Back from vacation

Kevin_L · October 11

Oh the wonders of unplugging and decompressing on vacation!

My wife and I headed out to California wine country and to the redwoods a little while back. I didn't take a lot of tech with me, stayed offline for the most part, didn't watch the news, or anything. I needed that.

Started in Sonoma which, if you've never been, is an amazing area with laid back people. It was their harvest festival so we went to some events the town had planned, saw some grape stomping competitions (hilarious!), drank a lot of great wines, and felt at home. Sonoma has a lot of hard working people dedicated to their vineyards and to the industry. I like the folks there. They're genuine and they don't push an agenda. They love what they do and what they have and are happy to share with you. Good bunch.

We then went up toward Mendocino so we had a jumping off point to see the redwoods. Summary: the trees are huge. You just have to see them for yourselves. I can't possibly describe them in a way that does them justice. Also, if you go to Mendocino, go to Patterson's Irish Pub where you can get the best fish & chips you've ever had. And great crab wontons which makes no sense but they were indeed great.

Finally we made it back down to Napa and even though it was still pushing 100 degrees outside, we wandered around some vineyards and stopped at an apple orchard and talked to a girl who knew more about apples than John Browning knew about guns. I had no idea there was so much to learn about apples!!!

Got back home and have ben settling back into the routine. Feeling refreshed. That vacation was long overdue and I'm glad we finally made it happen.