Uncorking the Napa Valley - 6/18/2015

For our big summer trip we decided to hit Napa, Somona, Marin, Solano, and Mendocino Counties-- about 70 sites in all.  We left Bella with Jammy and Granpa in Stockton, took our first-ever car selfie with Ron's new selfie stick, and hit the pavement!

Our first stop in Napa County was the only stop actually in the town on Napa-- the First Presbyterian Church Building (CHL 878).  The church has been in continuous use since its construction in 1874-- and it is absolutely lovely!

It was designed by pioneer architects in 1874.  One of the architects to design it was Theodore Eisen-- who designed the Lummis House (which we visited in March of 2014).

A short drive away to Yountville we came to the Veterans Home of California (CHL 828).  This is the largest Veterans home in all of the country-- currently housing around 1,100 veterans (both male and female).

We weren't able to really explore the grounds, as it was early in the morning but it would be fun to return and explore.  They have a baseball stadium, theater, bowling alley, golf course and library in addition to a cemetery that holds graves of veterans dating back to the Spanish-American War.  The home was established in 1884 by Mexican War veterans and the Grand Army of the Republic.  The approximately 900 acres that make up the home cost about $17,500 in 1882-- I'm sure that the Yountville price-tag is much higher now.

Any veteran over the age of 55 is welcome to apply to live there-- it is certainly a prettier location than some of the other veteran's homes in Lancaster or Barstow-- simply go to the website and see if you qualify!

To continue our search we needed sustenance-- and Yountville has lots of amazing opportunities for food!  We decided to treat Libi to a taste of Thomas Keller (of the famed French Laundry) at the Bouchon Bakery.

This is the sight that greets you at the door...

and then there is a case full of this...

Libi and I split an amazing cinnamon roll while Ron had a muffin-- once we were fed, we were ready to conquer more of Yountville.

Our third Yountville stop was to honor the man for whom the town was named-- Grave of George C. Yount (CHL 693).

George Calvert Yount was a jack of all trades.  He was a farmer, fur trapper and carpenter who was born in North Carolina but grew up in Missouri.  He eventually came west to California and worked as a carpenter with General M. G. Vallejo (we will be seeing his name a great deal on this trip!).

Thanks to his work with Vallejo he was given a land grant (which made him the first US citizen to be ceded a Spanish land grant) in the Napa Valley.

He established Caymus Rancho and invited other American pioneers to settle around him.

He had three children, several prominent grandchildren and he lived here until his death in 1865.  The town was named after him in 1867.

There is a darling little park just across from the cemetery which Libi enjoyed for a few moments before we journey on!

A peaceful drive down a country road we came to George Yount Blockhouse (CHL 564) which sadly doesn't exist anymore.

On these grounds once stood a log-block house build in 1836 by Mr. Yount.  He would later build an adobe house, grist and saw mills near this property as well.

Part of the joy in this journey is to see the little things-- like these poppies growing on the side of the road near the blockhouse site.

This next site was a bear to find-- down a curvy road, with no internet, in the middle of nowhere-- Chiles Mill (CHL 547).  The state lists it at the intersection of two mountain roads "on a hillside." The truth of the matter is that it is UP a hillside.

Ron and Libi were brave enough to hike through the brush up to the plaque, while I stayed down below documenting the whole endeavor.

Joseph Chiles came to California in 1841 and built a mill--  the first American flour mill in Northern California here around 1845.

Here you can see the car below and Libi standing on top of the plaque high on the hill-- all part of the adventure.

Continuing on the winding mountain road we came to Pope Valley and another Twentieth Century Folk Art Environment-- Litto (CHL 939).

Emanuele "Litto" Damonte was a colorful local figure who began collecting hubcaps in 1935.

His grandson, who now owns the property, said that Litto used to pay his grandkids to go steal him some new hubcaps.  They did a wonderful video on the property which you can see here.

Everywhere you look around the property there are hubcaps...

along the fence...

attached to the buildings...

in the dirt-- everywhere!  By the time Litto died they estimated that there were about 2,000 hubcaps.  Today the number is closer to 5,000-- you can see on the video how they estimated that number.

Ron was very excited to use his selfie stick so we could get some family shots at the hubcap ranch...

and a few of the two of us.

For lunch we stopped at Gott's Roadside Burgers-- a cute little spot in St. Helena.

It's not a CHL-- but even explorers need to eat!

Libi and I were excited to try this very popular spot...

the food was yummy...

especially the burgers!

Driving to our next site we saw this cute little patriotic tree-- I love small towns!

Our first winery of the trip was Beringer Brothers Winery (CHL 814).  The winery was built by Frederick and Jacob Beringer from Germany.

The reason it is a CHL is that it has remained in operation continuously since it founding in 1876.

We didn't arrive in time for a tour, but it would be fun to return sometime to see the wine tunnels that were dug here to keep the wine at a constant 58 degrees.

Our second winery of the trip was just a minute away from the first-- Charles Krug Winery (CHL 563).

This is the oldest operating winery in Napa valley-- it was begun in 1861 by Charles Krug and is run today by the Mondavi family.

Charles Krug was from Germany-- he introduced using the cider press for the wine making process and he was one of the founding fathers of the Viticulturist Commission.

We did purchase a bottle of wine here for my dad-- mostly due to the 1861 labels and to thank him for watching the dog while we were away.

This next site we were disappointed when we arrived and found the gates locked.  The Old  Bale Mill (CHL 359) was built in 1846 by Dr. E.T. Bale and it is still in use today-- if you get to visit when they are open you can purchase grains that were milled on property!

As we departed the site to head onward I looked out the left side of the car and saw the mill!!!!  We were able to see it from the road, so we stopped for a few photos.

A little research about Dr. Bale found that he was a surgeon for the Mexican Army under General M. G. Vallejo (we will discuss him a great deal during our adventures in this part of the state), he married Vallejo's niece, and his daughter married Charles Krug.  As part of her dowry Bale gave Krug the land on which he put his vineyard which we just visited!  So cool!

It's a little tough to see but the mill is run by a flume that is up in the right hand corner of the photo-- the water comes from the nearby Mill Creek.  Interestingly this is one of only two water-driven mills still in operation west of the Mississippi.

On to another winery-- this is Schramsberg (CHL 561).  This was founded in 1862 by Jacob Schram and it has the distinction of being the first hillisde vineyard in the Napa Valley.  Jacob Schram was a German-born barber by trade whose family had been in the wine-making business.  He came to America and bought land south of Calistoga to begin his vineyard.  The wine caves that Libi is standing in front of were dug by him and Chinese laborers to combat the warm summers.

Interestingly Schramsberg wine has been served in the White House in every administration since Nixon.  You can see a list of the wines and the occasions on which they were served here.

The Site of the Kelsey House, Calistoga (CHL 686) was next.  There is no site left and no plaque, so we got as close as we could to the site of her home.  Nancy Kelsey is a true pioneer woman!  She is the first white woman to travel west from Missouri, she sewed the flag for the Bear Flag Revolt (more on that later), and she traveled through much of the state. 

We hopped over into Sonoma County for a moment to see the Petrified Forest (CHL 915).

This privately owned petrified forest is the only one in California from the Eocene period.

About 3.4 million years ago Mt. St. Helena (not to be confused with Washington's Mt. St. Helens) erupted, causing these trees to petrify.

Trees don't actually turn to rock-- as I previously thought-- but all of the organic materials are replaced by minerals.

This park has a large number of petrified trees that you can get very close to.

Most of the trees are redwoods, but there is also one petrified pine tree in the forest.

Many of the trees are named with neat names like the Queen, the Giant and one is named for Robert Louis Stevenson who visited the forest in 1880.

Next we drove up into the hills to the Robert Louis Stevenson State Park (CHL 710).

As I previously mentioned Robert Louis Stevenson visited the area in 1880 with his new wife while gathering information for his book Silverado Squatters.  He is known to have visited almost all of the sites we visited today-- he really got around, especially to the wineries!

Any who... the plaque is a hike into the forest.  Mom wasn't wearing the correct shoes to hike, so she stayed put near the car and Libi and Dad ventured into the forest.

As I sat there a young deer and I had a lovely conversation as he ate leaves.  He finally came out for me to get his picture before a great disturbance chased him away...

Apparently Libi wasn't watching where she was going, tripped on a tree root, and skinned her knee.

Instead of continuing on, she wanted the comforting arms of Mom and they returned to the car.

Our next stop wasn't a CHL, but it was cool none-the-less--- California's own old faithful geyser!

It is a little pricey to visit, but well worth a little of your time.  They now have cabanas that you can relax in and enjoy a picnic lunch or dinner while you wait for the geyser to erupt. 

The geyser was erupting every few minutes with little spurts...

and the big spurts were about every 40 minutes or so, but they lasted five to eight minutes each time!

They also have goats that you can feed for only $1.

Libi made this one bag last forever by giving the goats only one pellet at a time.

There were little goats...

four horned goats...

and old goats.  Hee-hee!

Ron was loving his selfie stick for the family geyser portrait!

This gas station on the corner of the highway was the Site of Hudson Cabin, Calistoga (CHL 683).

Not much is known about David Hudson-- as my research came up with nothing-- but he was an early pioneer here who built his cabin near this site in October 1845.

Diagonally across the street in the parking lot of a questionable motel was the plaque for Site of York's Cabin, Calistoga (CHL 682).  It was concealed behind a bush, but we found it!!

John York built one of the first cabins in the area in October 1845.  He is also credited for being the first American to settle here.

Next up is the site belonging to the man who named the town-- Sam Brannan Cottage, Calistoga (CHL 685).  Sam Brannan was an entrepreneur who arrived in the area in 1850.  His plan was to create the "Saratoga of California" which became Calistoga!!  We learned about Sam Brannan before, starting HERE when we visited Old Sacramento.

A very short drive away was the Napa Valley Railroad Depot, Calistoga (CHL 687).

The depot was built in 1868 to bring people to Calistoga for the opening of Sam Brannan's summer resort from the San Francisco area.

Today it is full of shops and it also acts as a depot for the Southern Pacific Railroad.  The roundhouse that used to be down the street, no longer exists.

We are nearly done for the day-- next up is the San Brannan Store, Calistoga (CHL 684).  The store is now a home, but back in the day it was said to make about $50,000 a year.

We arrived at our hotel for the night and hanging on the wall was the monument from the Robert Louis Stevenson Park that Libi and Ron almost made it to.  This time this photo will have to do!

Our dinner tonight might have been our favorite of the entire trip-- the All Seasons Bistro in Calistoga.  The food was amazing!  Ron said it was the best salmon he's ever had.  If you are anywhere near here, we highly recommend it!

Thus ends day one of our summer adventure!