Ron & all,
This is a classic drive for Sonoma and Napa Counties. Crane Canyon is a good
short cut to Glen Ellen through Bennet Valley.
Trinity Rd / Oakville Grade Rd to Yountville is a nice twisty road over the
hills separating Sonoma & Napa Valleys. Worth
mentioning are two canyon roads you will see on your right after going over the
first ridge and before you reach Yountville. The
first one will be Mt Veeder Rd, it takes you all the way to Napa, a nice little
back road. If you have time some day take it and
watch for Redwood Rd on your right, take it and drive up the road for about a
mile to the "Hess Collection Winery" it's worth the
side trip. The second one you will pass is Dry Creek Rd, it will also take you
to Napa, while taking you pass some local wineries
and giving you views of Napa Valley along the way. The two roads end near each
other and one can make a nice loop out of them if
you like a drive that avoids the main roads.
Lots of nice back roads & destinations, to many to mention here. I would like
to mention one winery in Calistoga since your going
there already...the Castello di Amorosa, if you haven't heard of it, it's an
incredible castle located just south of town. To find
it from down town Calistoga head south on Hwy 29, immediately start watching
for Maple St on your left, when you see it
immediately look for a sign on your right and turn up the drive way, it is very
easy to miss! This winery will blow you away, the
tour takes 1 1/2 hours! You would need to make reservations to take the free
tour, if you don't have time at least take the 5
minute drive up to the castle before leaving the Calistoga area you will not be
disappointed!!! and you will know where to bring
the relatives the next time they come out to visit.
FYI, don't forget Napa County wineries have to charge for tasting, so don't
hold it against them. Sonoma County wineries
have to charge if they claim to use Napa valley grapes on their label,
otherwise the tasting is usually free.
I am committed to a motorcycle ride for Saturday so I will keep an eye out for
a hot collection of cars in Calistoga as we will
also be stopping there for refreshments. Would be nice to see you again Ron and
meet the rest of you. I still have not put my
roadster back on the road yet, although a couple of months ago I did go out and
try to start it so the wife would stop bugging me
to get it out of the garage. I stopped driving it to work one day and parked it
in 92...92? God, that's what the tag says on it.
No wonder the wife thinks I'm crazy we meet in 96. I told her all I have to do
is hook up a battery. Okay, I also had to put in
gas, oil & water, replace the spark plug wires (I stole them years ago to use
in another car) file the points, rotor and cap.
Alright, get in and step on the clutch, rebuilt the master clutch cylinder.
Okay we're ready, get in and step on the brakes,
rebuilt the master brake cylinder. Now I'm ready, all I have to do is pull out
the choke & turn the key, smell gas...at least the
pump is working, fix the gas leaking from the float in the front carb (I use a
pair of Zenith Strombergs). Okay, now one more
time, okay...3 days later in all, but now I'm ready, turn the key and it fired
right up just like it had run yesterday...cool, I
love my car. Wife says it can stay in the garage...wish Steve was still here!
David Cherry Tourmaster
'69 MGC roadster
P.S. Pacific Coast Air Museum sounds interesting, will watch agenda for when.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Ron Engelhardt" <nobbc@sonic.net>
To: <nobbc@autox.team.net>
Sent: Thursday, January 03, 2008 6:41 PM
Subject: [Nobbc] January 12th tour
Andy has asked me to forward the itinerary for our joint ride with the
WCCC on the 12th. His email address is andypreston@sbcglobal.net should
you have any inquiries. Please note that the starting place, time and
format are different than a typical Nobbc ride.
Ron
58 MGA
***********************************************************************
Wine Country Car Club January Tour
January 12th, 2008
We hope you can join us for the WCCC's second tour. We will be meeting
at the Doubletree Hotel located off Golf Course Drive, at 1 Double Tree
Drive in Rohnert Park at 9:00 for a 9:30 departure. There is Starbuck's
coffee and bathrooms available in the hotel.
Our route will take us over Crane Canyon through Glen Ellen and then
over Trinity Road which boasts one of the most breathtaking views in the
area as you descend into the Napa Valley.
Our first stop will be at the V Marketplace 1870 in Yountville for a
30-45 minute break. The 137 year old marketplace (originally the
Groezinger Winery) offers upscale specialty shops, galleries,
restaurants and most importantly, bathrooms!
We will continue our tour along the Silverado Trail which was
established in 1852 and passes by more than 35 wineries. We will then
branch off and tour through Pope's Valley which was named after Julian
Pope, one of the first settlers. Our journey will take us through
Angwin, which is home to a large community of Seventh-day Adventists who
founded the Pacific College in 1882.
Our lunch destination will be in Calistoga at Brannon's Grill located at
1374 Lincoln Avenue. Please R.SV.P for lunch to Marla Preston,
marlapreston@hotmail.com or (707) 795-3480 by January 10th. As usual,
please have small denomination bills. Thanks!
For those who want to continue the tour after lunch, we well be making a
stop for wine tasting at Matanzas Creek Winery, 6097 Bennett Valley
Road. They have marvelous wines and lavender products. Basic tasting fee
is $5.00 which can be applied toward any wine purchase.
Hope to see you then!!!!
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