San Fran 2008

So, on rare occasion it happens that I take trips outside of running, riding, or adventure racing. At least there are occasions that it isn't the main purpose of a trip. Going to San Francisco was one of those. My guy pal and I decided to take a trip out to visit his parents for our Thanksgiving Holiday. We flew out on Thanksgiving Day - travel was fairly quiet - I'm guessing most people were busy gorging themselves with endless amounts of turkey, dressing, ham, mashed potatoes and gravy that day. We got into SFO at around 2pm - got off the plane, collected our luggage, met up with his parentals, headed to the car where I got to meet Bosco. (Bosco is their Jack Russell Terrier) He's younger than my JRT Marti, but they look a lot alike and he helped me during the short trip to not miss my doggies quite as much. :-)

Within an hour of landing we were at Baker Beach with an awesome view of the Golden Gate Bridge. The weather was in the 60's and very clear - which I understand is a little unusual. We got great pics of the bridge from the beach and the overlook as we were leaving.

After visiting the bridge, we drove up to Santa Rosa for the night where we went to a Marie Callendar's for dinner - I guess not having turkey or ham on the 4th Thursday in November would be sacrilege! ;-) It wasn't bad.

Day 1 - Wineries

Friday morning we got up, had breakfast, then headed out Hwy. 12 to Sonoma. The first winery we hit was Benziger Family Winery (actually in Glen Ellen I guess). It was fantastic. I had read some blogs about their wine and the fact that they were a biodynamic winery fasinated me so we had to go. We decided to take the winery tour - only $15 for the tour (about 45 minutes) and tasting (4 wines). It was well worth it - it was the first winery in CA I visited, but it was also by far the most beautiful. There is a red wood grove on the property, insectaries, and the vineyards are in a bowl shape in the land from volcanos. It was a breathtaking and educational tour.

After Benziger we went to Ravenswood winery and Gundlach Bundschu in Sonoma Valley - stopped for a quick lunch in Downtown Napa then too a small winery in Yountville named Elyse. It was very small, but lots of good Old Vine Zins were included in the tasting and tasting fees were waived when we bought a couple bottles of wine. :-) We tried stopping at another small vineyard in the area, but it was closed for the holidays. For curiosity sake we haded to Beringer Winery next (in St. Helena) - we'd heard it was a great tasting - neither of us get too excited about their wine, but decided to give the tasting a try. I think it was $5 or $10 for 4-5 wines in the main tasting room and we got to keep the glasses (great gifts). The guy (I'm sure there is a professional term for him, but I don't know it) pouring our wine seemed as though he had been imbibing a little himself and was very free in his pours. We got to try the Port and the mulled wine in addition to the normal wine's listed. It worked, we each bought a bottle of the Port which was very good and I also brought home a couple bags of mulling spices for gifts. After Beringer we went to Peju Winery (in Rutherford). It's been a favorite of Brady's mom so it was a mandatory on the list, but well worth it. It's a very pretty place and the wine was exceptional.

All in all, the wineries were a real highlight of the trip and I would love to go back and spend more time - possibly a biking trip! ;-) When I think of it I'll list some wines that we really liked...

Day 2 - Downtown San Francisco

The day for me started off with a run - 6 miles before 8am in great weather - that always signals the start of a good day! After gettting some breakfast and getting showered and dressed we drove to catch the BART and headed downtown. We hit China town first - I wish I would have taken more pictures of this area and bought a few more things. They have some great sake sets - at the time I didn't feel like carrying it around all day - looking back it would have been worth it. After China town we grabbed a bite and shared a bottle of Chianti at a little italian bistro. Next up was Coit Tower - we walked up to it and then to the top - it's worth the money and wait to go to the top - the views are tremendous.

Walking down we got to see wild parrots - something you don't see in SW Missouri! We headed to Pier 39 next - mostly just did a walk through and looked at the shops - most of our time here was spent taking pictures of sea lions - they are so cute in their own way.

They reminded Brady and I of my Bassett hound Rusty! ;-) We also saw starfish on the legs of the pier - I think it was the first time I have seen them in their own enviornment. Our last stop was Lombard Street - we walked up it and back down - pretty neat to see - I don't think it's anything I have the desire to drive down though. After getting back to Tracy we stopped off for some Mexican food then had a chill evening to prepare for day 3 - Yosemite!

Day 3 - Yosemite

This is a park I've always wanted to visit - my Grandpa has always thought it was the most beautiful place on earth. We decided this would be where we would spend our day of hiking. Even though Brady and his parents had already been we made the decision to go to the Mariposa Sequoia Grove - an area that they hadn't yet traveled so there was something new for everyone. I have never seen any of the 'big trees' before - with the exception of the Sequoia's we saw at the winery so I wasn't really sure what to expect or how impressed I would be. It was an inspiring and humbling experience. My words cannot describe. We had a great day, the weather was nice, there weren't too many people out and about - just us and the trees. To say they are big is an understatement - there is no way to justify them in pictures - although we tried!

One of the things that really moved me about being in the grove was an area of trees that had been in a fire - walking alongside them gave an overwhelming feeling of sorrow. All of the fallen trees we saw had some effect - even if it was just a greater understanding of their overall size.

At the end of our hike we decided to do a jog to the bottom - it was so fun - running along the switchbacks on a bed of pine needles in a forest of larger than life sequoias. Even though it was short - it will remain in my list of top runs! ;-)

After the Sequoias we went to the valley section of Yosemite where we got to see the bridal falls.

After the falls we went for a hike on one of the trails - the maps weren't that great so I'm not really sure exactly where we were, but it was beautiful.

At the end of the trail we were able to capture this cool picture of the dome before hopping back in the car for the ride home - exhausted after a long, but very fun filled weekend!

Day 4 was reserved solely for traveling home - it was a long travel day, but we were glad to be home. There aren't many trips that you can do wineries one day, city the next, and a national park the next - it was an overload for the mind and senses in a great way.

It's good to know what all San Fran has to offer - there is literally something for everyone. Knowing that I am an outdoor loving wino - I'd definitely be up for another winery tour - preferrably by bike and it would take weeks to fully explore Yosemite and I'm up for the challenge!! ;-)