This morning we prepared to check out of our motel in Healdsburg only to discover that the elevator wasn't working. This had been a problem earlier in our stay; we were on the third floor but the troublesome part of the elevator was a door (!) which had to be pushed closed (!) on the second floor. At the same time, we discovered that Elsa's occasional problem with an arthritic leg had flared up. We took our suitcases, laundry bag, computer case and a couple of shopping bags stage by stage down the stairs and loaded the car. The hotel's maintenance man came along with a large crowbar, heading for the elevator. We checked out and went for breakfast.
We chose the same donut shop/diner that we used the day before. Today we treated ourselves to donuts for breakfast dessert because of the elevator. The same six men from yesterday were at the same table, talking animatedly about motorcycle racing and whether, in fact, Hondas were better at it than Harleys.
We took the road through Geyserville in the Alexander Valley and then into St. Helena, in the heart of Napa Valley wine country. We were, as usual, hours too early to visit tourist attractions but we liked seeing the beautiful landscaping and architecture of wineries on the route. We also liked being early enough that the men working road construction were still putting out traffic cones and didn't bother stopping traffic. There are, after all, compensations for many irritations.
The Beringer winery was closed today, the Robert Louis Stevenson museum wouldn't be open till noon. We pulled into the parking lot at the Culinary Institute, an imposing stone castle advertising Tour! Taste! but it wasn't open today. We were welcomed, however, and invited to explore the exhibits: one was a comprehensive array of wine bottle openers, another was a history of California wines illustrated by bottles with labels dating from the late nineteenth century. It was a pleasant interlude.
We had passed dozens, possibly a hundred, small wineries in the last two days with names we had never heard before. We stopped at the Pestoni winery near Rutherford where we were lucky to catch the woman on duty, who told us about the several farms in the winery and recommended that we drive past the headquarters site, in Angwin, where she had grown up.
So up we drove to the top of Howell Mountain, yet another twisty road. This time was the only such drive for us where we were surrounded by remnants of fire damage. One lower peak had been completely burned out. Now blackened logs lay on the ground and nearby a couple of houses were being repaired or rebuilt. There were still green leaves in all the vineyards. We recommend a trip to Angwin, the home of Pacific Union College, a Seventh-Day Adventist Institution. Citing Proverbs 20:1 "Wine is a mocker, strong drink is a brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise," Adventists, like Mormons, don't drink alcohol, so clearly the location of this college, with a lovely campus, deep in the heart of the Napa County wine country, is a bit of a shock.
The traffic back on the main roads was heavy, possibly heavier than usual because many vehicles were trucks preparing to serve the winemakers. We were relieved to have reached the end of the touristic part of our journey, find one more diner lunch and reach home again. It turned out to be the South Kelly Grill in American Canyon, which had a fabulous collection of kitsch on display, real old-time counter schools, and comforting country food, not to mention a good collection of shirts, caps and jackets for sale!
We were back settling in by three p.m. and plan to take another road trip ... soon, but not right away!!