Calistoga to Napa

We got up early and waited for the sun to come out a bit. By 10:30 it looked promising so we grabbed the dogs and headed out for a day of exploration. We headed west to start with a drive to Sebastopol. There wasn't a lot to see so we didn't stop but continued back to the east and Hwy101. Going north for about 10 miles we exited to Mark West Spring Rd and headed east across the Sonoma Valley to cross the Sonoma ridge stopping at the Petrified Forest.

The forest was found in the late 1800's and later turned into a tourist attraction. Approximately 3.4 million years old, the forest of redwoods was buried by volcanic ash heavy with silicates. Milenia of rains washed the minerals downward and petrified the trees, several of them thousands of years old when buried. We walked along the trails and were able to view and touch these huge petrified trees, some of them up to eight feet in diameter.

After our hike we continued down into the town of Calistoga. We parked and went for a walk around town with a stop for lunch. Calistoga is a very pretty little town filled with shops and restaurants. And of course, wine shops abound.

The Napa valley, as is the Sonoma valley and the Petaluma valley (along both sides of Hwy 101) are filled with large and small wineries. Where ever you look you find beautiful buildings like the Rhine House on the Berringer Estates. Other wineries are more modest, but all had scores of cars, busses and tour limousines. We stopped at the Berringer winery and toured the grounds and several buildings. Everything is imaculate.

Once again on the road we passed through several other small towns including St Helena and Yountville before getting off the highway and pulling into Napa. Another beautiful town that has grown with the explosion of wineries and wine sales around the world.

Leaving Napa we headed west towards home through thousands and thousands of acres of grape vines glowing in the afternoon sun.