The Wine Castle

 We checked in at the stand and were sent to a waiting area. Immediately we were shown where things like restroom and gift shop were, then were seated in the outdoor space.

We were given an order sheet where we could grade each wine we were served. Our wine steward told us the process and gave us a pack of breadsticks.

We tasted a total of six wines, reds and whites, a sparkling, and a dessert.

I upgraded to the chocolate service. They were delicious gourmet truffles, filled with a smooth ganache.

My wine server was quite amused with my tshirt.

The breadsticks were a great palate cleanser.

I made a tally of all the wines I liked, plus marked a couple more that I wanted to purchase. The wine steward took the order and said my wines would be waiting for me in the dungeon. Ooh, sounds fun!

I did more exploring, this time around inside the castle itself. We were allowed to go anywhere that wasn't blocked off.

I had so much fun walking through, and I was so happy taking in all of the views.

Beautiful Napa Valley.

Maybe I will live in a wine castle one day.

Just breathtaking. 

So along the entry way, there was a wall of wine barrels. Why wait for a glass? 😂

On my way out, I stopped in the dungeon to pick up my wine order.

And then on the way out, I spotted several animals.

It was kind of a bizarre experience, but fun nonetheless.

I had wandered around enough for my small samples to wear off, walking through every nook of the castle, and taking deep breaths of the Napa Valley air. It was so enjoyable, and now I am ready to explore another winery.

Castello di Amorosa

 The highlight of my Wine Country trip was to a winery and vineyard in Napa Valley.

Today's visit was to Castello di Amorosa.

This is a 13th century style castle, surrounded by a variety of grapevines.

Booking a reservation allows visitors to tour the grounds and explore the castle.

There is a moat at the castle.

It was amazing getting to wander around. I did feel like a queen this day.

It is just a special treat to walk amongst the grapes.

I bet this looks spectacular when the grapes are ready to harvest.

The Petrified Forest

 My day started in Calistoga at the Petrified Forest.

When Mount St Helena erupted 3.4 million years ago, the volcanic ash petrified the trees in this area of Calistoga, and ash settled on the grounds.

The ash acted as a preservation because it blocked oxygen from decomposing the trees.

Today, it is a privately owned park where people can get up close to the petrified wood, and get a view of the volcano that erupted in the Pliocene Epoch.

I wonder who is allowed to go down into this mine.

I planted my flag at the top of the hill.

That is how far away the volcano is from where the ash settled.

There is a lot of green, despite there also being a lot of ash on the grounds.

This is all volcanic ash.

The park has one main trail and one that veers off to the ash hill, and where you can get a view of Mt St Helena. You can complete the loop in as little as forty minutes, or you can sit on the benches scattered throughout the property while looking at the view, or sitting quietly for reflection.