Napa, California: Our luck failed us - Napa Valley Expo RV Park did not get a last-minute cancellation - so we had to move to a new campground this morning. Not too much of a hassle, but it did make for a late start for our wine country drinking bingeescapade. We are now camped at Skyline Wilderness Park.



So we had a late start for our visit to one final sparkling wine producer - Domaine Carneros. (We have previously toured this facility in 2005.) The "Chateau" is so pretty - though it isn't a chateau at all, it is massive cellar operation for their wines. Carneros is operated by Champagne Taittinger of Reims, France.



Be advised: any vineyard you visit will encourage you to join their wine club!

Breakfast of Champions. (Be kind, it was after one o'clock in the afternoon.)

Really, I just could have stayed on that terrace all afternoon, sippin' on the American bubbly... but adventure was calling... so we drove the fifteen miles to Sonoma.

Sonoma is home to the Sonoma State Historical Park, which consists of four buildings in Sonoma - the Mission, two old hotels and servant barracks - and the home of General Vallejo a few miles out of town. We took a walk around the square, enjoying the sunny afternoon, great people watching and we poked our heads in a few shops and took photographs of the mission buildings.
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If you are interested in the Mission -
I toured the park in 2008.
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Too late for lunch and too early for dinner, but we were hungry. We headed to The Girl & the Fig - operated by chef Sondra Bernstein - on the northwest corner of the square for another wonderful meal.




We will remain "in" this evening, watching the Mariners on television and resting up - we have a special excursion planned for tomorrow. (Don't be shocked, but wine is not involved in any way!) Until my next update, I remain, your Sonoma correspondent.
RV Park: Skyline Wilderness Park. This campground is operated by county. The 39 sites are cozy and on gravel. Some full hook-up 30/50-amp sites, but most sites are water and electric only. Bathhouse on-site, and a laundromat just a few blocks down the road. The park has miles of hiking and equestrian trails and actually has a path that leads one mile to the river where it joins the trails at Kennedy Park. Though very rural, this campground is just minutes to downtown Napa and would be a good choice if you are camping with kids. Dogs are allowed in the campground, but are not allowed on the trails. Strictly enforced!