Tuesday Touring

Some scenes to accompany the post below.

Lynmar and French Laundry

BurtoNZ Bakery in Windsor was out of egg pies by the time we arrived, but we did enjoy other goodies for breakfast before heading over to The Barlow in Sebastopol. Unimpressed with the outdoor market, we decided to start drinking again. We went to Winery Lynmar and enjoyed their estate flight in the beautiful flower garden surrounded by vineyards.

Back at the condo in the early afternoon, we made sandwiches and rested up before our big night out to Yountville.

It was a pretty ride through Napa, but with all the traffic, we just made it to the French Laundry in time for our 5:15pm reservation. The entire dining experience was spectacular and went on for hours...three and a half hours actually! What an incredible treat and amazing luxury! We are lucky ducks!

Jordan Vineyard and Winery

A big breakfast at the Omelette Express in Windsor made way for a lazy day in Healdsburg. Jordan was a beautiful stop in Alexander Valley. Inspired by their love of French wines, the Jordan family has been producing fine Cabs and Chards for decades. We had a lovely tour and tasting.

Deciding to take advantage of the grill at the condo, Big John's Market in Healdsburg provided dinner fare. After grocery shopping, we walked the bustling square and we're able to do more than window shop this time around.

A simple, yet yummy chicken dinner at home, with fine wine and a movie (Sideways) completed a fun day in wine country.

Sunday in the Russian River Valley

Some scenes to accompany the post below.

Russian River Valley

The fog looked threatening over the distant hills as we began our day at the Healdsburg Downtown Bakery and Creamery with simply delicious egg sandwiches. As predicted, the blue sky emerged and the warmth of the sun in the valley fueled our walk around town square. Sunday morning was quiet and window shopping teased with delight.

The Russian River Rose Co. provided beauty and calm as we lallygagged through the rose gardens nestled among the vineyards. Inspired by nature, we decided it was time to start drinking wine.

The first tasting of the day was Sonoma Cutrer. Martinelli was next. It was a fabulous afternoon under the sun sipping wine, in beautifully curated surroundings, topped off with a picnic lunch.

A respite at the condo refreshed us before another round of decadence. Willi's Wine Bar in Santa Rosa lived up to its hype for dinner. The roasted bone marrow did not disappoint.

Marin to Sonoma

The fog was covering Mt. Tam as we walked in the brisk morning air to Shoreline Coffee Shop in Mill Valley. Bikers, joggers and pooches coveted the path on a busy holiday weekend. After a satisfying breakfast we rented bikes from a shop in Sausalito and attempted to ride to Kentfield. "Attempted" is the operative word here. Too much dilly-dallying and sightseeing messed up our timing.

We were able to get another hug from Julie and a half-dozen eggs from her backyard chickens before heading to SFO to pick up Candy and Ray. The Bay Area traffic was heavy, which made for a long ride up to Windsor.

Forty pounds of luggage fit comfortably on my side of the room. With jet lag nagging all of us, we opted for a quick dinner at KC's American in the sweet little town. Our first bottle of wine of many, no doubt, was celebrated over lively conversation. Oliver's Market offered a fun night cap of grocery shopping adventure before crashing into our comfy beds.

Kentfield CA

It is still such a thrill to get upgraded by the airlines. Such was the case in route to SFO via HOU. The first leg of the journey to wine country was a roomy delight.

Julie and the girls welcomed us into their world with a loving and tender night in Marin County. Over rosé and appys we caught up while playing with toys and chickens in the cool Cali air of the backyard. Julie was creating a paella on the grill.

We picked lettuce from the garden and put together a salad and Cabernet to go with Julie's scrumptious concoction.

Years between family visits get shorter over a pleasant evening of togetherness.

From newyorker.com: #Vanlife

This is a long, but entertaining article about #Vanlife and a couple's connection to work, life and social media on the road. Great piece.
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/04/24/vanlife-the-bohemian-social-media-movement

h/t Nancy

Back to the Journey of Everyday Life

While driving home on the final leg of this road trip, I came across a good read about happiness. The ages 23 and 69 were cited as the happiest. Both the blogson and husband are presently those ages. I fully subscribe to the 10 points illustrated in this piece:

Revealed: The two surprising ages when we're at our HAPPIEST (and why it's bad news if you're in your middle years)

Researchers from the London School of Economics and Political Sciences have identified 23 and 69 as the happiest ages in adult life, but discovered satisfaction dips in middle age.

Read full story

Paynes Prairie State Park

Ah yes! Back to nature. Nature really does have a way of soothing the soul. What better way to spend Holy Thursday than surrounded by the beautiful blessings found only in nature? The Florida state parks continue to impress us.

My sister, Mary Ann, would fondly refer to her new home in low country SC as Jurassic Park. The lush overgrown flora; the abundant, scary and diverse creatures; crocs and gators that look like dinosaurs; camouflaged snakes galore are all reminders for me of Jurassic Park in FL.

But I love it all! It's a thrill and adventure to explore this amazing sunshine state. Here are some final shots of this trip and scenes from hiking and biking in Paynes Prairie State Park on Thursday. Bringing it home tomorrow.

Thanks for following along. Happy Easter!🐣

Campsite Food Delivery

After our bike ride and hike around lower Sherando Lake, I enjoyed the picture-perfect Tuesday from my screened-in bed. Stomach pains and headaches had me in and out of slumber most of the afternoon and through the night.

We hit the road early Wednesday and had an uneventful journey to SC. We were hoping to meet big sis, Mar, for dinner but had trouble getting a mutually convenient campsite.

The KOAs are a last resort for me. They always seem like parking lots...campers right on top of each other. I particularly dislike campgrounds that allow long-term tenants, too. Kinda creeps me out. We had to settle for South Point KOA in Yemassee SC. The good news is that they have pizza and chicken wings and will deliver to your campsite!

A new road trip adventure and test for my queasy belly.

NJ to VA

Monday morning is a bear when school and work are on the agenda. Luckily, we don't really have that angst anymore. Mondays just remind us of how much we ate and drank all weekend long.

We said our good-byes during the hustle of the morning. With a freezer full of NJ bagels, we started our journey south. The traffic was much lighter than a week ago heading north. We were in VA in no time at all.

We plotted Sherando Lakes Campground on the GPS and made our way through the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests outside of Charlottesville. It is the most beautiful campground we have visited in our camper van. National parks really are the best.

There is limited internet, but I did take advantage of this 4G moment after our hike and bike ride Tuesday morning.

Sunday in the Park

The fun continues in Bergen County with a visit to the Saddle River wild duck park. The boys had their scooters and we had Solo. Everyone enjoyed the spring colors and scents around the lake.

An afternoon nap refreshed the young ones and we made our way to Ally's friends' Shaina and Eric's house for a backyard visit. The kids ran around while we sipped wine and watched the Masters golf.

It was Chinese carry-out and a backyard fire back at Ally's for the last hoorah. The kids were exhausted and so were we!

Family Egg Hunt and Filet with Friends

We rolled into the Crestwood Lake parking lot moments before the scream of the starting whistle. Every kid in the north Jersey suburb was eagerly awaiting the shrill approval for a chaotic dash into a field of Easter candy.

Our little guys were happy to see GramKat, Papa and Solo. They collected some candy and we were happy to get out of the brisk morning air and into the warmth of their sweet home.

Ally and I made a tenderloin filet dinner feast for long-time friends Patty and Mike. A good day of fun and, of course, food, family and friends.

Gyros and Sake

After the teens went to school, the grown ups went out for breakfast at Edie's diner before starting the days' errands. Greek Eats was a inspiration at lunch. Fresh, fast, healthy Greek food could be a great business model for a Florida venture.

We reconvened for Friday dinner at the fabulous, family fave, Yumi Japanese restaurant in Sea Bright on the shore. Chris treated us to a memorable Sake to compliment the terrific food.

Back at home, Alexis got us into West Side Story on the TV before bed.

Bill made the traditional NJ bagel run on Saturday morning before our departure up the Garden State Parkway to Ally's.

Selfie with Teens

Our last night of camping on the way up to NJ was in Pine Grove PA. After bison burgers on the grill, our campsite neighbors joined us for a fireside chat. Gui and Maggie were heading home to Canada in an enormous RV and trailer. We had a lively conversation and shared a love for SWFL. Their seasonal home is right over the bridge from ours. Small world.

It was a tedious three hour hour ride in pouring rain. Finally in NJ, Kristy and Chris and the kids welcomed us with a fabulous dinner feast and wine pairing. We love seeing everyone and the kids are as sweet as can be.

FL Sunshine Every Damn Day is Boring

It takes a road trip to fully appreciate diversity in weather and road conditions. It's 42 degrees, raining and chock full of potholes on our morning drive through PA.

Looking to the bright side, these April showers are going to make for a beautiful return trip. Spring flora! 🌸

The Modern Jiffy Pop

Remember the old tin foil pans filled with corn and oil for popping around the campfire? Jiffy Pop is probably pretty unhealthy by today's standards. Bill found this silicone popper on Amazon. It's perfect for the camper van but not nearly as much fun to watch. Nothing like the anticipation of that foil bubble growing and the explosion of kernels to follow.

All We Have Is Time

When we took off for this trip to NJ, we had two weeks to invest in travel. Considerations for sightseeing and extended stays included Smokey Mountain National Park, Asheville NC, Helen GA and SC coastal areas. Instead, we opted to drive our usual route up north but for only 4-5 hours a day; allowing us to enjoy an afternoon of camp wherever the road takes us in route.

Getting there IS half the fun!

The picture is my view out the camper van window from bed Wednesday morning at National Bridge VA.

Marshmallows and Bailey's

We woke to clear, dry skies in Columbia on Tuesday morning. The beautiful morning at camp revealed all the spring buds and cherry blossoms of the forest. After another leisurely start to the travel day, we were back on the highway at 9:30am.

Getting through D.C. is always first and foremost in the route decision and, again, we went with avoidance. With that, we meandered westerly through the hillsides of NC and Virginia before settling into camp at Natural Bridge, VA.

It's fun to get on the dinner prep early and enjoy the late afternoon with snacks with a beer. Our feast included lemon marinated grilled chicken, puréed cauliflower, steamed green beans and dilly coleslaw.

With the drought concerns in the southern states, it's nice to have a campfire again. We celebrated with toasted marshmallows and Bailey's on the rocks for dessert!

Such a lovely season to take a road trip.

Sesquicentennial State Park, Columbia SC

It was a big day driving on I-95N out of Jacksonville. All the snowbirds seem to be heading up and a band of weather followed us through several states. Rather than press on in heavy traffic and heavy rain, we pulled off the road short of our intended destination. 

There were plenty of options for hunkering down in the Columbia, SC area. We chose Sesquicentennial State Park; a 1,400 acre nature preserve and pine forest, which offers camping, hiking, biking trails and water activities around a 30 acre lake. 

While keeping a close eye on the thunderstorms in the area, we plugged into our cozy little world of the Airstream. 

Eat Play Love

The Ponte Vedra gateway to love and fun is always a favorite stop on our adventures. The family visits fill our hearts with joy.

Steph and Dewayne were welcoming hosts and nourished us in plenty of ways. Between a group bike trip to town center, a mini-binge on "Big Little Lies," steak tacos, cold brew, cold brews, Armada soccer games, a rousing game of Clue and shrimp on the barbie, we were indeed nourished.

The little snippets of life with kids and grandkids make for the best adventures on life's little road trip.

Weird Ass Wildlife in Florida

There are some seriously disturbing creatures in Florida. While camping at Lake Kissimmee State Park, I totally shrugged off the wanted-dead-or-alive-like posters alerting campers with a larger-than-life picture of a poisonous caterpillar lurking in the grounds. Meh. Me no worry.

Hours after my departure from the wilderness, while parked in the suburbs of Jacksonville, puttering around in the Airstream, I was startled to spot a slithering caterpillar in my galley. EW! Bill rescued me from death and removed the creature from my counter. Then, while getting ready for bed...ANOTHER CATERPILLAR SIGHTING on the wall in the camper! OH NO!

Thoughts of being eaten alive by poisonous caterpillars in my sleep kept me wide-eyed for a good part of the night.

UGH. I miss the younger, fearless adventurer I used to be.

Lake Kissimmee State Park

The last day of March was a perfect time to hit the road again in our camper van. After a slow start in the morning, recuperating from the ICC Wine Club dinner extravaganza, we pulled out at 2:30pm.

Deciding to go off the Interstate, we took took an adventurous route and ended up at out-of-the-way, but absolutely beautiful, Lake Kissimmee State Park. Luckily, they had the best camp site in the park available for us. It was private and lush. One could only imagine the wildlife lurking in the heavy growth.

After spaghetti dinner at camp, we tried to find the lake, but we were too tired for an extended hike. Reading in bed was more like it.

Lake Kissimmee is now one of our favorite FL parks and definitely worth the extra mile detour.

Extended Weekend in Key Largo

Campsite cocktails

The Airstream was calling us for an adventure. Bill was able to get reservations at John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park so we planned a dive trip to Key Largo in mid-March. Will was also on board. With pup tent and dive gear packed in the camper van, we were transported to another world in less than three hours.

The boys had four great dives. I had a relaxing time at camp with Solo while they were away. We had some good meals at camp and a few on the town. The Fish House, Encore and Hobo's Cafe were all excellent.

Rainy morning with devices

A couple of Will's friends came down for some spring break fun and found a hotel room nearby. Will Ubered out two nights after dinner to check out the scene with his friends.

A downpour at 5am on Sunday caught Will without the fly and soaked his tent inside and out. The downpour and resulting drama made for a lovely, lazy, memorable, cozy family coffee clutch in the camper. After pancakes at camp, the sun fully returned and we headed south for Islamorada to enjoy some microbrew beer flights.

Florida Keys Brewery

Will took off after a crazy lunch at Hobo's Cafe. Bill and I lazed around camp on our final night and binged-watched "Mozart in the Jungle." (I pretty much only watch TV in the camper; rarely at home). We took our time packing up in the morning and stopped for a final meal at Hiddenout Restaurant. Lots of laughs and a very nice family getaway.