Sam and I feel like we’re starting to get hang of it all, despite a few more setbacks. Our next stop was Chico, CA to visit longtime family friends of Sam’s. But when we learned they weren’t available until the following week, we decided we’d kill some time in Napa and northern California. We knew it meant making a few sacrifices down the road (pun intended), but they were just too important in Sam’s life to pass by on our trip.
We landed at a great campsite at Bothe-Napa Valley State Park in Calistoga. We rested the first night and just enjoyed being on the road again. The next day, we ventured into wine country.
Pride Mountain Vineyard came highly recommended by friends of ours, so we figured that would be a good place to start. They were super accommodating to our last minute request for a tour and were extremely pet friendly. We enjoyed every bit of our time there. The tour guide was incredibly fun and interesting, the wines were spectacular, and estate was breathtaking. The other couple on the tour just so happened to be from New York! It was there that Sam, who until this point knew little about wine, decided he is a Merlot kind of guy. I’m a Pinot Noir kind of gal, but a lover of all wines.
Next we headed to Castella di Amorosa. We were excited by the architecture, but also, it was close to where we were staying. Once again, the estate was stunning. However, it is a much bigger operation so we didn’t get the same care and attention we got at Pride. Still, we walked away with a lovely bottle of Rosé.
We ended our evening with a delicious meal at the Calistoga Inn Restaurant and Brewery. Had to take a break from all those grapes!
Thursday morning we embarked on our journey to see the redwoods via the Avenue of the Giants. As we made our way north, we saw a cloud of smoke descending across the sky. I picked up my phone and a quick google search came back with just one headline about a wildfire just outside of Chico. We quickly checked in with our friends who assured us they were fine and excited to see us the following day. With our hearts and minds at ease we enjoyed winding through some of the tallest trees in America and found a place to camp for the night right on the ocean at Clam Beach. We arrived just in time to frolic in the foreshore. At night we shared our campfire with a fellow surfer named Andres who was making his way down the coast for a week in search of good waves.
We felt helpless.
As we rose the next morning, we learned the wildfire was much more dire than we thought. Little did we know that we were up against the most destructive wildfire in California history to-date: Camp Fire. Our friends regretted to tell us that it simply wasn’t a good time to visit. Our hearts were crushed for a number of reasons: 1) it meant we wouldn’t see friends we had so desperately wanted to visit, 2) our schedule change was no longer worth it, and 3) so many people lost their lives or were suffering because of this natural disaster. We felt helpless. The good news is, our friends were still safe and so graciously volunteered their time to help others affected by the wildfire.
Sam and I puttered around Arcata trying to determine our next steps. We managed to get a great hike in at the Arcata Community Forest and a quick shopping trip to Holly Yashi before making our way down through the redwoods again. As we moved further south, a smoky haze filled the air. From Legget, we hopped on the PCH and began our journey down the coastline. Warnings about the dangers of prolonged exposure to smoke prompted us to stay the night at a hotel in Fort Bragg.
The hiccup in our plans gave us the opportunity to visit other friends who we would have missed otherwise. My dear friend Reggie and his partner, Alan, just so happened to be in Napa the next day. So we decided to make our way back there to meet them for a late lunch at RH in Yountville. It was a brief visit, but it was so great to have the chance to meet and exchange hugs. Although smoke still lingered in the air, we missed camping so Sam and I ended our night at Skyline Wilderness Park.
We drove south the next day in search of beaches and warmer temps. Sam and I really wanted to continue the drive down the PCH for the ocean views. We made a beeline to San Francisco, drove across the Golden Gate Bridge, and continued on as we watched the hazy sun set over the horizon. It all seems really dreamy, but I was busy in the passenger seat calling every campsite I could in the Monterey Bay area. Forgetting about the Veteran’s Day long weekend, we learned every place was booked solid. We feared we would have to shell out for an expensive hotel room, or camp out in a parking lot.
We held our breaths and jumped for joy.
The stars were in our favor though. As we rolled into Monterey Veterans Memorial Park, a first-come-first-served campground, we held our breaths and jumped for joy as we found just the right campsite waiting for us. Though we weren’t able to build a campfire, we were thrilled to set up camp in a comfortable camping community. We fell asleep to the sounds of sea lions in the distance.
The next morning we spent some time at the beach gazing out at the ocean and enjoying the warm sun. Kiwi ran around digging for crabs in the sand and barked at seagulls. She was in heaven, and we were in heaven just watching her be so happy. It really felt like we’re on vacation now.
The beach inspiration took a hold of us and we made some trips into town. We decided we ought to personalize our darling camper and spruce it up a bit. We applied decorative paper to the curved wall, bought new curtains and a decorative throw pillow. Now it really feels like home!
Though we’re having a great time on the road, we do miss many of our friends and family back home.
Our neighbors in Bushwick, Evan and Tara coincidentally were on a mini California road trip of their own and we realized our paths would cross in Monterey – what a great surprise! We met for dinner on the wharf at Domenico’s. It’s been so great to catch up with friends – though we’re having a great time on the road, we do miss many of our friends and family back home.
Today we continued our drive down the coast. Big Sur brought us the beautiful gift of gorgeous vistas and scenic lookouts. The winding roads didn’t faze us at all – we’re used to that by now. Instead, we marveled in the beauty of the other coast and how completely different it is from the east.
“We made good choices today.”
Sam found us a beautiful campsite right on the beach in Morro Bay last night. We’ve met so many kind people here who have noticed our NY plates and stopped by to chat. And older gent brought us some homemade ice cream and a lovely local let us know which places to check out around town. This morning Sam and I bathed at sunrise in the ocean. Today we’re stopping to do laundry, and then we’ll keep heading south to visit more of Sam’s family. We’re certainly content with where our journey has taken us and daily we look at each other smiling to say, “We made good choices today.”
Going Over There 
Beautiful pictures!
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I saw the seals in S F. And crossed the bridge. Did you ride the trolley.
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Didn’t stick around San Francisco! With a dog and trailer in tow it didn’t seem practical. Fortunately we were just there a year ago!
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You are having a trip of a life time. I really enjoy hearing and seeing all your posts.
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