this vacation. The lady who took this photo of us, for instance. 

For the record, most of the photos on this blog are from my iPhone. Bob's pictures are most certainly better, and you'll have to wait to see his.

Our second ambition for the day was to see the Vernal Falls. We got as far as the footbridge. The nice man I met there said that last year it was much drier and not nearly as full as this year. He gave me a high five when I told him I suspected the rain was because of our vacation. But then he was quick to assure me that we can't take credit for the amount of precipitation. It's been building for a while!

These photos are slightly misrepresenting our experience... there were MANY people in the park today but we always try to keep strangers out of our photos.

A packed lunch at a picnic table in the parking lot under a tree and we headed for our final destination for the day-- the meadows. 

Some of you will understand when I say that it is a great comfort some times in life to feel very, very small and inconsequential. To sit in a quiet place, beneath the strong walls of stone that are so old, so seemingly immutable... this brings a peace that can truly settle my mind. Hopefully for a long while.

Day 5: Wednesday (Weather or Not)

Woke up to another beautiful California morning. And yet we get the feeling that we may be playing a part in the end of California's drought. More rain today. But I get ahead of myself...

This morning's sky:

It has worked so well to get moving early and get to the park ahead of the crowds, so we did that again today. Bob's getting to be quite an expert on these curvy roads so the trip goes a little quicker-- except when we get behind a newbie who goes way under the speed limit. There are strategically spaced shoulder areas called "Turn Outs" for drivers who are tired of blocking traffic. One can pull over and let the faster cars go past safely. Most drivers use them. But not all.

Our plan for this morning was to catch the shuttle that would take us to the trailhead of the Mirror Lake Trail. We chatted with a group of three young men from Modesto who planned to do the SnowCreek Trail. After Bob took their "pre-hike photo" for them,  we exchanged stories of wildlife encounters and laughed together at the jokes of the shuttle bus driver who clearly enjoyed his job more than most of the other drivers we've had. It was a jolly start to the day.

The trail wasn't crowded, and even when there were people around, the sound of the rushing Merced River was louder than the conversations going on around us.  Yes, this was considered an easy trail, but it felt perfect to us today. 

We arrived before too long at Mirror Lake which apparently isn't really a lake all year round, but it is regularly fullest in the spring. And it's still spring here!

Here's why it's called Mirror Lake.

Pretty hungry when we finished this hike (we realize now that we did a hybrid of the short version of the hike and the 5-mile loop you can read about on the webpage linked above) so it was time for lunch. That's when we hit the Village Grill where the dogs and burgers were cheaper than at Hershey Park and the scenery immeasurably better.

We explored more of Yosemite Village, the touristy center but were underwhelmed. Perhaps after being so moved by all the nature, things for sale, and museum displays just had no shine. Besides, it was at this time that the skies were starting to cloud up and a few raindrops were falling. 

So before the rain began in earnest but after the crowds started to get a little more annoying, we headed for Oakhurst. Light and shadow are absolute magic in Yosemite Valley.

You probably don't care what we ate, but we kept it simple with soup and salad in our little cottage. I promise to include some photos of our accomodations sometime before we leave on Friday. You'll be jealous though, so I may wait on that. It's a really cozy place to hole up on a thunderous rainy afternoon.