Going Back to Cali

Sorry I haven't posted in a while...My excuse is that we haven't had a reliable internet source.

Well I finally made it to So Cal, the city of Orange in Orange County to be exact.

Chris and I took five days to make our way down the coast taking highways 101 and the 1. The theme was wine, since we tasted and full out drank a lot of it. But the trip was beautiful and romantic. The perfect vacation right before the start of school.

Here is a little recap:

1^st stop: Willamette Valley/McMinnville with Nichole and Trevor. This is where the wine started flowing. We went to two wineries and McMenamins.

Nichole and I wine tasting in McMinnville

Dinning and drinking beer at McMenamins

The next day we went to Crater Lake. Although this was slightly off the coastal path, it was well worth the extra mileage and the long delays on the road due to construction.

Crater Lake

Crater Lake

We stayed the night in Northern California, right outside of Gasquet in a rustic (right out of a horror movie) and romantic lodge.  The hotel was in the middle of nowhere, no TV, no internet and no telephones. And dare I say it, the guests were a little off (1 taco short of a combination plate). But we survived and I highly recommend it. 

After not being murdered, the next day we headed to Redwood National Park, where we saw really big trees! The trees are so big we could even drive through them. We stopped at the Trees of Mystery attraction to stretch our legs and then continued south towards Sonoma.

Day 4 was spent in Wine country. Chris and I started wine tasting at 11:30am. We hit up Rodney Strong, Viansa and Jacuzzi Vineyard (which felt like we were in the middle of Tuscany) and finally Cline tasting room, where I actually purchased a bottle. I don't know if it was all the wine I had just drank or I enjoyed Cline's wine the best, but either way, I went home we a bottle of Syrah. 

Wine tasting at Jacuzzi Vineyards

Our last stop in Sonoma was at a restaurant called The Girl and the Fig. I must admit I was a little full from all the drinking, but the food was fantastic.

Beet Soup at The Girl and The Fig

Still drinking wine with dinner

We woke up in Sonoma a little hung over, but still smiling. Next we headed down the coast.

The Golden Gate Bridge

I got to drive over the Golden Gate Bridge for the first time (It made me so happy). In San Francisco, we hopped on Highway 1 all the way to San Luis Obispo. The 1 is a beautiful highway, but definitely not for someone who gets car sick.

I've unpacked all my bags, hung up my clothing and even Christened the apartment by cooking my first meal with my new roomie Lauren:

First home cook meal with my newrRoomie, Lauren

Well school officially started on Monday. I  will keep you posted on my trials and tribulations. So far, I haven't needed to study every hour of the day, but then again, it was only the first week.