Date of trip: July 2005

Will and I drove to Calistoga, California at the top of Napa Valley from Santa Barbara. We left early and took the scenic route along the Pacific Coast Highway and through Big Sur. It was pretty, but as there was a thick fog, our view was limited.

Calistoga is famous for its mud. Because of the volcanic ash runoff from Mt. St. Helena, Calistoga’s water is rich with minerals. This water is bottled and sold and also used in the many spas located in town where the treatment of choice is a mud bath. An interesting fact about Calistoga is how it got its name. Back when it became a town, people compared it to Saratoga Springs, a similar spa town in upstate New York. People called it the Saratoga of California which ultimately became Calistoga.

Highlights:

-As I just mentioned, Calistoga is famous for mud baths so of course Will and I had to try one. We opted for a couples mud bath so we could share the experience. It starts with a 10 minute soak in a tub of mud after which you rinse off in a mineral water shower. Then you soak in a mineral jacuzzi for 10 minutes before finally being wrapped up in blankets to rest in the dark for another 20 minutes. It’s incredibly relaxing and a lot of fun to do as a couple. It was the perfect thing for Will and I after our long ride. The best thing about spa treatments in Calistoga? They are cheap! There are so many spas around that the competition is steep and the prices stay low. Will and I couldn’t resist returning the following night for a couples massage!

-Calistoga is home to one of the world’s three “Old Faithful” geysers. Geysers are given the title “Old Faithful” if they perform or blow at regular intervals. You probably already knew that one of the other geysers is in Yellowstone Park and you may or may not know the third is in New Zealand. The geyser in Calistoga erupts every 10-40 minutes. It will give off smaller spurts pretty often, but it is worth waiting around to see a full eruption. It lasts several minutes and reaches heights of 60-100 feet in the air. You can actually run under the water too because though it is hot coming out of the ground, by the time it hits you it has already cooled. Interestingly enough, the geyser actually predicts earthquakes. When the intervals between eruptions start lasting hours instead of minutes, that signifies a coming quake!

-The largest petrified trees are located in the Petrified Forest right in Calistoga. It’s a small park, but the trees are huge and it is cool to see giant trees which were snapped like matchsticks and turned to stone after a volcanic eruption 3 million years ago.

-Last but by no means least, the highlight of Napa Valley is without a doubt the wine. Santa Barbara may have vineyards but Napa is vineyards. You won’t pass a space of land not covered with grapes! There are so many wineries to visit and taste at. The problem is that you have to drive to all of them, so if you are driving you really do have to be aware of how much you are drinking. The vineyards close at 5pm and I believe this is to prevent people from drinking all day and night. Some people decide to hire a car to drive them around so they don’t have to worry. Will and I realized we didn’t have time to visit all of them, so we decided to visit different types of wineries. We started at the oldest continiously operating vineyard in the area, Beringer Brothers. Currently owned by Foster’s, Beringer is a huge operation and is very touristy. We went there to tour their wine caves and learn how wine is made. Our next stop was Domaine Carneros which is a newer winery that offers tastings in a Disneyesque chateau on a beautiful hillside. The setting was perfect for sipping on sparkling wine and snacking on a cheese plate. Finally we stopped at Larson Family Winery which was a small barn converted to a bar. The tasting here was free and the wine was top notch. Larson was the only place we actually bought wine to bring home.

After two nights in Napa, Will and I headed to Oakland for our flight home. On the way we stopped at the Jelly Belly Factory in Fairfield, CA. I had no idea it takes up to 72 hours to make each jellybean! There are so many steps in the process and we got to see it firsthand. The tour is free and at the end you get a free bag of Jelly Bellys. If you are hungry, the cafe offers pizza, hot dogs and burgers shaped like jellybeans! We were glad we arrived at the factory early because it got crowded fast!

For more pictures, please visit my Photo Gallery or click on any of the photos posted above.

Napa Valley Links:
Calistoga Official Site
Old Faithful Geyer of Calistoga
Petrified Forest in Calistoga
Beringer Brothers Winery
Domaine Carneros
Larson Family Winery
Jelly Belly Factory