While in Napa Valley, I stayed at a really cute hotel, the Sonoma Creek Inn. One of the things I really liked about this place (aside from the quaint decor and lovely bathroom) was that each of the rooms comes with its own patio. So, at the end of the day I could relax with a glass of wine on said patio and enjoy the mild weather (in February! amazing!). And also: cook dinner. I had my camp stove with me in instances where I wasn’t staying in a place with a stove (i.e. with friends or family), but it requires that you cook with it outside — you know, noxious fumes and such. Here I was able to enjoy a space of my own AND cook dinner for myself. It felt luxurious:

One night I made tacos, another, pasta. This particular night, I made asparagus with some local Sonoma sausage (and a glass of red wine, of course). It was really delicious.

It became perhaps the first time on the trip (and in my life) when I realized I truly am quite content being alone with myself. Don’t get me wrong, I very much enjoy being in the company of friends and loved ones, for sure. I know I am a naturally social person and enjoy companionship. And I always knew I could be alone and enjoy myself. But while in Sonoma I found the place deep within myself where I felt a solid and peaceful appreciation of solitude. As though I really understood it for the first time. It felt like an awakening.

There are plenty of wineries to be had in Napa, Calistoga, Sonoma and beyond. And while I could certainly spend the rest of eternity getting to know each and every one, I didn’t want to miss some of the local non-wine attractions. First, we stopped at the Old Faithful geyser. If you’re like me, you’re thinking, I thought Old Faithful was in Yellowstone? You know, Wyoming? So what is this hulabaloo about it being way over here? This must be some kind of joke.

It’s not. Apparently there is another geyser named Old Faithful in Calistoga, and the term “old faithful” is used to refer to geysers that erupt at regular intervals. Behold! The grandeur of the Calistoga geyser:

I am certainly glad we saw the geyser, but it cost $10! Ten bucks! Highway robbery, if you ask me. Also, I must admit I am a little skeptical about this geyser. Signs nearby said it would go off every 40-50 minutes, but it went off much more frequently than that. So either those signs are wrong, this geyser is bunk, or the apocalypse is near and causing environmental abnormalities all over the globe. This geyser is being studied for its relation to earthquakes, as apparently when its eruption interval slows down, that signifies an earthquake will happen within 500 miles.

Isabel once again seemed uninterested in the geyser and more interested in the sheep nearby.

Guess which direction the sheep (or rather, sheep noises) are in in this photo.

Next, we wandered over to the Petrified Forest. My favorite thing here were the tree carvings of bears and other creatures:

The gift shop had a lot of stones and gems and some really great Napa Valley postcards. (And take note, the cards were cheaper here than in other touristy areas around the Valley, so I loaded up.)

All in all, a good non-winery day.

After San Francisco, I drove up to Napa Valley the day before my 30th birthday. On the big day, I went to my first wine tasting ever in the Valley at Domaine Chandon. They have a delicious Chardonnay.

Isabel was nonplussed about my birthday.

My friend Laura’s husband’s parents were gracious enough to invite me over for birthday dinner. Before then, I stopped at a local Italian bakery to get a birthday cake. I picked out this tasty limoncello cake which the owner gave to me for FREE! Free cake on my birthday! You really can’t get any better than that.

We ate a wonderful meal, played cards and had a really nice time. Then I went home and crafted some birthday thoughts here.