Steve and I just returned from our vacation on Saturday night about 10 pm.  We went to Calistoga, California, Klamath Falls, Oregon and San Francisco, Ca.  The weather for the whole trip was absolutely gorgeous.  We enjoyed sunshine every day with temperatures in the 80s and cool breezes.

I think of our trip in 3 parts so I will report it that way.  We flew out of Tucson at about 9 am on Saturday, August 13th.  We landed in San Francisco.  It was sunny and beautiful but the traffic about blew our minds.  It took us about 2 hours to get out of the city and head for Napa Valley and our hotel in Calistoga.  

Calistoga is famous for its natural hot springs and wineries.  Our hotel had a pool and hot tub.  The pool must have been heated by the hot springs because it was as warm as a bath.  I got in the hot tub just to make the pool seem cooler.  Our room was a small suite with a bedroom, kitchen, bath and living room.  We were within walking distance of restaurants and shops.  The first night we ate at the only Chinese restaurant in town.  It was pretty good.  We walked around and took pictures of some of the inns and mountains around Calistoga.  It was very relaxing.  People were friendly and, compared to Tucson, dressed up! 


The second day in Calistoga we drove around and visited some of the wineries.  We had been to Paso Robles wineries when we lived in California so we thought we knew what to expect.  We were pretty shocked to be charged a "tasting fee" at every winery.  Most of them waved the fee if we made a purchase though.  I just love visiting wineries and trying their wines.  They are usually beautiful establishments and the country itself is breath-taking.  I'll post winery pictures next time.