Where Did The Time Go?.

It was sunny and crisp as we left Canyon Creek on Rte 128 W. We passed ranches, vineyards, sheep, and ducks flying down the road coming straight at us. We're sharing this narrow windy road with motorcycles and bicycles this morning, but there is very little traffic. The scenery is beautiful. As we rounded the corner we noticed the "Open" sign at the Nichelini Winery - yeah. We found a place to park the coach down the road and walked back. Yes, it's only 9AM, but grapes are good anytime.... Sitting on a bench overlooking the back meadow we talked with Viki who gave us an update on the family doings while we tried some wines. We liked the Zinfindel and Merlot and took a bottle of Zin with us. There were deer in the meadow again and it was a great memory.

Continuing on Rte 128 we wound our way past Lake Hennessey with lots of people boating and fishing. We stopped at a little store to get coffee --- and discovered we forgot to turn our clocks ahead. Oh well we didn't have any appointments today anyway...

Rolling through Napa valley and it's amazing with yellow Musatrd Seed and pink Dogwoods everywhere. Rte 128 is known as the Silverado Trail. We passed through Calistoga famous for their spring water, mineral & mud baths, and Sterling Vineyards. There are small shops and cafes everywhere and on this gorgeous Sunday tons of people. We had visited Calistoga before, so we grabbed some lunch at the Home Plate Cafe and kept moving.

After lunch the road led us through a canopy of cedar trees, up and down hills, and back into valleys of vineyards. We are now drving through Alexander Valley which gives a quieter feel to wineries. They aren't as posh as Napa and we didn't recognize many of the names as we passed. One winery we passed was the Raymond Burr Winery (You may remember he was Perry Mason). We thought about stopping, but decided to keep going.

Leaving Rte 128 we turned onto Rte 101 N. This is the road we will follow all the way to Bellingham, Washington. We took Exit 525 in Cloverdale and arrived at the Russian River Resort. It's very woodsy here and the river runs along the property. We chose a site on top of a hill with a nice view. There isn't anyone else around and we just hung out and watched the wildlife. There are dozens of Acorn Woodpeckers flying in and out of the budding Chestnut trees and making a racket. They are funny looking birds. Two Red Tail Hawks were soaring overhead most of the afternoon while the little Gambrel Quail ran everywhere.

We took a walk around the campground after dinner. It's very quiet here. Oh yes we fixed our clocks....