Destinaton: Westport Beach RV Park, Westport, CA along US1
Before departing, we had plan to ride the Napa Valley Bike Path, a fairly new path built along the railroad tracks. Since we had two more tastings, we got an early start riding our Rad Ebikes. Since it was cool, Quinnbo would be happy staying in TCB. The fog would not prevent us from seeing the landscape.
We left Napa RV Park and Expo Center 10 AM. We made a quick stop at Trader Joe's for yogurt,bread, cheese etc. We were in awe of the view of Mt. Helena above the fog.
We had 5 minutes to get to our reservation at V Sattui Vineyard in St. Helena, just north of the city of Napa. This winery was recommended to us by Christine, our dear, dear sister-in-law who has a wine group in Silver City, NM. She knows her wine!
We arrived just in time for our 11:30 AM tasting. We entered to a quaint outdoor patio and were welcomed by a hip, mid-aged sommelier who asked us where we were from. (This is the fourth visit where the sommelier was excited to learn we were from RI. I guess there are not many wine connoisseurs in RI.) The wine was truly the best I have tasted.
We travelled on to Robert Mondavi for our final tasting of the day. The setting was beautiful, but a stark contrast to the relaxed, intimate setting of V Sattui.
Mondavi had the name recognition which was probably why the wines were much more expensive. Van was not jazzed about the $90 bottle of Cab he tasted. We enjoyed a yummy cheese plate for lunch then got back on the road.
A big perk of TCB, is the travelling kitchen, where I was able to make some sandwiches to enjoy as we continued east. We got on the road around 2:30 PM, heading north on the 101 then northeast on Rt.128 to the northern CA coast. We saw the burned vines from a devastating 2020 fire. With Covid and the fires, 2020 proved to be a challenge for Napa and surrounding counties because many crops were not burned but were smoke damaged. As the sommelier commented, smokey wine is not pleasing to most palettes.
As the afternoon sun began to set behind the mountains among the tall forest trees, the road began to rise and fall with increased elevation. Windy, curvy roads meant Van was alert to the yellow warning signs for curves and "slow vehicle turnouts" which allowed TCB to pull over and allow speedier vehicles to pass.
Darkness set in by the time we reached Rt. 1 along the coast, which made the drive no less tricky for Van. I tried to imagine the views of the ocean beyond the windy road, especially when it was clear there were severe drop offs. I was relaxed and secure in Van's master driving skills.
We arrived at Westport Beach RV Park and backed in TCB into our designated spot that was left for us on a laminated map, as we were an "after hours check-in."
Even though the moon was very bright, we could only hear the surf of the PacificOcean. This would have to wait until daylight. The temperature was cool but not too cold that we had to run the Truma propane heater.
Van was happy to arrive and settle in with a craft brew and sandwich to calm his nerves and allow blood to flow to his white knuckles. Sweet dreams after another unique adventure. Thank you Van, yet again, for being a master driver, getting us to some amazing places!
