September 13, 2010

From Napa, CA, N38°16.688’ W122°14.967

Day 102

We were up early for moving day. Our plan is to make it to Napa, CA, 191 miles away with one planned stop. We want to stop at the Jelly Belly factory in Fairfield, CA.

We were ready to leave by 9. I pulled a bone head stunt, I drove away from the site without unplugging the shore power. This was the first time in 36 years of motor homing. I had even walked around the coach twice making sure jacks were up, awnings all in, no obvious leaks, etc. There was no damage to the power pedestal and only a little bending of the blades on the plug, I was lucky again.

The drive from Reno over the mountains and on to Fairfield was through some beautiful mountain scenery with no serious grades followed by a lot of hills and farmland. There was a harrowing stretch of construction in the mountains. On this part of I-80 this is a yearly event, repair the highway before the snow flies. The difference this time was 6 miles of white knuckle driving between Jersey Walls that seemed much too close together for a 8’6” wide vehicle.

At about Truckee, CA I needed to stop. I had seen a rest stop sign and another sign directing all trucks to enter there. We pulled in and the CHP wouldn’t let us park, saying they were checking trucks all day. I had to pull on to the shoulder of the on ramp so everyone could “rest.” We didn’t understand why they were using the rest stop as a check station since we had already passed at least two closed weigh stations and a large agriculture inspection station. Even after 36 years working in a large bureaucracy they still baffle me.

Somewhere along the line Gerri looked at out dinner reservations for the Wine Train in Napa and saw that they were for tonight. We were a little concerned about stopping at the Jelly Belly Factory and the time and distance to the campground, considering a 5:30 check in for the train ride.
We got to Fairfield a little before noon and decided to go ahead with the factory tour. These factory tours are always interesting. Often time we don’t realize the process that goes into making products that we use. The tour was about 40 minutes and was a walking tour with a free package of beans at the end. Afterwards we sampled a few flavors of Jelly Bellies, bought some and were on our way. During our travels we have toured many factories. Harley Davidson, Hershey Chocolate (and other chocolate makers), Homer Laughlin (and other Pottery makers), a Fleetwood motorhome plant, Spartan and Freightliner chassis plants and others I can’t recall. The Jelly Belly factory had the highest level of noise in the process than any others we have been to.

The guy on the left made Jelly Bellies famous

The distance from Fairfield to Napa was shorter than I thought and we were in the Skyline Wilderness Park by 2 PM. Plenty of time to get set up, rested and refreshed before going to the train.

Glenna and the Car Captain

Happy diners

Since Glenna uses a walker the train staff gave us a head start on the other passengers. We had booked a table in the Vista Dome car. This meant there were a lot of steps for Glenna to negotiate. But, she made like a trooper. The train goes about 30 miles, from Napa to St. Helena, a leisurely trip of about four hours, including loading and unloading. The ambiance was great with waiters and staff that spoke with accents no one could understand.

The meal was several courses. You do know I’m going to bore you with the menu don’t you?

Hors d’Oeuvre; Glenna had Grilled Shrimp with Scallop Seviche in a Lobster Jus Garnished with Salmon Roe. Gerri and I had Seared Foie Gras on Wild Mushroom Polenta in a Cognac Sauce.

First Course; Gerri and Glenna had Soup du Jour. Roasted tomato with shrimp. I had Beet Carpaccio Salad with Baby greens, Camozola Cheese and candied Walnuts in a Mustard Vinaigrette. Gerri won’t touch a salad with beets.

Intermezzo; a trio of Sorbet’s, lemon coconut and raspberry. I even liked the coconut.

Entrée; Gerri and Glenna had the Fresh Seafood, it was grilled Swordfish with Baked Tomatoes Spinach and a sauce, remember I couldn’t understand the waiter so I don’t know what it was really called. I had the Grilled Lamb Chop with Caramelized Onions and Herb Roasted New Potatoes with Goat Cheese Sour Cream.

Dessert; Glenna and I had Crème Brulee and Gerri had Tiramisu, this was followed by excellent coffee for Gerri and me.

The meal was served at a leisurely pace during the ride to St. Helena. The train ride starts in downtown Napa, not too scenic. A lot of construction and some junky places. After leaving town the scenery changed to rows of grapes all the way to the mountains on both sides of the valley. The fields are in various states of growth and interspersed with house and buildings associated with wine production. We passed through a couple of towns so there were the expected residences and business area along the way. We were stopped in St. Helena for about half an hour and were invited to see the rest of the train including the kitchen car. Since there were so many stairs involved we declined.

All in all this was a very pleasant evening. The only problem was that they couldn’t seem to regulate the dining car’s temperature it was much too cold most of the time. Wear a jacket or sweater if you go.

Back at the coach we were pretty tried so it was early to bed. I think Gerri was still feeling the effects of getting up at 4 AM to go to the Balloon Glow in Reno on Saturday. Glenna had done more walking and stair climbing than she had done for a long time.

I repeat, all in all a good day. Not too long a drive, interesting places and a great meal.