Napa, California: We continue our non-straight-shot route back to our summer home in Oregon, after spending a few days with family in Merced and helping to get Dave's Mom settled. We love seeing The Bro's. Brother Billy is such an excellent chef - we enjoyed the chicken and risotto leftovers last night and it was just as gourmet out of the microwave as it was Sunday night.
We spent this morning with Dave's Mom, then returned to hook-up the still-ailing Honda at the Castle Air Museum RV Park. Readers Patti and Pete had checked-in while we were out, so we were able to get to know new friends-on-the-road. Nice to meet you!
Early afternoon, we hit the highway towards Napa. Hitting is really the right word to describe our drive. The roads were simply horrid. So much bouncing and vi-vi-vi-vibrating. Don't we have a fancy air suspension system on this behemoth? Completely useless on dilapidated roads. We are careful when opening cupboard doors after all the jostling.
After we arrived to the Napa Valley Expo RV Park and set up camp, we had no power to our outlets. Everything else - fridge, microwave, TV, washer/dryer, dishwasher - was good to go. Try to plug-in a phone charger? Nada. This bus has no GFIs, but instead circuit-breaker switches to pop/reset the driver/passenger side outlets. We tried everything and finally talked with out tech and Brian walked us through the problem.
Operator error.
But still, we are quite confused as to why our outlets suddenly shut-off. I have decided, since our poor old tow car was plugged-into to our bus during our drive today, the car had a little heart-to-heart with the RV electrical system and our bus shut-down something simple (outlets) - as a silent sympathetic protest.
It could happen.
We visit the Napa area often and tend to visit the same restaurants over and over again, because we tend to cling to restaurants we like. Many of the restaurants we like are in Yountville, but I thought after driving all day, My Driver would appreciate dinner at a restaurant within walking distance from the RV park. Tonight we tried a new place, along the river, The Thomas, in downtown Napa.The restaurant is in an ancient brick building that was once a boarding house (and many other concerns). Though retrofitted for earthquake safety, the building is still quaint, with creaky, narrow and super-steep staircases (plus an elevator if you choose to not attempt the trek) and the walls are draped with pretty antique table linens.
Fresh flowers on the table? Daisies and mint. The Thomas offers my favorite Italian Negroni cocktail "on tap". We were happily seated at a table with a window - providing great light for food photography (via my phone).
Dave decided to try their Caesar Salad with cured egg yolk, bottarga (dried and grated fish roe), and bread crumbs.
I ordered the Farmer’s Market Lettuce Salad with aged Wisconsin cheddar, radishes and fresh peas in a buttermilk dressing. Today the lettuces were teeny baby heads of Little Gem and Romaine.
Main Course? Dave order Chicken Fried Game Hen. Sorry I did not capture the shaved Brussels Sprout slaw under this crispy bit of deliciousness.
I went all healthy and asked for local (Bodega Bay) grilled salmon, served with fava beans, edible flowers and (more) fresh peas and greens.A very lovely meal. A nice restaurant - though the dining room was a bit loud. The Thomas is on three floors. The ground floor is a bar, the second floor holds the dining room and the third floor is a roof-top bar. They have many cocktails "on tap". I think The Thomas is a bar with a restaurant attached, but I do recommend a visit.
Until my next update, I remain, your roaming correspondent.
RV PARK: Napa Valley Expo RV Park - The perfect spot for a visit to Napa wine country. Long pull-throughs and a few back-in sites. Full hookups. Bathhouse, wifi, laundry room, dumpsite. Reservations are basically required as this park is nearly always full. With our Good Sam discount we are paying $45 per night. They also accept AAA membership discount.