Final leg of our journey home

We got up quite early . . . . I was up by 4:00am as I could not suffer the bed any longer.  While Jon showered I took Sparta for another walk around the inn grounds . . . .the grounds were beautiful and the morning was cool and crisp.  Coffee was not available until 7:15 so we made our way to the lodge at exactly 7:15 . . . the electricity went out a bit earlier and the innkeepers were busy trying to brew coffee and make breakfast in the dark.  Thankfully they had coffee ready so we sat in the dark until the sun warmed the porch enough to sit outside.  For breakfast they served a yummy fruit salad followed by an egg, veggie, and feta souffle sort of dish (the souffle was not particularly tasty but it was edible so we ate it.)  They prepared Sparta some plain eggs that she would not eat.  We enjoyed chatting with others who were seated around us, but the highlight of breakfast was watching Sparta and a small lab named Obie play in the grass just outside the porch area . . . everybody seemed charmed by our dogs having a playful rumble . . . . Sparta became a contented car traveler with her energy spent.

fall leaves near Sedona

The drive from Sedona to near Flagstaff is a lovely one . . . again we saw beautiful leaves . . . fall leaves are at their height . . . lots of people were photographing, but we just drove slowly and enjoyed.

 We arrived in ABQ at about 4:00pm . . . after unloading the car we decided to take it easy for the rest of the day.  Sparta enjoyed her evening walk in the soccer field and we bumped into Miya, the little mixed breed puppy Sparta has semi-adopted.  Miya is big enough now for play so we set the dogs free and let them wrestle for a while.

 What a vacation!  Who could want more than we experienced?  We'll be remembering this trip for a long time.

Day in Sedona

Fay Canyon Trail

Fay Canyon

We drove to Sedona on October 20th . . . it is a beautiful, short drive from Phoenix.  The huge red rocks along with the fall colors gave us a breathtaking view.  Once we arrived we checked by our inn (Sedona Lodge) and asked about a shady hiking trail.  The innkeepers told us about a nearby short hike that had trees called Fay Canyon Trail . . . the day was heating up fast, we had no place to keep the wine loaded in our car cool in the sun, and Sparta does not like hiking in the sun so we knew a couple of miles was about all we could handle before lunch.  It was an easy hike with great rock views.

Porch view from Open Range Grill and Tavern

 After our hike we drove to town and put the car in an underground parking garage . . . . in short order we found a wonderful outdoor eating place, the Open Range Grill and Tavern . . . I had a salad and Jon had the pulled pork sliders with coleslaw . . . we each also had one of their drafts . . . sitting on their outdoor patio we enjoyed another view of red rocks.

Then we stopped by the visitors center to see what they had to offer.  We found lots of helpful info at all the visitor centers during our trip.

Labyrinth at Sedona Lodge

Next we checked into the Sedona Lodge and got a tour of the facility along with the rules of what and where we could go on the property.  This place got high ratings in several of our guides, but we aren't sure we agree with the ratings.  We found our room rather cramped, the bed was uncomfortable, and it was impossible to get the temperature adjusted.  Sparta and I enjoyed walking the labyrinth together.  When we visit Sedona again, we will stay somewhere else as we don't think this place was worth the price.

Dinner was an exceptional find.  We ate at Cucina Rustica  (cucinarustica.com) . . . do check out the website as this was quite special.  They seated us outside where we could see all the gorgeous fires and lights around us.  A skillful musician played lovely, romantic guitar . . . our waiter was obviously a long-time professional though he reminded us of what Frasier would be like if he was a waiter . . . and the food was absolutely divine . . . we shared 3 antipasti (had them delivered one at a time) . . . the first was rustic wine lover's platter of cheese, olives, grilled peppers, and crusty bread . . . then calamari . . . followed by beef carpaccio . . . in keeping with European tradition we ate a scrumptious salad after our meal . . . the whole time we were sipping an Arizona red wine (yep, they make some good wine in Arizona we have discovered) . . . since it was my birthday our waiter brought me a piece of tiramisu with a candle . . .Jon and I fed each other the cake . . . . anyone visiting Sedona would do well to track down this unbelievable place. . . . it is a bit difficult to find but worth the trouble.

Totally feeling in heaven we returned to our little room and tried to be as comfortable as we could  . . . . Sparta managed to sleep on the dog bed they provided . . . she never sleeps on dog beds so we were surprised.

Day 2 of Return Trip Home

The drive from Moreno Valley to Phoenix was hot, dry, and barren . . . not a Starbucks in sight or any other real coffee place . . . just miles and miles of desert .. . . it felt like being stuck in time as it all looked the same.


 Finally we reached Phoenix, bought a cup of Starbucks, and then drove to our hotel for the evening.  Once inside the room I attempted to call Cheryl and left her a voice mail . . . then I headed off to the laundry room to load the clothes . . . I didn't take the phone with me and she returned my call before I returned . .. so I called her again and left another message (playing phone tag).  After that Jon and I kept the phone with us during the process of washing and drying the clothes and giving Sparta a little walk around the hotel grounds.  Later in the afternoon I was thrilled to chat with Cheryl who I hadn't been in touch with for quite a few years.  Neither of us knew the other was living in the West until recently.  We made plans to meet for dinner this evening at one of our favorite Scottsdale restaurants, the Blue Adobe. 

Cheryl & Juergen

 Reconnecting with Cheryl and her husband Juergen was a total blast.  We chatted so familiarly and caught up on the happenings in our lives, talked food, wine, and travel, and laughed over old times together.  Juergen is flying out this evening for a trip to South Africa, so we had to make it an early evening, but we will see each other again.  Thank you Cheryl for the beautiful stone . . . . don't know how you knew I would love it, but then we have always been kindred spirits.  I'll open the card in the morning and am looking forward to your beautiful thoughts.

I'm so happy to reconnect with Cheryl

 We'll be packing up and traveling to Sedona in the morning.  This trip is awesome!

The drive home

This morning we got up early and took Sparta for one final walk at the dog park.  She pranced with friends and seemed perfectly at home.  Then we packed the car and began our long drive today.  Currently we are in Moreno Valley, California where we will spend the night.  We got BJ Brewery burgers and beer to go and ate in our room.  Sparta and Jon are relaxing while I blog.  Tomorrow we'll get on the road and plan to spend a night in Phoenix before heading to Sedona.  I may try to contact my friend Cheryl while we are in Phoenix.  I'll write more when there is time.

Day 4 in Napa

Sparta and I approach the unfriendly "dog friendly" vineyard, Darioush

The spot of our lovely wine picnic at Pine Ridge Vineyards

Sparta enjoyed her usual morning romp at Alston Dog Park . . . she formed many new dog friends while we were in Napa . . . her favorites were a group of dogs about her age though they were really active, fast companions who could easily outrun and out maneuver her . . . her friendly disposition kept her in the loop.

We decided early we wanted another bottle of the Etude Brandy so took a drive back out to the vineyard.

After dropping the bottle off at our little nook we tracked down Phat Salads (our friend Gia's food truck) and bought a couple of her healthy Santa Fe Whole Wheat Wraps.  We decided we would spend our last day in Napa seeking unusual finds and have a picnic at a vineyard we had not visited.  With sandwiches in tow and a fun chat with Gia while she made our gourmet lunch, we headed down Silverado Trail and stopped by a couple of dog friendly vineyards.  The first vineyard turned out to be only dog friendly for little dogs that could be carried . . . . we will take care of their listing as a dog friendly vineyard by writing to our web sources and getting them to remove this vineyard from their listings.  The second vineyard, Pine Ridge, had some interesting wines . . . we bought a bottle of their chardonnay and drank it in their beautiful, shady picnic area while we ate our wonderful wraps.  Our next stop was Honig where we felt treated to a garden tasting and bought a bottle of wine we plan to give as a gift.  The young man who served us told us about a little, almost hidden vineyard that primarily made ports.  Prager is run by several generations of family who would be described as gentlemen farmers who also run a B&B . . . one of their ports struck our fancy . . . a 10 year old tawny port.  We visited one other vineyard but did not like anything they poured so decided to head back to town to buy two more bottles of Vinoce Proprietors Red.  For dinner we ate at Restaurant Allegria, an Italian place known for its pasta dishes.  We both had their seafood pasta in a red sauce.  We thought it was a bit heavy in tomato paste and needed more balance, but we enjoyed the meal.

We arrived back at our nook, happy and tired.

Day 3 Napa

Our first wine tasting stop was at Etude Winery, but we were not in search of wine . . . we were seeking their brandy that has its roots in Remy Martin.  They wouldn't let us taste our desire, but we bought it anyway as we know it will be great and is not often found outside where it is made.   http://shop.etudewines.com/etude-brandy-xo

The brandy we sought

For lunch today we went to a little river front restaurant, Angele . . . country French in style . . . felt like a Parisian outdoor cafe without the snotty waiters.  I ordered French onion soup and a heirloom tomato salad . . .Jon ordered a Carolina styled pulled pork sandwich . . . he wanted to see how the French interpreted a pulled pork sandwich.  The baguette with European butter was delicious . . . Jon and I each spooned the French onion soup that I think was second only to mine . . . I make a mean French onion soup.  Instead of the heirloom tomato salad I ordered they delivered a Nicoise salad . . . I decided to accept the salad but it was way too much food for me to eat so I barely made a dent in it and couldn't take it with me because we have no way to store it and I don't know when I would eat it anyway.  Jon told me the French don't quite get how to make pulled pork.  When the bill arrived it not only had the things we ordered, but also included a steak sandwich . .. Jon is polite but direct and mentioned the mistakes . . . the manager came over and we ended up paying only $17 for our entire meal . . . a more than fair price.  The restaurant was really charming and we are still thinking about eating there again Monday night as we think they are capable of getting the food right if we order their specialties . . . . one never knows what tomorrow may bring.

After lunch we traveled to a tasting room special we bought online before our trip.  The deal was a tasting of Waterstone Wines . . . . as part of the deal we got a local cheese tasting and a bottle of our choice with a value of up to $25.  Up until the last two wines we were immediately dumping . . .the last two were quite interesting and we ended up getting the Syrah mostly because it was half the price of the other, and thus for our tasting we shelled out no further cash.

Sparta was a patient girl in the tasting room as well as during lunch so we decided to take her for a long walk along the river this afternoon.  We think she was pleased.

We ordered a pizza to go from a place called Azzure this evening . . .they didn't list the pizza we wanted so we called them up and they graciously made the one we wanted.  Though the crust wasn't as crispy as the one we make it was thin crusted and had great flavor.  In a bit we'll have some Cherry Garcia Ice Cream . . . yum, yum . . .. and all is well.

Day 2 in Napa

I didn't manage to compose an entry to the blog yesterday because we started tasting wine fairly early in the day, had a delicious beer with our lunch, then drank more wine with our dinner last night.  Our first stop yesterday was at Mason Cellars tasting room . ..the lady in charge wasn't quite sure she wanted to let Sparta come in because she had just steam mopped the floor . . . .she gave Jon a towel to wipe Sparta's face and then reluctantly invited us in.  Sparta stretched out on the floor and went to sleep.  The lady kept mentioning our beautiful, peaceful dog and then after we made our wine purchase she suddenly leaped up and pulled out a bag of "dog cookies" and said she wanted to feed Sparta a cookie outside . . . she ended up totally charmed by our beast who stayed on her best polite behavior, even gently accepting the treat and then slowly savoring it . . . we had to laugh.

 Our next stop was a few streets up where we had a free tasting at Vintner's Collective.  They poured lots of fabulous wine . . . we ended up only buying 2 bottles, both by Vinoce (an excellent sauvignon blanc and a fabulous proprietor's red).

We walked by this shop and thought of Molly  (Sparta likes her Amuse Bouche too)

Excellent wines though on the high end for the red

Our view from Joe's Brewery and Restaurant

Enjoying time in the tasting room

OK, folks . . . I've had enough of lying around . . .let's do something fun!

 Our lunch spot was just a good smelling restaurant we passed on a corner (Downtown Joe's Brewery and Restaurant) . . .  the food was good, the beer excellent, and the view of the river perfect for spending a relaxing time.

For dinner we dined at a local hot spot called Zins Valley . . . the spring roll was scrumptious, Jon's shrimp pasta dish average, but my chicken Marsala tasted like they had reconstituted some Chicken Ramen Noodle Soup Mix, added sliced mushrooms and then topped it with a huge, dry piece of very tough, bland chicken breast.  I ate the "noodle soup" and fed the chicken to Sparta.  I didn't want to complain because our young waiter was such a sweet young man and I felt like I could survive it.  I highly recommend avoiding this restaurant . . . goes down on our list as very poor . . . perhaps OK for appetizers . . .their wine list is quite over-priced for what they offer.  (Sometimes I can be so plain-spoken about being served bad food.)

We slept well last night in our little nook with the windows open.  

Napa

This morning we began with an early morning fire and watched the sun rise over the ocean while we enjoyed our energy bars and coffee.  Then we took Sparta for a walk in the Vandamme Park next door to our inn, The Little River Inn.

 After packing we set off for Napa via highway 20 . . . a total nightmare of 33 miles, 27 of them hard right followed by hard left over and over and over . . . .etc. . . . Sparta and I were miserable the entire way . . . happily we recovered when we reached state highway 101.

 We had lunch in Calistoga and then proceeded to Dutch Henry Winery where Sparta could meet Sadie, the Airedale wine dog.  We had read about Sadie and looked forward to Sparta getting to romp with her.  As it turned out the owners now have a younger Airedale named Maddie as well as Sadie . . . Maddie took an immediate dislike to Sparta, but eventually Sparta and Sadie managed to have a play time in the tasting room.  What a fun place for Sparta.  We didn't think the wines were all that terrific, but that was not why we went there.

 Folie a Deux was our last wine stop . . .they are combined with Napa Cellars . . . very good wines at a reasonable prices. . . we drank a bottle of Napa Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon  with our sushi tonight.

After Folie a Deux we drove to our new home for the next 3 nights . . .it is the bottom floor of a house . . .no real kitchen but does have a fridge and some appliances, an outdoor grill we can use, a hot tub, and internet access.  It also includes some free wine tastings . . . it will work for us.  The owner provided us with a book of trails, restaurant recommendations, grocery stores, etc. so we took Sparta for a hike on an off leash trail she recommended.  While we were hiking Sparta made friends with a little Jack Russell and older mixed breed dog.  Their human was chatting on the phone . . . fate smiled on us because we were searching for a sushi place to pick up our dinner.  When Gia, the dogs' human, ended her phone conversation I asked her if she knew a sushi place.  She did . . .and it was great.  Turns out she is in the food service business and has her own food truck that serves healthy wraps.  We are planning to lunch at her truck on Monday . . .very nice young woman who gave good directions.

My son, Tommy, just finished helping me solve a technical problem with the computer.  Jon and I enjoyed our chat with him as well as his computer savvy.  Thanks Tommy.

Dawn at Little River Inn outside Mendocino

Sign entering Dutch Henry Vineyards

Sparta and Sadie playing in the tasting room

Sparta after her long day

Mendocino

We left our little tree house this morning and headed north on Highway 1 . . . neither Jon or I have ever traveled to Mendocino so we decided perhaps it would be interesting to see what was further up the coast from Sonoma.  We are staying at an inn on the ocean called Little River Inn . . .our room faces west toward the ocean and we watched the sunset from our patio this evening.  When we first arrived we took Sparta to a little beach a couple of miles away.  We didn't stay long because we were hungry so we toured the little village of Mendocino, ate a burger lunch, and then checked into our room.  Sparta had a lot of energy so we decided to take her to another beach a bit further away which was supposed to be an off leash dog beach . . . located in a place called Fort Bragg . . . it was a rough beach . . . Sparta played with some rowdy dogs and seemed to get her dog fix . . . they weren't exactly the type of dogs she is used to associating with and she knew it . . . she kept checking in with me and I got the feeling she was telling me they weren't really her kind of dogs . . .lol.

Jon and Sparta on first Mendocino beach

Sunset at the Little River Inn

Mendocino Grill . . . Sparta is hiding under the table because they lit the heater with a blow torch

 Near sunset we returned to our room and I gave Sparta a shower as she smelled like fish.  Then I took a relaxing spa bath and eventually ended up on the patio with a glass of wine to enjoy the complete sunset over the crashing waves.  This evening we ate at a restaurant, the Mendocino Grill, that served wonderful seafood stews.  We are enjoying everything . . . tomorrow we head to Napa.

Bed of California Stars

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhm27uXG6bg

Windy sent this youtube video to us this morning . .. . it says it all!

Alexander Valley, another beach adventure, & Tree House Evening

We just came inside from spending a glorious evening by the fire we built just outside the Tree House.  This is such a relaxing place to spend a few days.  Tonight we built the fire and began sipping on the second bottle of our thrifty Joseph Swan Zinfandel . . . those folks somehow didn't realize how drinkable this 2005 Zin was . . . we've thoroughly enjoyed it.  As the evening began to darken we fixed a fresh baby spinach, local cheese, and smoked salmon salad that we savored outside as we chatted and played with Sparta.  For dessert we made smores, always one of my favorites.

 Earlier in the day we explored Alexander Valley and stopped by the town of Healdsburg, a charming town kind of like Sonoma.  The only wine we sampled was at Stephen & Walker where we bought a lovely bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon . . . this is an elegant small wine maker that neither of us had heard of but we enjoyed visiting.

 For lunch we came back toward the Tree House and ate lunch at a little cafe down the street, the Garden Cafe.  The owner treated Sparta very well and Sparta felt special enough to eat all of her lunch.

 After lunch we took Sparta back to Blind Beach which is located at Goat Rock Beach.  We visited this place a few days ago, but this time we parked near the beach instead of climbing down the long cliff.  The waves were huge today . . . Sparta found a couple of friends and played in the waves a bit.

 To get our spinach greens we drove back to Occidental to the market where we bought our deli sandwich a few days ago . . . this market has lovely fresh produce as well as organic meats . . . .it is the best market we've found in this area.

 Tomorrow we will be leaving our beloved Tree House and driving north for one day before we settle into a house in Napa.  We'll write a blog when we next have an internet connection.

Sparta and friend greeting

Jon and Sparta at Blind Beach

Waves at Blind Beach

Sparta on Tree House deck enjoying her dinner by the fire

Angie, the Smore queen

 Here's to great times!

A Relaxing Day

This morning we decided to explore the area around us and skip wine tasting.  We stopped by the local visitor's center to get information on Armstrong Redwood Park and be sure we could take Sparta hiking there.  The hiking paths are closed to dogs, but they allow dogs on leash on all the paved roads so we were able to see almost all of the park on foot. Sparta didn't seem to even notice how big the trees were, but Jon and I were awestruck; it is a beautiful place to spend a few hours.  Next we drove to Bodega Bay and ate lunch at an outdoor cafe that served delicious fish . .  .with our stomachs satisfied we drove to the dog friendly beach and walked the entire beach.  Sparta found a tennis ball and carried it around with her for a long time.  She greeted several dogs, but none of her potential playmates were allowed to romp freely.  Sparta was coated with sand when we left the beach so we forced her to let us shower her off.  On the drive back from Bodega Bay we stopped by a local cheese shop and then at a grocer to buy some smoked salmon.  For dinner tonight we are planning to build a fire outside, sip some wine, and enjoy bread, cheese, and smoked salmon;  we also have some fruit we can nibble on . . . sounds like a great meal to us.

Redwoods, Bodega Bay, and The Tree House

Jon, Sparta, and I walked through Armstrong Redwood Park

Lots of ancient redwoods surrounded us

Sparta at Bodega Bay

The Tree House steps leading from car toward house . . .hot tub on left

Further descending stairs leading to front door

Outdoor fireplace and sitting area just to right of front door

View of Tree House from back deck

View of Tree House from below back deck

Tree House is naturally decorated for Halloween . . . this spider is just outside door leading to back deck

Sparta followed me around while I took pictures of Tree House

Wall decor on middle floor of Tree House

Transition Day

This morning we moved from our first rental in Sonoma to what is called The Tree House.  It really does feel like a tree house.  I'll write more about it tomorrow when I can include some photos.  This place is quite unusual.

 Today I was unable to do much photography because it rained all day long.  We packed the car in the rain, drove to Santa Rosa and then the town of Sonoma in the rain.  We ate lunch at a little cafe called Sunflower and sat under their covered patio.  Sparta charmed a little girl named Claire and she kept Sparta entertained.  We toured the little town still with the raindrops falling.  After a bit of shopping we drove to The Tree House, just outside Guerneville . . . land of the giant redwoods.

 Before lunch we stopped by a couple of vineyards, BR Cohn and Gundloch Bundschu . . . the wines and olive oils were pleasing at BR Cohn . . . . the artwork at Gundloch Bundschu was very entertaining as always.

We're not alone

This creature welcomed us to our new rental, the tree house

Another view of our slimy host

Happy Birthday, Mac

Mac with his brother Ob

Today is my handsome grandson Mac's 16th birthday.  You are a fine young man we hope will always feel positive about your life.  We often think of how much we enjoyed your visit this summer.  Hope all your plans work out the way you want.  Love ya, Grandma, Jon, & Sparta

Davero Wines and Sonoma beach fun

http://www.davero.com/

This is a website to check out and quite some place to visit.  All of the wines were perfect, and this place also has many other gourmet delights.  We spent a long time here and only visited this vineyard today because we felt like any other wine just could not compete with this experience.

While we were driving along the road to Davero we rode across a unique old bridge that is only open part of the year.  It is the bridge featured in this post.

 After we sampled wines at Davero we decided to come back to our little house and eat lunch.  Earlier in the day we had taken Sparta for a long walk along the same trail we walked a couple of days ago . . .this time we walked from the opposite end so we covered  some of the trail we had not seen before as we did not walk the whole trail the first time.  Strangely, the blackberries at this end of the trail were very sour so we didn't enjoy them as we had a few days earlier.

The most unassuming of tasting rooms . . . that is an olive tree in front

Their name is on the pumpkin but not on the building

View of the water from middle of old bridge

The old bridge that is only open part of the year . . . Jon said it looked like a New Zealand bridge

The treacherous path down to the beach

Yep, I'm encouraging Sparta to go in for a swim

What a climb to get down to the beach

Sparta and a romping buddy on the beach

This little fella wanted to get away from Sparta as quickly as he could

 With lunch still digesting we headed off for another adventure down winding roads to Blind Beach, a dog friendly Sonoma beach.  To get to the beach we had to climb down the side of a long cliff . . . . check out the pictures of this trail.  The ocean was gorgeous and Sparta had a lot of fun there.  This beach is near where we are going to be staying for the next 3 days in what they call the tree house.  We will be washing clothes and packing this evening.  For the next few days we are planning to do a lot of hiking and beach walking as we have already bought a great deal of Sonoma wine and need to leave room in the car for any great finds in Napa.  It will be good to break from tasting to hike for a few days anyway . . . we can only sample so much wine.