Welcome back to Napa!

October 14, 2011

Napa, CA

It's great to be back in one of our favorite wine regions, even if we'll have a short stay this time.  Wednesday's drive down from Ukiah was short and uneventful, even though we took a slightly different route than last year when Pat and Al were with us.  We shaved a few miles off the journey by taking CA-116 and CA-121 east from Petaluma rather than looping further south to CA-37 in Novato.  Since there wasn't much traffic, it didn't matter as much that we were the slowest ones on the narrow and winding roads.  And we were soon parked in the tight little RV Park at the Napa Elks Lodge.

We'd stopped at this Lodge for drinks last year with Pat and Al; Wayne and Eva were staying there while we were at Napa Expo (the local Fairgrounds).  We checked in, hooked up and deployed, then stopped back at the Lounge for a brew and to add to Geri's Lodge Pin collection.

Yesterday, we relaxed in the morning  and did some shopping in the afternoon.  We went to the Napa Style retail store (we've ordered from them online in the past) and then Whole Foods Market (haven't seen one of them in a while!).  For dinner, I tried a new recipe for Rack of Lamb that I found in the Wine Spectator magazine; it was excellent with Geri's Famous Grandma's Red Potatoes and her newly-Famous Heirloom Bell Pepper stuffed with squash, tomato and tapenade.  I made some sautéed mushrooms with Truffle Salt from Napa Style and a drizzle of sage/mushroom EVOO that we found in Michigan that went well with the Moroccan spice influence on the lamb. With one of the Two Sisters Pinot Noirs we'd brought with us from AZ (surprised it lasted that long?), it was an excellent meal.

Today, we did some wine tasting.  It's what you do in Napa Valley!  I made reservations at Sterling, known more for the visually impressive winery than the wines.  Knowing that, we weren't disappointed.  The Winery is modeled after something from Greece, and the nice, sunny day showed it off nicely.  We rode the tram 300' from the parking area to the winery itself and took our time doing the self-guided tour, with its multiple tasting "stations".  We wrapped up with a "reserve" tasting.  The wines were good but not something we needed to buy.

Ready for the Tram ride...

...up we go!

Sterling is a very striking facility.

Soon...

I love these tree-lined drives...

Back down the hill, we headed back from Calistoga toward Napa on the Silverado Trail, and decided to stop at Rombauer for a tasting there.  Even though they're known as a Chardonnay producer, for some reason we decided to try their Zinfandel tasting.  Nice, but no sale so we moved on.  

Interesting blooms...

...

... and sculpture at Rombauer.

Back at the Elks Lodge, we relaxed a bit before heading over to the dining room for their version of cook-your-own-steak night.  It wasn't as crowded at the one in Eureka, and they had similar rib-eyes to cook.  We had another nice feed and relaxed after dinner chatting with several of the locals.  Then, it was back to the coach for a nightcap and some TV.  Good day...

Ukiah and Mendocino County

October 11, 2011

Ukiah, California

We're just wrapping up a nice, albeit short, visit here in Mendocino County.  We had an easy drive (I'm beginning to get the hang of these "leave by 10:00 and stop for the day by 2:00" drives) down from Eureka, in spite of some rain along the way.  It was basically US-101 south all the way.  We pulled into the Ukiah Elks Lodge mid-afternoon and were soon set up and paid up.

Today, the rain stopped in the morning, so we decided to pack up the pups and take a ride.  Having done a little research online, I knew we wanted to head west to Booneville, then north toward the little burg of Mendocino.  We didn't make it all the way, but that was just fine.

CA-253 west from Ukiah is one of those roads where large vehicles are "not advised".  In fact, RVs over 40' aren't allowed at all, and we could tell why.  Climbing 1,500' through switchbacks then dropping down the other side the same way, over two sets of mountains, made for an interesting drive.  Fortunately, it's only 16 miles to Booneville, in the heart of the Anderson Valley.  We stopped for lunch at the Redwood Drive-in (including a burger carne sola for the pups) and started our winery search from there.

We made two winery stops (recognizing that we had a long and winding drive back home) in the small town of Philo.  Our first stop was at Navarro, one of the oldest operations in the Anderson Valley.  After tasting and purchasing a couple of bottles, we circled back to Goldeneye, a winery I'd read about online.  They are primarily a Pinot Noir producer, and part of the Duckhorn wine group from Napa Valley.  We had a great tasting in a very relaxing setting.  After getting a glass of Chardonnay in the Visitor's Center, we adjourned to the patio overlooking the "home" vineyard, found a nice spot under an umbrella, and were treated to a nice tasting of four different Pinots.  Sitting on the patio, working at our own pace; now that's how to do a tasting right.  Since they're flexible on shipping, we even signed up for their wine shipment program.  It should be a good addition to our "portfolio".

Wonderful tasting a Goldeneye

View from Goldeneye's tasting patio

Should be harvesting soon!

Fully relaxed, we headed back over the mountains to Ukiah, stopped in the Lodge for a brew, and settled in for the night.  It was a mostly cloudy and damp visit, but we enjoyed it and will stop back again.

Eureka!

October 9, 2011

Eureka, California

Eureka!  We found it!  The Elks Lodge in Eureka, California, that is...

Yesterday was another easy driving day, about 115 miles south on US-101.  We stopped for fuel at one of the local Pacific Pride card-lock outlets and were soon parked at the Elks Lodge in Eureka, California.  Since we'd stopped here overnight with our friends Wayne and Eva last fall, we knew enough to stay on US-101 through town and not have our GPS route us through a series of residential streets.  When I checked in, the bartender told me about the Friday night steak dinner, so I signed up for the 6:30 PM event.

We could see things starting to perk up around 5:30, so we headed over early and found a nice spot at the "Friendly Corner" of the bar after buying our "cook your own steak" tickets.  Geri asked the bartender how the process worked since it was our first time here.  The response: "You brought your own steaks, right"? got Geri good; the look on her face was priceless! 

At 6:30, the Dining Room opened and everyone picked out their rib-eyes and headed out to the barbeque pit for seasoning and grilling.  Geri found us a table and got salads.  Once the steaks were deemed "done", we got our sides and were soon joined by an interesting local couple since seating is "family style".  We had a nice conversation, then Geri and I retired to the bar for a final glass of wine to cap off a nice evening.

Yesterday, we relaxed, made a Costco run (haven't seen one of those for a while!), watched a little baseball until the rain delay, and I did some Blog updates.  Today, we're going to explore Eureka and the area a bit as soon as I finish this entry.  Tomorrow, we continue our journey south...

Another Surprise Family Visit

October 6, 2011

Brookings, Oregon

Except, this time, the surprise was on us!  Here's the story:

Yesterday was an easy driving day, back to US-101 from the RV Park along the beach, then south for a few hours.  We stopped for lunch at an overlook just south of Port Orford, and were soon at our destination, the Elks Lodge in Brookings, Oregon.

This being our first time here, we decided to check out the Lodge and decided to stay for dinner.  The food reviews were mixed (hint, never fry your chips and fish in the same oil) and we were just getting ready to leave when we heard someone behind us say "She looks like my Grandma Honey".  Huh?  That's a nickname for Geri's sister, Kathy.  That's when Geri's great-niece, Cheri, surprised us with a visit.  She lives nearby and saw Geri's Foursquare check-in at the Elks, and decided to surprise us.  Neat!  We didn't even realize that she'd moved back to Oregon recently.  We hung out a bit then made plans to get together again this afternoon.

Today was a "stay in your jammies until Noon day" for one of us.  No matter, as we didn't have much planned.  We picked up a few things at the Fred Meyer, got some gas for the Rover (getting yelled at because, once again, I forgot that I'm not qualified to pump my own gas in Oregon), and putzed around the coach.  I checked the axle hub (still OK) and got out the silicone to seal up a few drips here and there, then we had a brew at the Lodge before dinner.  Afterwards, Cheri came over with three of the four boys in her brood: Gabe, Levi, and Johnny.  James was at a football game.  We had a nice visit and even Merlin came around after a while.  We'll definitely stop here again!

A Few Days At The Beach

October 4, 2011

Charleston, Oregon

Geri loves the beach.  Merlin and Maya Lynn love the beach.  So, we spent the past few days at the cleverly-named Oceanside RV Park in Charleston, Oregon.

We stayed here last year and weren't too impressed with the facilities, but the ability to walk 200' and be right on a large, partially-protected Pacific Ocean beach was enough to lure us back.  And, we're glad we did since the owners have at least made an attempt to clean things up a bit since last October's visit.

We had a couple of rainy days (that's what raincoats are for) and some sunny periods, plus a spell or two of strong winds, but still had a nice, relaxing time.  The pups thoroughly enjoyed long walks on the beach, especially since it's usually unpopulated and they're able to go off-leash.  We didn't accomplish much else, other than laundry catch-up and a Wally run, but that's just fine with us after a 1,500 mile trek from South Dakota.

More Washington Wine Country

September 30, 2011

Prosser, Washington

After getting back on the road in record time in Spokane, we made the easy half-day drive down to Prosser, in the Yakima Valley wine region, in the afternoon.  We passed through here last year after spending a few days in Walla Walla, where we had such a good wine time that we didn't partake here.  So, we spent this afternoon sampling some of the local wines, from Hogue (the biggest and most widely distributed producer in the area) to Heaven's Cave and Alexandria Nicole right next door, then Apex and Bunnell Family Cellars near our Park, Wine Country RV Park (how could we pass that up?).  We had dinner at the Bunnell's restaurant, "Wine O'Clock".  Fun is!

Hogue is probably the largest producer in Yakima, one of the tops in Washington.

We loved this sticker, just like we love Washington wines.  But wait; we love Napa wines, too!

Our kind of place!

Wine flights with dinner?  Oh, OK...

A Quick Fix in Spokane

September 29, 2011

Spokane, Washington

Tuesday was a nice day for driving, and we had an easy route: fuel up at the Flying J Truck Stop right next to where we were parked, get on I-90 West, and drive.  Actually, it was a simpler, albeit longer, drive than we'd planned.  Right before Sturgis there were highway signs indicating that vehicles over 26,000 pounds (yes, that's us) should avoid US-212, our planned route to Montana.  So, Geri used the iPad to access the Montana DOT while we were driving along, and confirmed that bridge construction would require us to bypass US-212.  In this case, the best alternative was to stay on I-90, even though that added about 50 miles to the day's drive.

We made it to our "destination", a nice quiet Rest Area in Greycliff, Montana, with no problems and had a restful night.  In the morning, I caught a nice sunrise as we were getting ready to hit the road.

Unfortunately, that's when the snag hit.  As I was walking around the coach doing a visual inspection, I noticed gear oil on one of the wheels, one that's been trouble ever since we've owned the motorhome.  I'd replaced the axle cover while we were in Connecticut, but that apparently didn't fix the leak.  This time, enough oil had leaked out that the bearing had overheated, so we knew we needed to stop somewhere for repairs.  I patched it up so we could travel, and thought about options.  Our next planned destination was Spokane, Washington.  I figured that a stop along the way in Montana at a truck shop could yield a "sure, we can fix it but we've got to get parts from Spokane" response, so I Googled repair places in Spokane, found Pacific Power (a chain we've used in the past for engine and transmission service), called and scheduled ourselves in this morning.  What did we ever do before smartphones?

I stopped more frequently than normal during the day and kept checking the axle, and other than running a little hot (checking with an infrared thermometer, another handy gadget), we were at least stable to travel.  We stopped for fuel in Butte and pushed on, soon crossing through northern Idaho.  I'd planned to stay at the Welcome Center just across the Idaho-Washington border, but it was being reconstructed so we pushed on.  Geri used the Exit Guide to find a Flying J a few miles on, so we headed there.  Coincidentally, as we got off the exit, Pacific Power was right across the street, so we pulled in there, let them know we'd be ready in the morning, and found a place to park in their lot.

Today, we were up early and I had the coach parked in front of their bays before they opened.  We checked in, they said they would get us in as soon as they could, depending on work already scheduled in front of us, and the service writer gave us some pointers on breakfast and things to see.  At the local Denny's, we were seated near a large group of landscapers heading for a golf outing.  Geri got to chatting with the owner and, surprise-surprise, our waitress came over and told us that they paid for our breakfast.  Now that doesn't happen every day!

After breakfast, we stopped at the shop and could see that they were already working on the axle, a very good sign.  They did have to get parts from a local supplier, but that was no problem.

So, we headed for Downtown Spokane to kill some time.  The riverfront park was a relaxing place to spend a couple of "found" hours; Spokane is another place we've been through before on the Interstate but never explored.  I wandered around, taking a few pictures, while Geri read on her iPad.  The Spokane River runs right through and has several waterfalls, but all the water was diverted.  I've seen a lot of road and bridge reconstruction, but never a river reconstruction project before.  But, it'll all be better/more stable when done.  The area was also the site of the 1974 World's Fair, so there are several artifacts left over from that.

This was an interesting two-level fountain.

World's largest "Radio Flyer"; what else can I say?

Saw a little parade of "locals"...

This clock tower was built in 1902 by the Burlington Northern Railroad, and donated with the rest of the land here for the 1974 World's Fair.

Interesting sculpture along the sidewalk...

The curve of the wall and walk struck my eye, and the foliage was just starting to turn.

River?  What river?

With the water diverted, construction workers are doing all kinds of projects in the riverbed.

There are several pedestrian and vehicular bridges across the Spokane River.

This is one of the two powerhouses producing electricity in downtown.

Leaves just starting to show color, it was a nice sunny day.

There's a tram that rides tourists down to the lower falls.

The Lower Falls are still wet, with water from the power plants still flowing.

We headed back to the coach after a few hours and found everything all fixed.  As soon as the bill is ready, we'll pay and be on our way, probably right after Noon.  It's never fun to need a repair on the road, but we were fortunate that we could still drive and found a reputable shop that got us fixed right away.  That four-leaved clover I found earlier this year is still working!