Bothe Napa (8)

It took long enough, but I think we are learning how to do Napa the right way. It does take some forethought to reserve a tasting at a nice winery, but the positive reinforcement of a truly divine Saturday afternoon will likely result in repeating this behavior in the future. Rombauer is not the easiest place to reserve, especially now, with Covid restrictions about how many people they can allow at a time, but Richard got me a nice slot at 2pm. Meanwhile, he rode the Franz Valley loop and then met me at the winery to be my designated driver. I was pretty happy sitting and enjoying the beautiful gardens, and walked out with a contented buzz and a very nice Cabernet.

When we departed Sunday, we decided to try using the dump at Skyline Wilderness RV park, on the south side of the valley. Bothe Napa does not have a dump, and the nearby fairgrounds are closed. So there are not a lot of options out that way. But this gave Richard the chance to ride the Silverado Trail twenty nine miles down the valley and that is just a spectacular part of California. You can still see the devastating burn scars from all of the fires, but the ground is coming alive with green now, so it’s a little less upsetting.

As I waited for him to arrive, I parked just outside the park and went through a major meal planning overhaul, by going through years of curated “Doryable” Blue Apron recipe cards. I’m on kind of a mission. Years of la la la-ing are starting to catch up to me, and the time has come to pay more attention to all things health. This includes, but is not limited to, actually knowing how many calories all of those fancy Blue Apron meals are. I must say, while “surprised” is not the word, I guess I am “impressed.” Yes, it’s good to eat lots of kale and healthy sounding things like farro and quinoa, but there is a reason it has been so delicious. The good news is that Blue Apron seems to be aware and are now providing lots more meal choices that are categorized as “Wellness” or “Weight Watchers Approved.” It’ll take some time, but I’m confident I can build back a repertoire of more manageable meals. And, you know, learn to love baby carrots again, and all that. I know some of my big landmines already, but I’m nothing if not a good planner. And I’m prepared to be grumpy. And Richard is prepared for me to be grumpy. So it’s all good.

The important thing here is that you can totally plan for wine. So as long as there are calorie free rainbows and apps that let me make Rombauer and Penny’s Diner happen occasionally, I can (grumpily) do this.

Also, we should try staying at Skyline Wilderness some time. We saw an Alto there but did not see the tow car, so the owners must have been out. It is very convenient to the more southern wineries, or the big town of Napa. I like Bothe Napa for the woodsy feel, but there is a lot of wine country out there to explore.

Here’s to rain and rainbows in California, healing the burns of the past. And here’s to shaking up the unhealthy habits and trying out new ones. In the middle of another Covid surge, dare I say I feel hopeful? Maybe that’s the Cabernet talking.

Total miles: 63.5, 16.4 mpg, 2 hours 10 min. Site 20 no hookups. Good solar. In and out service for ATT, better LTE for Verizon. No dump. Paid $30 to dump at Skyline Wilderness in Napa.