From City To Wine Country And On To The Hills
With the delights of San Francisco behind us, we drive into the town of Napa just before lunchtime on that most significant of American days, the fourth of July. Stars and stripes are very much in evidence, bunting and banners adorn the streets and there is a sense of anticipation in the air.
The River Napa which flows swiftly through the town and runs directly into San Francisco Bay, once supported heavy industry here, until alternative forms of transport took away its water borne advantages and Napa and its neighbours suffered a downturn. What followed later wasn’t quite the Gold Rush of 1849 but you could conceivably call it the Grape Rush, as the booming wine industry gave the Napa Valley a new lease of life.
Widening of the river and avoidance of floods followed, as did wine-related tourism: the old derelict factories were dismantled and gentrification dawned. The result is a sparkling, confident town which proudly pushes its viticultural heritage at every single opportunity. And why wouldn’t it.
But today is the fourth of July and Napa has other things on its mind. We amble down to Oxbow Common, join what seems to be most of the townsfolk gathered in front of the big stage; we drink beer, eat hot dogs, watch live bands and whoop at the extended fireworks display just after dark. If someone had handed us a star spangled banner we probably would have waved it. We nearly even sing along when they play “Born In The USA”. We’re not sure that you could get much more of an all-American evening than this.
So here we are landed deep in wine country. There’s something very satisfying about looking at vineyards: green, lush, peaceful, and almost always blessed with both sunshine and beautiful landscapes, yet so neat, tidy and orderly, and it’s that orderliness which really satisfies. One’s mind is sort of stimulated and edified in equal measure. It’s as if you can relax because everything is in order.
To explore the region as fully as possible in the time available we take a drive from Napa up to Calistoga along Route 29, returning via the more picturesque route of the Silverado Trail, right through the heart of the vineyards. The sheer acreage of land covered by wineries is incredible; mile upon mile of neat rows of vines striping the valley between the lofty hills on either side.
At the northern end of our loop, just above Calistoga, lies an unassuming ranch style entrance with a familiar name – Old Faithful. Like its Yellowstone namesake, this is a regularly spouting hot water geyser, which, according to its own literature, is one of only three geysers in the world granted the “Old Faithful” title as a result of the reliability of their “eruptions”.
Everything about this little place is surprising, not least the modest, by California standards, entry fee. But it’s all so understated – surrounded by collections of goats, sheep and llama, the geyser looks rather like a duckpond on an average farm. Until, that is, it erupts – and it does so in style. OK so it’s nothing like as spectacular as Yellowstone, but it’s actually quite exciting when this boiling outlet shoots 135F water about 30ft into the air.
Along the Silverado Trail, there is, sadly, much evidence of recent damaging fire on the hillsides and many of the wineries which normally offer tours are currently closed to the public; we pictured lunching at one but we don’t find one which isn’t “reservations only”. Of course, given that we are driving today, we can’t properly indulge anyway, so a tasting session at a wine bar back in Napa is suddenly appropriate, followed by a couple of hours at Downtown Joe’s.
Now, we’ve found a LOT of good bars on our travels around the world, but, honestly, Downtown Joe’s in Napa is right up there with the best of them. If you’re ever in Napa, go there! It’s karaoke night tonight – maybe it is every night – and these guys and gals are soon right in the spirit. We get so whipped along that we almost, almost, make our karaoke debuts, but what stops us is the fact that even Napa’s worst vocalist is way more tuneful than we are, so we resist the calls for us to have a go.
We hit the road south from Napa around 9am, heading to our next destination four hours or so away. Weeks ago when we were planning this trip, we had mental images of what an American road trip would look like, and today just absolutely brings those images alive. Freeways, highways, miles of fruit trees, giant corn fields, quirky bridges spanning over wetlands. Giant sparkling trucks, 2-mile long freight trains on nearby railroads. Mountains, valleys, fabulous vistas.
The crowning glory is the diner, just so totally the kind of place we envisaged calling in to whilst on the road. It’s even called the Highway 12 Diner: there’s “grits”, “pancake stacks” and “sunny side up” on the menu. You have to remember we really are novices with American travel so this is all just a delight.
Somewhere around mid afternoon, after a haircut stop in the Wild West-like town of Mariposa, we pull into our rather super next home. Rural now, a few miles from the Yosemite entrance gate, a shack amongst the hills and trees is our base for a few nights. Part campsite, part lodge dwelling, just too far from the nearest town to eat anywhere but here, this is the Yosemite Bug Rustic Hostel, and our first impressions are that we absolutely love it.
After hours on the road we stretch our legs by following the 2-hour “Bug Trail” through the woods around the site, which, with its steep climbs and equally steep descents, tricky on the loose topsoil, feels like a good warm up for our time in Yosemite.
This is a big change of scene from our stops so far. It promises to be a good one.
29 Comments
Gilda Baxter
Napa Valley looks beautiful, I am sure the wine was delicious. Such a shame you missed your opportunity to sing some karaoke 😂
Great post and looking forward to the next one.
Phil & Michaela
Cheers Gilda – man, that bar was fun!
wetanddustyroads
Ah, wine country … now you’re talking! I like the pictures of the countless vineyards, the buildings along the way and then your accommodation (yes, the “Bug home” looks rather lovely). And the trail – just stunning. Wow, what a trip!
Phil & Michaela
I reckon you & Berto would have loved Downtown Joe’s as much as we did!
wetanddustyroads
👏
Alison
What a wonderful time you’re having, it’s so nice when your imagination finally delivers. That is some fancy hostel you stayed in. Safe driving for your next segment 🙂
Phil & Michaela
Cheers Ali – yep this is one amazing trip
Toonsarah
I’m not a novice at US road tripping but I would nevertheless find all of this a delight! Perhaps because we only visit every few years, I still get excited at all the things you mention, and especially a good diner 😆 We’ve not yet made it to Napa so that part of your route is new ground for me, and the town sounds great (in particular that bar!) But we did once find ourselves in the US for July 4th, staying at a B&B in Redding CA. Our hostess was throwing a party that evening, as her property had excellent views of the town fireworks, and she invited us to join. Everyone found it rather amusing to have British guests at an event celebrating independence from Britain!
Phil & Michaela
Yes that little irony didn’t pass us by. It was great fun to be part of it.
Latitude Adjustment, A tale of two travelers!
You picked some great stops and wonderful photography! Keep em coming!
Phil & Michaela
Cheers guys
Joe
Celebrating a national holiday in a foreign country is a great opportunity for an intense cultural experience. In the USA, there is no more quintessential American holiday than the Fourth of July. Springsteen songs, hot dogs, Budweiser, corn on the cob, apple pie, and fireworks abound. By following your ears and nose to the Oxbow Common, you hit the target. Glad you enjoyed being an American for a day!
Phil & Michaela
It was a lot of fun, Joe…as was that bar!
Monkey's Tale
Wine country seems the perfect place for you two 😊 but no singing??
Phil & Michaela
Napa was spared that torment
Mike and Kellye Hefner
It sounds like you are having the time of your lives! We would love to follow in your footsteps one day. Thank you for sharing your adventures. We are taking notes.
Phil & Michaela
Cheers guys, it really is a brilliant trip so far
WanderingCanadians
How fun to visit Napa on the 4th of July and participate in all the festivities. What a great way to get into the American spirit! I didn’t know that there was an Old Faithful in California. Agreed, it’s not nearly as impressive as the one in Yellowstone!
Heyjude
Sounds like a great trip so far. Sad that so many wineries are still struggling though. We only visited Yosemite in the winter when it actually snowed on our last day, so I am looking forward to your experience.
Phil & Michaela
Yes it’s brilliant Jude, thanks – wow, it definitely didn’t snow this time!
leightontravels
What an article packed full of such iconic and exciting sights and experiences. Napa Valley is so beautiful and you are absolutely right that there’s something very satisfying about being in a vineyard. Great trip!
Phil & Michaela
Cheers bud, this is great so far
Annie Berger
We’ve visited the Napa area a few times but haven’t heard of California’s Old Faithful. Would love to see it and the bar where you had such fun even if the karaoke spirit didn’t move you to participate!
I’ll be back in SF next month but won’t have time to visit Napa – too bad. Glad you are both enjoying your American road trip and that it’s living up to your expectations. Hope that continues.
Phil & Michaela
I think we’d say it’s exceeded our expectations so far Annie
Phil & Michaela
I think it’s exceeded our expectations so far, Annie
grandmisadventures
How fun that you got to celebrate with the locals on the 4th. No better way to enjoy the day than with beer, hotdogs, live music, and fireworks. I really love that old wine truck and the charming Mariposa. The whole area looks so peaceful and inviting. If you decide you do another US adventure, I think you would really love Yellowstone and their Old Faithful….although more and more it is faithful-ish when it comes to timing. 🙂
Phil & Michaela
I think we will definitely be heading over here again!
Phil & Michaela
I think based on this adventure we will definitely be heading over here again!
Phil & Michaela
Well we think that based on this trip we will definitely be coming back for more!