After leaving Yosemite, we headed west to see my friend Tommy and his family in Occidental, CA. On the way, we decided to stop at Skyline Wilderness Park located in the foothills of Napa Valley. The park was conveniently located near downtown Napa, had plenty of room for the kids to roam, and offered our holy trinity: hot showers, electricity, and WiFi. After going close to a month without electricity and being forced to live out of our cooler, we especially appreciated the opportunity to have a working refrigerator for a few days. Never again will I take the unsung hero of the kitchen for granted.
Our time together in Napa was fairly short because Maggie left to go visit her grandfather in Buffalo, NY for a few days. Before she left, however, we were able to visit the wonderful Napa Farmers Market, paddle the Napa River, and enjoy a tasting at the lovely Cline Winery. Additionally, we met a German couple, Fabian and Dorte, at the campground who were living out of an RV for two months while they toured the West Coast. They had 3 children, 2 of which were Liam and CJ’s age. The kids had a great time playing with each other and digging for fossils even though they did not speak the same language. Giving kids license to smash things with a hammer and a screwdriver seems to be a universal crowd-pleaser. We were even able to entice them to come with us to see their first baseball game (the Napa Silverados) with promises of cheap beer and hot dogs.
When Maggie left for Buffalo she took the phone with her so the remaining 3 days went undocumented, but suffice to say everyone ate all their vegetables and went on long hikes whether they wanted to or not.
hihosilvers 