Up, Up, and OH...WOW!

Mark's cell phone chirped us to life prompty at 7am with a call from Ballooning Cap'n Mike. There was a touch of fog at the airport but it seemed to be lifting...were we still interested in going?

Hell, yes!

And so we did.

We watched in awe as Mike's friendly and efficient crew prepared the two massive balloons that our group would be using. The whole process (from trailer to tarmac) took less than 45 minutes.

















Mark was put to work, helping keep the various cords in place as our balloon was inflated. I kept busy taking pictures.















When the moment of truth arrived and it was time to climb into the basket, anticipation and excitement prevailed over nervousness.













It took only a few blasts from our rig's propane torch to lift us.


The basket did not so much as shudder as we "slipped the surly bonds of earth" and made our way up, up, and away from the airport - over the very runway we would use to fly home tomorrow! What a trip!



For nearly 2 hours our Captain, David, glided our balloon expertly over the vineyards, apple orchards, equestrian centers, and country estates surrounding Santa Rosa.


The early morning air was chilly at first, but warmed as we climbed higher and higher. (temperature inversions are common in these valleys). Blasts of flame from the torch also kept us warm...and aware of the proximity of Mark's hair to the burner!




We both took a few pictures at opportune moments, but mostly we just looked on quietly, taking in the awesomeness of the experience.



Frustrated farm dogs announced our presence, which brought out friendly locals who waved and snapped pictures of us as we glided by. One woman called out a cheery "Happy Thanksgiving" to us!

The company bus and trailer were waiting for us as we approached our landing spot - a clearing in a grass field. As directed, we braced ourselves for landing - nothing more than a soft bump. The crew dismanted the balloon quickly and we were soon on our way back to the airport to join the others for a delicious brunch in a nearby park.

As we headed off to enjoy the rest of our last day away, I thought back to the well-wisher's greeting.

Happy? Do we look happy?!


Thanks-giving? Every single moment.

Day 3: Up, Up and No Way!

A 6am wake up call that went off like an air raid siren had us up, dressed and waiting at Charles M. Schultz When-I-Grow-Up-I-Want-To-Be-An-Airport Airport within an hour this morning. Two other couples and us stood together in the early morning not-quite-light awaiting word from Mike, The Hot Air Balloon Boss as to whether the low fog was going to lift enough for us to go up. By 7:30 it was evident (as in, "clear") that the fog was getting thicker, not thinner. To everyone's dismay, Mike scrubbed the mission but we agreed to give it another shot tomorrow. Fortunately, Mike suggested that we meet an hour later...


We shifted to Plan B and headed off toward Napa Valley for the day. Our first stop today was Cline Vineyard - whose Red Truck is a long-time favorite of Linette's. We were both so taken in by the Jacuzzi mansion, we failed to notice the entrance to Cline - directly across the street! When the road ended 10 miles further down, we figured out our mistake and turned around. Turns out the Clines are related to the Jacuzzi's...which probably explains why wine and hot tubs go so well together (yes, that Jacuzzi family) and also why their properties are located across the street from each other. Getting lost wasn't problem however...we still managed to get there 20 minutes before they opened. Which gave us time to explore the grounds - complete with numerous water features, out-buildings, burro's and THE RED TRUCK!!! It was like seeing Mickey Mouse at Disneyland!


The proprietors were as generous as the pours at this tasty tasting. Not only were the tastings free - our half-Canadian pour-er threw in a discount and a free wine transport box. Who says Manitoba's not a good place to be "from"? :o)


In sharp contrast, our next stop was barely one step up from a drive-thru tasting...and $15. After sipping and spitting our way through four nasty (er, I mean "very dry") samples, we rewarded ourselves with a nip into Mumm Napa, where we enjoyed a stroll thru their Ansel Adams gallery and a flight of two white and one beautiful ruby red, sparkling wines in the sunshine out on the patio.


The whites were great. Those with an affinity for mouldy grape skins might have enjoyed the red a little better than we did!


Frog's Leap, a lovely organic estate was next. Here we (finally!!!) enjoyed some delightful local treats along with our flight of wines. Although the wines were great, the scenery really outshone them all. Such a beautiful property and such warm and welcoming hosts!
















It was well past lunchtime at this point so we headed into St. Helena for lunch. Those of you who've seen the movie, Bottle Shock will recognize that name. Another superb meal and then we were back on the road, headed down to Francis Ford Coppola's Rubicon Estate.


Rubicon is another gorgeous estate - something literally right out of the movies. (Nicholas Cage is FF Coppola's nephew).

Well beyond being interested in any more wine tasting for a while, we headed back into St. Helena to top up Mark's chocolate stash and then sped north of town to catch the last few minutes daylight at Castello di Amorosa. Mark was so taken by this place, it would likely have been the only stop of the day if we had come here first.













Calistoga and dinner beckoned. We responded. This main street had more exceptional restaurants per square foot than the town had people!

After dinner we made our way back to Santa Rosa via another long, narrow and windy road (seems to be the only kind they build out here).

We're keeping our fingers crossed that the fog won't interfere with our hot air balloon plans for tomorrow!

Day 2: The Wine (and the Truth) is Out There

One of the best things about being on holidays is being able to get up in the morning when you feel like it. We typically head out in search of breakfast at about 10. It's just so civilized! This morning we headed back up to Healdsburg and had breakfast at Bovolo, under the watchful gaze of their mascot (Wilbur?). Mmmm...smoked pig meat...mmmm.

There are many fabulous places to lighten your wallet in Healdsburg (that's code for we bought some nice Christmas presents for ourselves and others there).

Once again, we discovered the value and wisdom of having a map to match the plan. The backroads around Healdsburg are lovely at this time of year. They don't actually lead to anywhere or anything. Certainly, they didn't take us to where we wanted to go, which was the Hawkes (!) vineyard and tasting room.









The Hawkes tasting room is located just a few minutes north of Healdsburg, in the basin of a beautiful valley surrounded by rolling hillsides covered in row after row of crimson, yellow and orange grapevines. Mark's attempt to cash-in on sharing a surname with these folks didn't get us very far. Although, the pourings did seem rather generous...The wine was actually some of the best we'd tasted so far!

















Just up the road we found Stryker Sonoma - home to some of the best Zinfandels in the region. We tried them all and they were yummy, but in the end we left with a Merlot.






Just as we were leaving, Mark noticed a familiar looking fellow and his partner belly up to the tasting bar. He was pretty sure that it was none other than Canadian actor Dean Haglund, one of the infamous and amusing "lone gunmen" from the X-Files! Mark was too shy to say anything but Linette (in a friendly and unobtrusive way) managed to confirm Mark's suspicions. Dean was very gracious and seemed pleased to have been recognized despite having shorn his trademark locks. So, that was pretty cool.


We left Dean in the company of his two beautiful Doberman Pinschers and ventured up the long, wind-y, single-laned backroad to Cloverdale. It was quite a bit less scenic than we'd hoped for but very peaceful; in the 40 minutes we were up there we only passed 3 other cars (thank God - did I mention it was a wind-y, single-laned road?).




Ever so grateful to find ourselves in civilization again, we headed straight for Hwy 101, back to Healdsburg to pick up our earlier purchases and enjoy another great meal.



Now that this post is done, it's off to bed early because tomorrow we are going for a hot air balloon ride at 7am! Stay tuned!

Day 1: The Rushin' River Valley

Everyone knows that the best way not to become lost, bored or suddenly single on a road trip is to have a) a plan and b)a good map. Unfortunately, the travel book we were relying on turned out to provide only one of those things.


Fortunately, we were able to get past not having a reliable map - but only after we scarfed down a piece of the world's greatest gravenstein apple pie at Mom's in Sebastopol. Did I say Sebastopol? Oh, what I meant was...in Graton. Which is really not the same as Sebastopol, despite what the guide book and the advert for the shop says. Anyways, the pie was worth it. I mean, really, really worth it. Everyone should have a pie of this piece before they die. It's truly that good!

Turns out the Graton Gallery isn't open on Mondays (also despite what the guide book says). Too bad because the current installation of artisans' works is called Good Dog Bad Dog. From what we could see through the window...it was really great.













After a simply amazing meal and Mark's so-so Chardonnay at Mosaic in Forestville (located on the Gravenstein Hwy which is apparently also known as Front Street) we were ready to get into tasting some wine.

The wines that come out of this valley (the Russian River Valley) are mostly Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs and there was no shortage of opportunity to sample them (as well as a very nice Gewurztraminer or two) as we wound our way up, down, and around Westside Road.


Not being a fan of Chards (yawn) or Pinots (ewww), I found myself mostly drinking in the scenery. The gardens and tasting rooms are so beautiful - who cares about the wine? (well, ok, I care a little bit). Arista's Japanese inspired gardens and yummy Gewurz was today's favorite.

















Other stop spots today included C. Donatiello (beautiful gardens and a yummy "neutral" oak Chardonnay) and "J" (positively surreal sparkling wine!)








One thing that we've been surprised and a little disappointed about so far was how the tasting rooms don't feature any nibblies to enjoy along with the wine. We did get several leads on places to pick up locally-made goodies (bread, cheeses, fruits) which we are apparently quite welcome to bring along with us into tastings.

Tomorrow we'll be heading up Hwy 101 through Healdsburg, Geyserville and Cloverdale -known around these parts as the Dry Creek, Alexander Valley and Anderson Valleys - home to great Zins (yay!) and fantastic scenery. We'll be stopping at Hawkes Vineyard along the way, too. Should be a great day. Let's hope the maps are a little more helpful!

p.s. that's not flash photography...it's S-U-N-S-H-I-N-E!

The Long and Winding Road to Our Hotel

When the Boarding Call for our flight to San Francisco finally came, Linette was off buying herself a Super Double Grande Latte Frappacino Mocha Extra Hot with sprinkles at Starbucks. Fortunately, the sick and the lame were pretty slow during the advance boarding, so she made it back just before I was going to go without her. Fortunate for me, mostly. We got settled aboard and soon roared off into the leaden sky.

After a short and mercifully uneventful flight during which we were frequently bombarded by incomprehensible, thickly Hispanic-accented cabin announcements, we dropped down through a low layer of clouds and onto the tarmac in San Francisco. It actually took longer to pick up the rental car than to fly down there. It was, in fact, a rental SUV...which was cheaper for some unfathomable reason, than a compact car. We loaded in our luggage and zipped up the highway to the City by the Bay.

We took the waterfront route and gawked at the wharves, warehouses, and weirdos. The car rental dude had given us a restaurant tip, so we made our way directly there and secured a window table with a view of the Bay and the "Rock". We watched people swimming laps just off-shore (it was by then mosty sunny, but still a cool fall day), and we noticed that several sea-lions were doing the same. (swimming, not watching the people...oh, well...maybe they were doing both, then)


With lunch concluded, we made a quick stop at Ghirardelli's chock-o-lit shoppe to feed my addiction, then walked around the block to see the beach, the hills, and the trolleys. The line-up to get a ride on a trolley was like something out of Disneyland! The afternoon was getting on, so we jumped back in the SUV and made our way across the Golden Gate and up the scenic and insanely serpentine coastal drive to Point Reyes Station.
The sun cast golden light and long shadows across the gently rolling hills as we turned inland for Santa Rosa.

By the time we reached Santa Rosa, it was dark. The name, Santa Rosa, had conjured images of a small, historical town with a few old buildings and about three streets. We had figured a Hilton hotel would stand out like a biker at a tupperware party, so we had no map of the town with us. The town was bigger than we expected. The "drive around until you see it" strategy failed miserably. So did the "ask a local for directions" strategy...three times. We received three completely different sets of directions. I think one of them would have landed us in Moosejaw. Finally, I spotted a big white Hilton sign up on a hilltop, miles north of town. We had found it.

We were rewarded for our trials by a delicious dinner and a couple of glasses of Zinfandel before hitting the hay early, exhausted from the day's long journey.

Up, Up and oh...wait...?!

Getting up and out of the house on time wasn't nearly as hard as we thought it might be. Leaving the grrls behind, tho...now, that was hard. Turns out, Tim's is open at the airport at 5am (who knew?!). Sadly, we had no time to spare before gettin' ourselves through security and off to Seattle.

The great thing about Seattle airport is, that's where Fireworks is. And the great thing about Fireworks is, it's a wonderful place to spend time when your flight's been delayed!

Who's brilliant idea was that?!!

Right, so, it's currently 11:44 p.m. We've just finished packing, writing the copious notes one needs to leave for a house/pet sitter and tidied up all whot's going to get tidied up.

We have to be checking our luggage and behinds in at the airport in 5 hours.

Oh yes, and maybe try to catch a couple of hours of sleep between now and then. The Tim Horton's at the airport won't even have opened by the time we take off! Who's ruddy idea was a 6 am departure?! Oh well. By noon tomorrow we'll be strolling on the San Francisco pier...just so long as the wind dies down a bit. Otherwise, we won't be going anywhere! (but we'll still have to get up at 4 to be out there for 5 - just in case!)

Wish us luck!