Napa Valley

No internet access for Saturday, June 23--this is the post for that day:

Curiosity got the best of me today. While I am not a wine drinker, I made Tim drive up highway 29 through the heart of Napa Valley. There was row after row of wineries that lined the highway, as well as many off the beaten path. We actually went in to a couple to get a tour and see what it was like. Overhearing some of the conversations of the wine tasters, there were several different categories of people. Truly, there were many people who just seemed to be there to enjoy themselves. They were talking and laughing and having a good time. Most of these people were with a big group. The males dressed casually in khaki pants or shorts and a Hawaiian shirt (ala Paul G. in Sideways), the females in anything from jeans and a t-shirt to sundresses (although it was a little cool for a sundress). There were quite a few people who were there to impress someone—usually a person of the opposite sex. They were always dressed a little more formally, and the male persuasion usually raised an eyebrow while he swirled his glass of wine then sniffed it. The “there-to-impress” crowd also included older, slightly overweight gentlemen who waxed philosophically about their particular favorite wine, speaking at a volume that invited all within a quarter mile radius to listen to his expertise. There also seemed to be some serious wine connoisseurs in our midst. They would whisper quietly as they swirled the dark red liquid, inhaled the complex fragrance, then slurped the elixir and swished it around in their mouths. I’m a people watcher, so it was fun for me.

I didn’t realize just how small Napa Valley is. As you’re driving up highway 29, you can look to each side and see the hills that enclose the valley. Napa Valley also has its share of olive groves. Now this was interesting. I tasted several olive oils, picked up a few gifts, and of course, bought some olive oil of my own.

We took the back way out of the valley and drove up to Lake Tahoe. I don’t know if we took the wrong route, or if I’ve seen so many beautiful places in the past eighteen days, but the lake is not as beautiful as I remember it when we saw it on the way to visit my brother some thirty-five years ago. There were some pretty spots, but it’s just not what I recall. We ended up in Carson City, Nevada tonight without internet access. Carson City is just outside of Tahoe, and close enough to Yosemite that we should be there by noon tomorrow.