Notes from Napa

July 25, 2008

napa_13.jpgBack from Napa. . . .

I had planned to update this post sooner, but I’ve been stuck in “vacay” mode and have been trying to avoid lots of time planted in front of a screen.

Sarah and I had a blast running the Napa to Sonoma half marathon.  The weather was perfect for running — cool and overcast — and we both performed well. Having spent the majority of the summer getting up at the crack o’ dawn to log miles running in blistering heat was beginning to really wear on me. My performance always suffers in the heat because my body expends more energy trying to stay cool, and I’m not nearly as efficient, which translates into a slower pace.

So I did not mind shivering at the start.

Arizona — at least here in the Valley — is pancake flat.  Consult any wine book or tour guide of Napa and it will be quick to point out that region’s “gently rolling hills.”

But there’s nothing really gentle about starting a race where the first third of a mile is up a steep hill, followed by a more gradual hill, then rolling hills for the next 6-7 miles.

It felt like running two Hood to Coast legs back to back.  It was awesome, and the crowds, while small were great.

But no trip to Napa would be complete without sampling some of what makes the area world famous: wheat germ. Wine (just seeing if anyone is paying attention)!

The day before the race, we paid a visit to Rutherford Hill.  After tasting a few wines, we had a nice picnic outside with food we picked up from the Oakville Grocery.  This place is always busy and between the samples, and the cold case, you basically have to swim through people to make your way through the store.  We bought a few pecan-crusted chicken fingers, a chile-corn salad, some cheese, a loaf of bread, greek salad, and roasted garlic.

We ended the afternoon with a trip to Mumm.  We originally went for the photography exhibit there, but we got sucked into watching a video about the champagne making process, and decided we had to try some, to make sure it was, um, safe for consumption.

Not exactly the kind of food we normally eat before a race, but hey, we were on vacation.

Later that night, we headed over to one of my friends’ homes for dinner and to catch up with them and another couple from Portland who were also in town for the race.  It was great to catch up with everyone, share a few laughs, and enjoy some good food.

On Sunday, Sarah and I did little more wine tasting, winding our way north through the valley.  We made stops at William Hill, ClosDu Val, Peju and Turnbull.  We found a few wines that both of us actually liked, but just had fun wandering around.

The only buzzkill was Peju.  That place was an 11 on the pretentious-ness scale. They definitely use the hard sell approach for selling wine, and it was not really a relaxing experience.  But they did have a coy pond, and we played with the fish for a bit, and relaxed for a bit before continuing on.

Through the whole tasting experience, I noticed that Sarah and I were younger than most of the other people in the tasting rooms.  And there must be some sort of unwritten code among men, that when wine tasting, you must wear a black hawaiian shirt.

I saw at least one man in a black hawaiian shirt at every place we stopped.  And it was never the same guy, so there must be some sort of code that I am not aware of.  Maybe you get extra free tastings or other perks.  I’ll have to investigate that.

During our trek through the valley we also foraged — I use that phrase loosely — some fresh fruit. We picked blackberries in a local park, and ate pre-picked plums left on a table with a sign reading 12 plums for a $1.  Whille eating plums, we also discovered a massive nut tree across the street.  I was convinced it was a walnut, so I picked a green one, bit into the husk and broke up a nut confirming I was right.  But man, that was one bitter experience.  Do not try that at home!  You will really regret it.

Eventually we landed at Silverado Trail Brewing.  We got a taster (1 oz samples) of a few of their brews, and watched a little Tour de France.

I was basically in heaven at this point.  I had ran a great race, tasted some wine, eaten some fresh fruit, and was not watching bike racing?! How is this possible.  Some days just go that way.

We had been on course to be at a restaurant for dinner with our friends at 8pm.  Our trusty GPS device said the place was right around the corner.  But as we pulled into what was supposed to be the restaurant parking lot, it was no where to be found.

The GPS had either outdated address information, or was totally confused.  After making a couple calls, we beelined it back south, and were fashionably late for dinner.  I really hate being late.

The next day we were off to Muir Woods and San Fran.  I’ve been to San Francisco many, many, times but have never been to Muir Woods.  It is awe inspiring to wander through a forest of ancient, massive redwood trees.  And to think that much of Northern California coast was covered with them.  With so much attention being placed on conservation, Muir Woods is a great tool for encouraging people to consume less, conserve more, and protect what we have left.

After lunch, we made out way to the Golden Gate Bridge.  We walked around on the bridge for a little bit, eyed the swim from Alcatraz to the city, and snapped a few photos.

Later that night, we ventured out for sushi, and after hoofing it for what seemed like forever, we ended up at Fuku Sushi in Japantown.  It was pretty quiet when we got there, but it seemed like no one was there by accident; they had heard about Fuku from someone else.

That’s always a good sign.

Behind the bar were sheets signed by Anthony and Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Monica Seles, Robert Cray and others.

And the sushi did not disappoint.  The chef was amazed by how much we ate.  It was delicious, so we wanted to try as much as we could.   Afterward, we wandered into another local noodle bar and sampled some gyoza.

Our vacation was drawing to a close.  The next day was fairly uneventful.  We did not do much in the city; Sarah had a meeting get canceled, and we did not have enough time to drive someplace else and do something productive, so we headed for the airport.  We grabbed a flight that left a couple of hours earlier and made our way back to PHX.

Here’s my photos.

Posted by seth | Filed Under Travel, Blog 

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