Meeting Napa

Bryan and I spent the night in former non-commissioned officer housing in what used to be Fort Baker. The place is now run by the National Park Service. The deal I got included breakfast so we ate the best eggs Benedict we have ever had and then headed down to the water's edge to see the view. We noticed a sign announcing a hike so on a whim (and in vacation-mode) we decided to go on the hike. It took us under the bridge twice, which is in the middle of undergoing an earthquake retrofit. It was fascinating. Then we decided to walk part way along the Golden Gate since we were right there. It was a beautiful, perfect day. We arrived back to our room just in time to make the check-out time of noon.

I used a hotel app to book a night in Napa. Neither of us have ever been to Napa so we were curious. We stopped in Sonoma on the way and took a driving tour. What a nice town with a center park.

Before we checked into our hotel we drove through downtown Napa and stopped at the Oxbow Public Market. We drooled over cupcakes, smelled spices, tasted olive oils and ate some ice cream. We were incredibly sorry that we had already eaten lunch.

Our hotel is part of a very large resort with its own bowling alley, wine cave, etc. Bryan feels like he is staying in a mall...or Vegas. But the room is nice.

Tonight we went out for dinner at Mustards Grill. All I can say is that I will dream of this food. It is a good thing I live so far away from here. The lemon-lime tart with brown sugar meringue is my new favorite dessert!

Highway 1

We left Morro Bay and headed for Hearst Castle. If you are going to live in California, you should be able to say you have visited it. We took the Grand Room tour. Our guide was excellent. We enjoyed being able to walk the grounds afterward.

Then we headed up Highway 1, which is lovely and takes forever. I wanted to stay in Sausalito tonight but the hotel I was hoping to book wasn't available on my hotel app. Bryan encouraged me to call the hotel directly and see if they would make me a deal. They did.

We arrived much later than we hoped but we still took a walk. We are staying very close to the Golden Gate Bridge. It is even more lovely than the pictures can represent. We are looking forward to seeing this place in the light of day.

The Vacation Begins

Bryan and I left this afternoon for some time away. We have no plans, except to see our sons and try and get some rest. We headed for the central coast. I bid on Priceline for a hotel in Morro Bay and got a room for $15 -- it is 2 blocks from the bay, with a fireplace and king bed. I am so proud of myself that I keep mentioning it to Bryan. He wonders how much longer I will be talking about it. The answer is -- a very long time.

We stopped in Santa Barbara at Crushed Cakes for the best cupcakes ever! I got a Peace Cake -- a vanilla cupcake with icing that looks tie dye and a chocolate peace sign on the top. Bryan got a Butterscotch Pudding cupcake.

We arrived in Morro Bay at 6 pm. We caught the very end of the sunset.

Then we headed for Rocca's. I read about it on Yelp. We sat looking at the rock and ate fish and chips. Life is good!