the vineyards...

Napa, I truly adore you.

 We started off at Cakebread Cellars (which ended up being our absolute favorite - the Syrah, and the Pinot Noir, so delicious) after Cakebread, we stopped by Sawyer, then off to St. Clement.

We sat down at one of the bistro tables, tasted a flight of reds and whites, and looked over rolling hills of dormant vines. I mean.... dream. 

It was time for a coffee break...

(then Blake and I were like...)

and, lunch, at Gott's Roadside.

The next winery was a drive south, so we headed down from St. Helena to Cuvaison's Carneros tasting room in South Napa. It was the most perfect setting to end the day. 

This is Napa to me. 

We grabbed dinner in downtown Napa at Norman Rose Tavern. We tried to keep the food low-key and the wine spectacular. All of the places we ate ended up being delicious any way. After dinner, we drove back to our hotel, Harvest Inn. (I don't have enough words to express how perfect this place was - recommended.)

 Apologies for the bathrobe shot, we were headed to the hot tub. Below is what you look out onto from the pool area. Pinch me. I still cannot believe we were there.

Until next time Napa, you were better than any expectation. So perfectly romantic, and relaxing. Only when I see you again, how about more than a day and half?

sequoia

 

  I'm having a difficult time coming up with words to describe Kings Canyon National Park. Everywhere we went in California was breathtakingly beautiful. It's been hard being back in Dallas. We spent Easter Sunday walking though (literally, did you see the fallen tree that you can walk under?) the stunning sequoias. We saw General Grant, 3rd largest tree in the world. Cool, huh? After the park, we headed back to the airport to drop off JA, and had a nice Easter lunch at Wendy's :)

Blake and I picked up our rental car, said goodbye to our sweet hosts, and started for Napa.

There's just one last post left for California!

yosemite national park

 

 

 

Yosemite is one of the most beautiful places I've ever been. The mountains, trees and waterfalls, nature can't get any more beautiful. It's a crazy feeling you get when you stand in the middle of these mountains, and at the bottom of these waterfalls, it's so unreal, calming, yet a little intimidating. I felt pretty small. We had our lunch on a fallen tree, next to a river, with duck coming to play. I imagine stuff like this regularly goes on in Blake's dreams. It began to rain, so we ran up to the falls quickly, and then ran back to the car even quicker. On the way out of the park, we saw a WOLF. First, from afar, then he walked up right next to our car's window. What an incredible day.

Hearst Castle, and Paso Robles

We got up early for the morning tour of Hearst Castle. I heard that this castle was must on the list of things to do in California. It was a fascinating place, a true castle, yet comparatively modern with it's hay day in the 20s and 30s. I could only imagine the parties held there with Clark Gable, Charlie Chaplin, FDR, and Winston Churchill. I mean, how cool. I always say it, but I'm pretty sure I was born in the wrong era. 

The interior was sort of terrible, gothic and Mediterranean revival, but my favorite parts were the grounds outside, it took so much restraint to not cannonball into that pool, and the gardens were unbelievable. 

After the castle and lunch, we drove through the vineyards in Paso Robles. The drive was gorgeous. We stopped at a few wineries and tasted along the way back to Fresno. Justin Vineyards and winery came highly recommended, and did not disappoint. We brought home their wine glasses that apparently hold an entire bottle of wine (still need to test that). The last stop, Le Vigne, paired your tasting with cheeses. Hello heaven!