We started this drive through the last of the Redwoods. I don’t think I will ever tire of seeing them. We stopped at another named tree, this one called The Grandfather Tree for seemingly no reason at all other than having a closed gift shop next to it. Next door was the single log cabin, which as the name suggests is a caravan of sorts made out of a single log. We went inside (it was free) and it was surprisingly spacious and yet cosy.
Our next stop was at another Drive Thru tree, this time The Chandelier Tree. This was much better than The Shrine Tree from the day before and was one I recalled from old photographs. Again it cost $10 to go through it. It was much better organised and had a really nice gift shop. I drove through the tree behind Karen who walked through to take photos. I offered to swap but she wasn’t confident to drive as it was still a tight fit. The whole place and tree was much better maintained than the previous one as well.
As we drove on we finally left the Tsunami areas behind us. Much of the time we had been driving near the coast we had had a minus altitude and were warned we were in Tsunami areas. Indeed many of the Hotels we had stayed in had left ‘What to do in the event of a Tsunami’ instructions either on the bed or desk of our rooms. To start with this really put the jitters up Karen but after she had woken up each morning without finding the room under water she finally started to get blasé about it all.
The winery was obviously a popular choice amongst visitors as the large car park was very full. As we arrived the wine train was also parked up outside. As we walked through the pretty gardens the heat was stifling and we were pleased to enter the cooling Tasting room. We paid $20 for Karen to have a tasting session of 5 wines (although we somehow miscounted and she had 6!). Her favourite by far was the Gamay Rouge which was retailing for only $20 and was one of their cheaper ones. We asked about purchasing in the UK, but their business model is that they only sell the wine at the winery. They have no stockists anywhere. If you want it then you have to visit and whilst we doing the tasting, we heard and saw many people who had travelled a long way just to do so. We could have bought the wine and then they would ship for us, but at a shipping cost of $200 to the UK we declined. To make up for the disappointment, I went round and tried all the cheese and oils samples at least twice.
After settling in we went out via the nearby Premium Outlets. The one things I had wanted to buy this trip was new Skechers Golf Shoes as my old ones were falling to pieces. I wanted something that I knew would not cause my feet problems and but they cost over £130 at home. We went to the Skechers Outlet only to be told they don’t stock Golf Shoes and the nearest place that did was San Francisco. So I needed to come up with a Plan B to get hold of some.
For dinner we headed to the Napa Riverfront. After eventually finding parking we walked to The Bounty Hunter bar. This place would have been Neil’s ideal eating place as they served and so we ordered a whole chicken covered in a incredibly tasty dry rub and cooked with a full beer can inside of it. The beer evaporates into the chicken and gives it a terrific flavour. The hot metal from the can means it cooks inside out at the same time. The chicken came perched on the plate with the can still inside. It was probably the tastiest chicken I have ever had. It was not the easiest thing to carve but it also much bigger than we expected. We both enjoyed it although Karen took the leg and wing away in a box to eat tomorrow. It was another good end to another good day.