Snooping around Napa

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So this was my route out here when all said and done. Out of curiosity of my MPG and in case anyone was planning a similar trip in a '03 Ford Ranger 2.3L 4 Cylinder 2WD truck; here are my totals for gas and such:

Average Price: 3.807375
Total Quantity: 150.033
Total Cost: 565.71
Total Miles: 3714
MPG: 24.7545539981204

Here are some pictures from water skiing, we went out again on Wednesday afternoon. This time I felt much better on my legs. Once I got the feel for it, it was a lot like snow skiing and I was able to cut back and forth across the wake and even get a lil air! Near the end of the day I started trying to slalom but was not quite able to get up, but it was close.



Wednesday morning Marie and I headed out to Calistoga to visit some wineries and check out the scene. Many were close to her house so we packed a couple of bottles of Neyers Merlot to tip especially cool people and took off on bikes. The first, and by far the best that we visited, was Envy Estate. Their only white was a Sauvignon Blanc done the in the fume style (a little bit of oak) and were nice. Their reds, thought, were great. Petite Syrah, Cab, and a Bordeaux Blend. The guy who showed us around just walked in from the cellar with dirty hands and all, I love it. We gave him a bottle.

The second was Vincent Arroyo, tiny little place who only sells from their cellar-no distribution. Nice atmosphere and the wines were very nice.

The third was August Briggs. First a note about tasting rooms: some are just open hours and anyone can show up, the rest are by appointment only. The first two and the last (Storybook) were by appointment while August Briggs was open. To get a more personal experience, I highly recommend the appointment wineries.

Last was Storybook. The story behind this winery is that it was originally built way back in the day by two brothers named Grimm. Yep, the same Brothers Grimm. Anyway, it burnt down and then was re bought by some other guy who liked the history and so he incorporated it into the name and label of the winery. The engraved barrel below is also the logo/label for the wines. The vineyards are also from here, amazing views of the hills and mountains from this winery. One interesting thing is that they coated all their barrels with a "Non-toxic, breathable anti-fungal coating" because "if you are going to spend $1300/barrel, they might as well look good". To me it looked like a lacquer or wax coating. I am curious as to how this affects the wine, sure it is "breathable" but I doubt as breathable as bare wood. And whats wrong with the classic mouldy cellar? Some places are just meant to be messy.

Final Leg

I made it to California on the 23rd. After a nice couple of days in SLC, I headed out and did about half the drive one day stopping in Winnemucca, NV and then finishing the trek on Saturday. And thank god I did. If I had to find this place in the dark, I would have been sleeping on the side of the road. The place I am staying is amazing. The Johnstons own a little cottage next to their house that consists of a single bedroom, living room, and kitchen. It is perfect for me. Even better is that they live on the same drive off the main road as Neyers Estate meaning that my commute to work every day will be a 1.5-2 min walk, maximum. After that I found out that they have a ski boat and love to take it out. I think I may be in paradise. No phone service and no Internet at the house but I can use the winery's computer whenever.

The night I arrived, after settling in, I headed over to the house for dinner with Cindy, Tom, and their daughter Chelsey. We had a great, simple meal of home grown lamb and salad (did I mention that they raised sheep?). They broke out a bunch of wine that Cindy makes from grapes grown on her mothers property that was amazing. Their friend David Arthur, who is a vintner here in Napa, stopped by with his daughter and her fiance. What a better intro to the area. Well, it gets better. Sunday we all went out to the lake and spent all day water skiing and tubing around and had Elk sandwiches for lunch. I was able, for the first time, to get up on the skis and was just getting to the point where I could get outside the break by the end of the day. Today my back and legs are killing me but it is such a good pain.

Today was my first at the winery. I finally got to meet the winemaker, Tadeo, face to face after months of talking to him on the phone. It was an easy day and it looks like grapes won't be coming in for at least another week or so but it is nice to be able to ease into the swing of things and learn how they do things here. Our crew will consist of Me, Tadeo, Marie (another intern, from Texas), Roberto, and Bernard. Both Carlos and Bernard speak little to no English so I got to dust off the cobwebs from that part of my brain which, felt quite nice. A very small operation, Tadeo is expecting about 22o tons this year. In comparison at Villa Maria we processed a total of 11,500 tons and some nights I would work through 300-400 tons in 12 hours. This week will be a bit slow so I plan on touring around the area and hopefully finding some trails to bike. Apparently, if you are in the business, the other wineries will wave their tasting fees....

SLC

Drove into Salt Lake City on the 19th and dropped some stuff at Carl and Elisa's storage to lighten my load. The cottage that I am staying at in Cali was originally going to be completely unfurnished so I was packing folding chairs, cook ware, sheets, etc. Last week, though, I got a call from the owner and it turns out that it will instead be completely furnished! So I am able to leave all that stuff behind for when I eventually move out here permanently. That night I set out with Keith and BE to go see Garrison Keillor on the Rhubarb tour at an outdoor amphitheater, which was hilarious. Yesterday I spent the day stocking up on various supplies I needed and then hiked around in the afternoon. Words and pictures are pitifully inadequate at expressing the true beauty of these mountains so I will not even try (and I forgot to bring my camera). Just know that every section of every path is as breathtaking as any inspirational calendar and with infinite variability. Today more hiking is on the agenda with the cousins and then Sam's 3 year B-day bowling party tonight. Happy birthday Sam!

Wyoming

After Albuquerque I continued North-West and made my way to Moab. I had put enough miles on the truck so when I stopped for lunch in Gallup, NM I also had the oil changed. On the way to Moab I took a side route to Four Corners as I thought that it would be cool to stand in four states at one time, and it was a really pretty drive. But when I got there, they of course wanted to charge me $3 and had the 1/2 acre around the area fenced off so I said "screw this, its not worth $3 to straddle some imaginary lines"



In Moab I stayed at the coolest hostel yet: the Lazy Lizard Hostel. At only $9/night it was by far the best deal and had the best people. The local liqueur store also had a fantastic selection of wine. For a controlled state, who ever is stocking the stores is doing a great job and at great prices. I got a Castano Hecula and Burgans Albarino.

On to Wyoming. Off the exit for the ranch I passed dozens of brand new wind generators that I thought were looked great. The image the convey is something of hope, that there might be a bright future after all. I just fear that the more of these that we build, we will begin to slow the winds through those areas and through that cause climate change - the very thing that they are meant to avoid.



On the ranch I jumped immediately into the hay harvest with TJ, Allen, and Pam. Allen raked the cut hay while TJ baled, and I loaded the bales on the (slightly) modified school bus that Pam drove. We did this for two days and then I helped my brother Carl with re-roofing on of the houses. Today we took a break and wen to Sill's for breakfast and three of us ordered scones along with our meals. What we were expecting were the triangular, biscuit type scones...what came were more like elephant ears, great big round slabs of fried dough slathered in honey butter. This afternoon Carl, Allen, and I took the guns out to some BLM land to do some target shooting. Since I am not out here all that often, we pulled out some fun stuff. First were the 12 gauge shotguns and a skeet launcher. After that was target shooting with a 30-06, .22, .17, and a 30-30 (Remington, lever action - an awesome gun and one that I would love to get one day). A good day.

Homecoming

As soon as I passed into New Mexico and started weaving my way through deserts and mountains, I new I was home. This is the land that I love, something about the wide open skies, land, variation, it resonates with something inside of me.

After leaving San Antonio I made my way off the highway to have lunch at Mack and Ernie's in Tarpley, TX . This is the one and only food stop that I had seen on "Dives, Digs, and Diners" that was convenient enough for me to go to. Truly a shack on the side of the road consisting of all country fare made of burgers and chicken, I was starving and could not wait to dig in. Like most of my trip so far, I did very little planning ahead and so I neither called or checked the web before I drove 50 mi. slightly out of the way. It turns out that of all the weeks in the year, I chose the one that the crew takes off to go fishin. So needless to say, I did not get to try their fabulous fare. But all was not lost, in the same local the locals were have a craft fare (5-6 booths) and were serving pulled BBQ pork sandwiches that were quite tasty.

On driving through Texas on I10 after San Antonio: Much better highway and I passed a HUGE number of wind farms. Also dotting the landscape were a bunch of oil wells. It was kind of cool seeing old and new energy in contrast next to each other.

Once done with that detour, I continued west and again last minute decided that I was going to try and make Carlsbad Caverns and the bat flight by dusk. About 100 mi. from the turn off onto 285 from I10 I started calling the store in SRQ because I did not have Internet. They told me that sunset was at 19:45 in Carlsbad and so I had just enough time to make it (there was a lot of initial confusion because I was in the central time zone and the sunset was reported in mountain time, so it was either "youv got lots of time" or "haul ass, you might just make it"). In the end, after following some questionable signs and being certain that I was not only lost but also miles out of my way, I made it to the caverns about 20 min. before the bats flew. And it was worth it. According to the park ranger, there are about 1.3 million bats in the cave and they take about 2 hours to exit. The setting is that you are standing up on a hill and there is a large crack, almost canyon cutting into it. Digging horizontally into the floor of the crack is the cave. When the bats start to fly, you hear a mellow chattering (it reminded me of locusts) and then they swarm out in a spiral-kinda like a tornado. They shoot out and spin in a circle for a bit and then head off in a plume to the east, toward a river (Pecos river?) which is where the bugs are. I would have taken pictures but there were signs saying that I was not allowed and the place was swarming with cops carrying high caliber sidearms to make sure that I followed the rules. Very glad that I made it. On a side note, the family that I was standing next to was from Austin, TX and they said that they have a bridge over a river that was constructed from concrete I-Beams that had about a 1.5-2 inch gaps between the ridges. Inside live about a million bats also, that fly out every night and go all the way to the coast, about a 300 mi. round trip.

I crashed that night in a motel as there were, unfortunately, no hostels in the area but this one only cost $50/night. I was completely famished by the time I checked in so I went to Chillies to have a burger and a beer.

Today, I made my way to White Sands National Park and am glad I did. It is the worlds largest pile of gypsum and it forms acres of sand dunes that are pure white. It was amazing driving up to it as all you see are the desert scrub and then a ridge of white. Once inside the park (well worth the $3) there is an 8 mile track that you can take back into the dunes. Everything is pearly white with the odd patch of plants. The dunes were really cool, I had thought before getting there that I would have to dig out my walkin' shoes but I noticed that everyone was hiking around barefoot. It was like being at the beach. It was great. I just walked around for a bit but it was amazing to get on top of a dune and all you can see for miles is white. The pictures below really don't capture the texture of the landscape, it gets all whited out (I dint know the proper photographic term). What thrilled me the most was that even only 8 miles from the highway, when on top of the dune, there is complete silence. No cars, wind, animals, people - just silence. It made my ears buzz. The sand was so white and the sun so intense that if I did not have sunglasses, my eyes would be fried. As it was I got a sunburn in less than 10 minutes. I also found heaps of sage plants that smelled great.









From White Sands, I made a run for Albuquerque and this is when I knew that I was home. I went from hot, dry desert to the mountains where it was cool, rainy, and lush with green trees. I just makes me want to start walking and see where I end up, it is so intensely accessible.



Continuing on I25 I had to go through a traffic stop for customs that was weird because I never left the country, I didn't even go near Mexico. Regardless, they directed everyone off the highway and through a guard station. Now I consider my truck a very respectable and well kept vehicle but I do know that with an old, used, beat up topper with the windows blocked out by newspaper (I covered them before N.O. figuring that people will be less likely to try and steal my bikes if they cannot see them) must look sketchy to a boarder patrol agent. But no! I fully expected them to ask me to pull aside and to look in the back but all they asked was if I was a US citizen and what was in the back - to which I answered: "Yes sir I am and I have bikes, gear, and cloths back there". And I was on my way. The reality is, as unfair as it may be, it is great to be a white, blond, blue eyed male.

Tonight I am crashing at the Route 66 Hostel that, again, is nice enough.

More Legs

After staying the night at a hotel in Gulfport ($75) I cruised into New Orleans to explore for the day. A note about the hotels, I cannot believe that they can charge so much, most were asking $100. There must be a dearth of travelers theses days, with gas prices, inflation, and general uneasiness...how are the hotels doing so well that they refuse to barter? Hell, I remember 2005 when I drove to Pennsylvania and was able to negotiate a Days Inn from $50 to $35 by getting the AAA discount and then threatening to go next door, its like buying a car. Maybe it is just because I was in a tourist thick area, or maybe they have such huge reserves that they are just going to weather the storm, I dunno.

So, I cruised into N.O. and found a parking lot for the day so that I could just wander around. Jonathan from SRQ had told me that I had to go to a place by the name of Coop's. After some stumbling around, I found it and hot damn did it turn out good. A down to earth, grungy (but in a clean way), earthy bar, I got the Jono recommendation of fried chicken with a side of rabbit jambalaya and coleslaw. The chicken was good, nice and salty and crunch with a bit of spice but it was the jambalaya that caught my attention. Almost like paella, it was a hearty mix of rice, rabbit, sausage, tomatoes, and other stuff. It had the little crispy bits from the bottom of the pan and was a relatively mild spice at first, but after a bit was really quite intense. The coleslaw was your average creamy coleslaw but was also spicy. Everything was spicy, but we are in N.O. aren’t we? To drink, Jockamo IPA. It had a nice amount of hop but not too bitter, a sweet middle and a fruity finish...good but not great with the spicy food, personally I was dreaming of some of those German Auselse Rieslings mmmmmmm...

After that I wandered around a bit but it was so hot (and I was a bit sleepy) and everything seemed to be gift shops that I made my way back to the car and continued on.

It was late enough in the day that I stopped at a hostel in Lafayette ($18) (In Gulfport, after spending $75, I planned several possible hostel stops). This place...was...amazing. Very homey, clean, comfy beds, free breakfast and coffee (because they are not allowed to sell any, so they give it away) and that is just where you sleep. Called the Blue Moon Hostel, attached to the side was the Blue Moon Saloon and there they have great music every night. The night I was there the band playing was Bandryland W/ Kenneth Richard and they blew me away for just playing in a "hole in the wall" saloon. And apparently, from talking to the people there, this was just average for the night. A great mix of jazzy, country, folk, electric guitar...they fit no profile but they sounded good. And there was lots of beer. Fantastic.

I ended up talking for a couple hours with a very interesting individual. Britt was his name, he was home schooled through the 7th grade, then dropped out, then joined the merchant marine, then got his GED and College Degree in Business something or other. Currently he works as the captain for a boat that finds sunken vessels such as 17 century Spanish galleons and such. Remember those guys you see on Discovery and National Geographic dragging the sonar devise and finding old wrecks? That him. A big rough guy, with tattoos all over, he would not strike you as a scholar but this guy was well read. 100% a constitutionalist, he could quote the constitution, court cases, laws etc. better than I could describe the back of my own hand. And he has not paid Federal Income Tax in many years. This is what occupied much of our time. According to him, and he cited enough source that I could look up (and I will) that I trust him for now, there is no law in the US of A that requires anyone to pay Federal Income Tax. Among many reasons, the most prominent were the forms 3406 A & B. 3406 B is your 1040 and W4. 3406 B only is only valid with 3406 A, and this form says that only these people need pay Federal Income Tax: US citizens living in Washington DC or Outside the country, or Foreign Nationals working in the USA. If you do not fall into any of the above, then technically you do not need to pay Income Tax. Very Interesting. My only concern is what kind of reproductions might ensue if you do refuse to pay, albeit legally. More research is definitely needed but I am certainly interested, and skeptical.

I wanted to say another day and catch the next nights band but I also wanted to get to Wyoming and see the family and start working on the farm, getting back to nature and all that - so I set off in the morning.

Today, I am arrived in San Antonio and am staying a another Hostel ($25). A bit grungier, and not in a good way, this one is nice enough for just crashing for the night. Run by a grandmotherly type, it works and that is about it.

As for driving in Texas...I have been driving the speed limit dead on for this whole trip to both be more fuel efficient and because I can neither afford, nor do I want a ticket. So as soon as I entered Texas there was a big sign saying "You had better drive the limit or else..." but damn do they try hard to confuse you as to what the limit is. The signs range from 55mph to 70mph and everywhere in between. Often the signs are placed just before the off ramp and not after the on ramp so you are not sure if the speed has just dropped from 70 to 55 only for the ramp, or for everyone? And then there are the signs that are turned parallel to the road, do they apply or are they there for some future change? And then there are the construction zones that consist of two signs signaling the beginning and end of construction but with no apparent action in between. In despair, I just sit in the slow lane behind a semi and cruise along, which actually works well enough-I go at a constant speed that is great for the economy and don’t have to worry about weaving between lanes (this is especially hard anyway considering the topper full of stuff so I only have my side mirrors and cannot look over my shoulder, I prefer to just get in one lane and stay there).

Here at the hostel in San Antonio, I met another character. This one a writer and a bit of a yogi/hippie, we had a long talk about the state of the world and what to expect in the future and is it really all falling apart or does it just seem that way? He had just finished a research paper looking at how all the ancient cultures, be they Eskimos, Aztecs, Sumerians, Aborigines, Maoris, everyone had a ‘dooms day’ or end of the world myth and they all revolved around a flood (think Noah’s ark and such).

And that is where I am so far.

Here are some pictures and a video from the hostel in Lafayette:

Leg 2

I am casually making my way westward. Tallahassee was relaxing, just had dinner with Alex and then watched a movie and then started the real driving the next morning. Books on tape are what keep me sane while sitting for so long. Mostly I have been listening to the podcasts Democracy Now, Car Talk, and Enter the Bee Hive (a guide to business and the corporate world). Also a lot of The Modern Scholar's Global Warming: Global Threat with Professor Michael B. McElroy. McElroy really does a great job presenting all the ideas and concerns about Global Warming in a very strait forward and easy to understand way with lots of analogies. It is much nicer learning about the problem from a scientist rather than either fanatically Left or Right people. It is very clear that this is not a cut and dry issue and that as with any biological system (And the Earth is one) there are a daunting number of factors to consider and everything is tightly bound together. One interesting factoid that he mentions is that we may have warded off the next Ice Age that was scheduled for about this time. Highly recommended.

All the sitting has also gotten to me physically so I have decided to start doing a series of push-ups, sit-ups, and pull-ups (something that I should also be doing at home...), and a lot of stretching. The pull-ups are hard with no pull-up bar but I manage to squeeze out a few by crimping the door frame, at least this will really help my climbing. I also shaved my head as it was getting just too hot.

Both my spontaneous stops for State Parks ended in disappointment. The first was the Florida Caverns, which were closed. The second were some springs that turned out to be completely encased with concrete and might as well have been a swimming pool and over run with screaming kids. But not to despair, I will keep trying. The good side though was that just outside the springs park was a little BBQ place with $4.99 pork sandwiches which, while not amazing, were quite good.

First Leg

Getting out of SRQ was just about as hellish as I could handle. I had decided last minute to buy a topper for the truck to keep everything dry, secure, and locked down. Jonathan made a good point about parking in New Orleans or any big city for that matter, and that is unsecured stuff is subject to theft. So I shopped around and the cheapest by far was a used aluminum one in Pinellas Park. I quickly unpacked everything from the truck, drove to Pinellas, bought the topper, drove back to SRQ and re-loaded everything. Not the most stress free day by far. But at lest now everything is much easier to just stuff into crevasses and is slightly more difficult to steal.

I made to Gainesville by 21:50 and had dinner at Jennifer and Ricks house and then shot over to Mike and Ian's house to sleep there. Now I am off to Tallahassee.

And I'm Off

Topper for the truck: $200
First Tank of Gas: $50
Leaving Sarasota like a Bat out of Hell: Priceless