Trip to Napa

This was our first trip with Evan, and was a good experiment trip since it was only a couple days. And it went great! Evan slept a lot (especially in the car which I guess has a sedating effect for most babies) and we learned a lot. The biggest lesson for me was: yes, I CAN travel with baby Evan and no, it is NOT that difficult, so I don't need to stress out. So I definitely gained confidence in that arena. Maybe it was beginner's luck, but hopefully things will go well for the next couple trips. I read online that for babies 4-6 months old is the "golden age" for travel.

On the way up to Napa, we stopped at the Golden Gate for the breathtaking view (I've seen it so many times and it never gets old). Evan could not enjoy the view because he was sound asleep but we showed it to him anyway...Then we went to our hotel and since our room wasn't ready, I fed Evan by the pool. After that we went to Sonoma, did some wine tasting in a winery, walked around downtown. Then, back to the hotel to settle in and unload our car full of stuff (you'd think we were leaving for a month, but with all of Evan's gear we were packed. Finally I understand why families have SUVs and minivans...)

"Ah, the Marriott isn't so bad..."
We ate dinner in a nice restaurant (late, because we went after Evan ate) and Evan slept the whole time in his carseat. Then he slept great in his portable crib, not waking up at all during the night. (By the way, Evan just started sleeping through the night now--it's been 4 nights in a row!) JR fed him in the morning while I slept in a little more, then the 4 of us went to the restaurant for brunch (I fed Evan while we ordered and waited for our food--then he sat happily in his carseat while we ate).

Off for the second day of sightseeing--we visited a couple wineries and drove up to Calistoga, enjoying the scenery along the way. One winery had a museum section with a private collection of modern art. Evan stared at it all as we rolled him in his stroller (I think he already has a great appreciation of art). At the second winery we did some wine tasting and a few people stared at me as Evan cried, his wail echoing in the cave-like tasting area. Oh well. Alain let Evan smell the wine and he stopped crying (I think he already has a great appreciation of wine).

We got to Old Faithful Geyser in Calistoga just in time to see the last eruption of the day.

A true candid shot--JR smiling for the camera then sees the beginning of the eruption behind me...

Unfortunately the photos are a bit dark, but you can see the geyser erupting and the rainbow in the water vapor...
Then we visited downtown Calistoga for a little water tasting. Actually, the water isn't really from Calistoga, which I was disappointed to learn. But it's a charming little town and we bought Calistoga water anyway.

We finally headed home and ate at BJ's grill (again, Evan ate while we ordered and waited for the food) and we got home around 10:30pm.

Next trips, building in distance and length: Colorado for Thanksgiving, France for Christmas.