Marathon Pundit: California Collision: Napa Valley

Thursday, October 01, 2009

California Collision: Napa Valley

And you thought I forgot about my California Collision series? No, I just thought I should take a little break. Writing about the same subject is the quickest route to blogger-burnout.

I am almost done with Collision.

Since Little Marathon Pundit (Her 21st birthday is way, way in the future) and I don't drink, this part of our California trip was made at the suggestion of Mrs. MP.

As with much of the Golden State, Napa Valley offers stunningly attractive landscapes--it's a photographer's paradise.

Click on any image to make it larger.

At one time, agriculture in Napa was diverse, but now, with the exception of a few dairy farms, it's wine country. Of course it's considered one of the world's premier wine regions--quite a bit of wine is produced there, and a lot is consumed in Napa as well. I'm talking about wine tastings. Depending upon the quality of the wine, and the prestige of the winery, "tastes" of wine--about one ounce each, cost anywhere from $10 to $30. You get four or five tiny glasses with each taste.

At Indiana and Michigan wineries--the tastings are free. Okay, the wine isn't as good there, but after 10 glasses, who cares?

Some tasters get hammered on these tours, which is why you see limousines escorting tasters around, and for the hoi polloi, there are buses.

If you want to find a concentration of snobby people, then head to Napa Valley. The tasters--Mrs. Marathon Pundit excluded--were so full of themselves. My mind raced in various directions at these wineries--and remember, I wasn't drinking--until it stopped with my yearning to find some grease paint tp transform myself into Groucho Marx and begin insulting these deserving elitists. Or, in a tribute to Harpo in "Duck Soup," I wanted to roll up my pants and bathe my sweaty legs in a wine vat.

And then...I'd ask the head waiter, "Those vineyards are lovely, but do you ship the wine in from Michigan or Indiana?

But once again, the scenery was gorgeous, as was the Beringer Winery, which will be the topic of my next post.

California is beautiful, but it doesn't have Indiana's Mt. Baldy.

Earlier posts:

Central Valley Orchards and Drought
Shiloh Wind Farm
First National Bank of Oakdale Building
Strawberry Fields Forever
Tioga Lake