California WIne Country - Week three

We are into week four of our United States sojourn this winter and no one has committed Harakiri or murder yet. This pleases me. Even the wet weather has been remarkably tolerable, and all in all we are getting along fine and really enjoying all the things we are seeing and doing. Who knew RVing would be so fun? I am beginning to understand the attraction.

This past week we were exploring the California wine regions of Mendocino, Napa, and Sonoma, and comparing them to the Okanagan wine region has been interesting. The Mendocino and Sonoma areas are very pretty – their rolling hillsides set them apart from Napa’s flatter, broader valley. None however are as beautiful (in my humble opinion) as the Okanagan.

The wineries varied from large impressive buildings much like our own large wineries in B.C., to smaller family run places. I cannot say I found the Mendocino area very tourist friendly: Signage was bad and places hard to find – 3 out of 4 were not open despite what their websites said, and always, the tastings were outdoors in the cold on uncomfortable chairs. Napa was the most tourist friendly – but tasting fees ran between $40 - $80 U.S. dollars.

All the wines we tasted were very good, and yet, except for the Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese, and Zinfandel, I would say none were better than the wines we make in BC – and all were significantly more expensive. All in all, I think we are lucky in B.C. to have a stunningly beautiful wine region that is tourist friendly, with relatively low tasting fees.

 After we tired of wine tasting we headed to the redwood forest, and it really was a privilege to see these majestic, amazing, ancient trees. In the Muir National Monument outside of San Fransisco, the Redwoods were massive - some as old as 1100 years - though the biggest and oldest (the Titans) are in a forest we drove through on the way to wine country. It was pouring rain that day so we skipped out planned hike, so it is my hope to spend some more time in several other Redwood forests – perhaps on the drive home or as a side trip later this winter. 

Judith and I are now headed south on the coastal highway – looking forward to the rugged beauty of Big Sur before heading inland to get settled in the Palm Springs area for the rest of the winter. This is the part of RVing I am not sure I am going to like. As someone with a driving need for change - staying put in such a small space may not suit me...on the other hand, we chose Palm Springs to settle down for a few months as there are numerous state and national parks in the vicinity to explore (are their mushrooms in the desert?), it has good weather (though not quite as hot as I like), pickleball courts (yeah pickleball!!!), and an airport (for sneaking away if staying put is too boring for me). 

RVing may not be for everyone – and the verdict is still out on whether it is for me once we stop moving from place to place – but so far, I must admit it has been pretty fun…I feel like a snail, carrying my house with me wherever I go, and for sure there is some freedom in that. If you like a place you can stay longer, and if you hate a place you can move on! Try doing THAT with a condo!

One thing that is for certain – this trip would have been horrible without a car, and I am glad I insisted on bringing mine. All the fun things we have done we have had to drive to with the car, and it would have been impossible to do all those things without it. Driving two vehicles has for sure meant higher costs, so for people planning on RVing every year it would make good sense to spend the extra money and buy a tow kit, but for us having some time apart with our own thoughts, listening to our own music or ebooks in our own vehicles has been just perfect.