We couldn’t let a trip to Northern California go by without at least one stop in wine country. After driving from Yosemite, we took the boys past one of our favorite mountaintop vineyards for a quick tour. We stopped for dinner at our old standby (Rutherford Grill), and then it was off to the Best Western in Calistoga to hit the pool. It may have only been 50 degrees, but that wasn’t going to stop the boys from a few laps and splashes.
Today we drove down the Pacific Coast Highway from Mendocino to Jenner, before cutting back inland to our hotel in Petaluma. We stopped at several beaches along the way, exploring the tidal pools and wading in the freezing Pacific. While it was overcast and drizzly inland, the coast saw beautiful weather today. It was sunny and calm, with temperatures in the mid 50s.
As you might have guessed, it’s getting tricky to live on the road in California. Restaurants are closing to guests other than drive through or delivery, and gas stations are closing their bathrooms. This has made it terribly inconvenient the last couple of days. Since Alcatraz is also closed for tours, we’ve decided to cut our trip short and head back home tomorrow night. This will hopefully leave us time to take a hike through Muir Woods and check out the Marin Headlands before heading to the airport. We’ll check back in on Friday.
