March 12, 2010

Napa Style

I'm so long overdue for a vacation so I'm finally taking one. Right before the Olympics I took a week off work but hadn't decided where to go. I was looking into a hiking trip in Death Valley, a spa in Arizona and Belize, but just couldn't decide. Then two weeks ago, on a whim, I texted a friend in San Francisco and asked if I could come visit. Not only was she thrilled to have me, but it turns out that tomorrow is her birthday. So I'm flying to San Fran in the morning and we're driving up to Napa Valley for the weekend to celebrate. I couldn't be more excited, it's been so long since I've gone anywhere that didn't involve schlepping my bike and racing.

By this time tomorrow I'll be at my first wine tasting appointment at Ma(i)sonry in Yountville. My wine industry connections have served me well so I'll be seeing a few very interesting places and likely will have a much more personal and real experience. My friend can only stay with me Saturday night and then has to head back to the city for work, but I'll be staying in Napa until Tuesday morning, then will drive over to the Sonoma Coast and take my time heading south.

I'll be without a bike, but as you can imagine, will have the most stunning place to run so at least I'll mix a little training with pleasure. I'm mostly looking forward to the eating. The culinary scene out there is phenomenal so I've made reservations at Bouchon, Ad Hoc, Redd and Chez Panisse and am planning to drop in on several more. It won't be on the training diet, but perhaps this last hurrah is what I need to snap me back into Ironman life.

4 comments:

  1. i love belize... but seeing an old friend and being on familiar ground (us vs international anyway - no cultural differences) will be fun too! have a great time :)

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  2. enjoy your time and see if you can run on the pacific coast trail, its awesome in all areas.

    and then yes, its IM Training time!

    rockon'

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  3. Enjoy wine country. The restaurants you mentioned are to die for. Be sure to go running in the morning along the vineyards. It's breathtaking. Take some notes on Sonoma. I'm doing Vineman 70.3 in July and will need to do some wine tasting afterward.

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