Thanksgiving Trip--Days 8-10

Day 8--Napa Valley Wineries   

When we plan a trip, we plan the basics. The "where we're going". The "activities we'd like to do". Etc. As Chandra and I had drive time, we researched and then told the men where we were going to go. It worked out pretty well for this trip, if we say so ourselves!

I Googled "Kid Friendly Wineries in Napa", read reviews, and then Chandra and I chose which ones we thought our children could handle!  We hit two wineries in a more southern section of Napa than Jeff and I went to in 2006, so it was neat to see a different area. On our way there, we drove through Santa Rosa, CA, where the wildfires completely decimated that area a few months earlier. We hadn't previously realized we'd be driving through that area, so when we actually drove through it and saw the devastation, it was so sad. Of course Jeff has a lot of those pics on his phone, so I don't have them, but it was pretty much burned out areas, burned houses, cars, etc and the only parts left were chimneys. So sad.  Being from the hurricane area, we know devastation, but this was a different type to witness.

The first winery we visited was a Castello de Amorosa, complete with drawbridge!  It was a beautiful day and they had a great children's area where we did our tasting (a table with coloring pages, juice, and maybe a treat to eat).  The wines were delicious, so of course we bought a few!

Beautiful replica of an Italian castle!  We also got to visit their resident pigs and there were chickens that roamed the property!

Maybe a little overwhelmed at the castle?  Or was it the pigs??

Walking over the drawbridge into the castle!

The second winery we visited was Sterling Vineyards and it had a tram ride up to the actual winery. We did have to pay for the kids again, but this time they got an activity kit--snack and activity included, which was a hit as we chilled out a bit during our tastings. This winery had 5 different wines to taste--each at a different station. It was different than just sitting somewhere for all of the tastings, so it was a different experience for sure!

Waiting for our tram!

Cheese!

Everyone was entertained!

Cheese--different kid!

These wineries were actually near Calistoga, CA in case you're looking more carefully at location. However, we thoroughly enjoyed our visit and even had some decent BBQ at a tiny local place in town between the two stops--had to soak up some of the wine!


Day 9--Driving from Petaluma, CA to Seacliff State Beach, CA  
 Once again, the men and women folk divided up the children and headed down the road back towards SoCal. Jamey, Chandra, and Ezra were supposed to leave us on this day, but decided to do one more night with us (and we're so glad they did!!!). The men took the easier roads with the trailer, while Chandra, Ezra, Riley, and I got to sightsee a bit more. As we were driving south, we headed back over the Golden Gate Bridge, so we stopped and had plenty of parking. However, we also had PLENTY of freezing wind, so no one in our car really wanted to "do the Golden Gate Bridge" today. I still had to get some pics of this amazing bridge, and I let forced Riley to go with me for at least one picture. Poor kid was freezing, but we got a pic!

Shorts + Freezing Wind = Ry not looking at the camera!

One day I WILL walk across this bridge!!

I put Ry back into the car with Chandra and ran back to get a few more pics--I just couldn't stop!

We ended our day at the most amazing RV spot of this trip (at least according to my water-loving family)--Seacliff State Beach!  Our RV spot literally backed up to a sidewalk and fence that was directly above the entrance to the beach!  It was too chilly for getting into the water (which usually doesn't stop my kids!), but there were amazing driftwood pieces, forts, teepees that people had built, so it was fun to walk the beach and see everything.

This beach spot is definitely a place we'd love to return to one day!

Day 10--Seacliff State Beach, CA 
This was a day of relaxation before driving back to El Centro. We took it easy and just enjoyed the beach!  The beach is our happy place!