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We are now Instagram pet parents…

It started off so innocently – we were hanging out on the patio at the brew pub in town, chatting with the couple at the table next to us.  They had their dog Zelda (@zeldathewonderpooch) with them and they mentioned that she has an Instagram account.  We thought – “oh, that might be fun to do for Xena.  So that evening, we created her account (@xenatheprincesspooch) and posted a few pictures to get things going.

I have been in Instagram for over a year now, and I have exactly 112 followers.  Xena already has over 450 followers – and it has only been a few weeks!  It’s kind of crazy… but people out there LOVE their dogs (more than people apparently – and I can’t say that I blame them).

Of course, now we try to get a cute picture or video of Xena to post everyday – which is easy because after all, she is the cutest puppy dog in the world!  Not that I’m biased at all…

Give her a follow to join in on all the cuteness!

So… it’s 2020… the start of a new year and a new decade… so I guess a bit of look back and a look forward is the order of the day.

Looking back, I guess you would call 2019 phase two of our big adventure – a little less adventure in some ways, a little more in others.  While 2017 and 2018 were all about traveling often, 2019 was about trying something new – workcamping – the lifestyle of working at a campground in return for your rent and a little folding money.  From February through November, we were (for the most part) workcamping in Moab, UT.  There wasn’t much to write about – lots of working with a few weekend trips thrown into the mix every once in a while.  Being in Moab for so long really allowed us to get to know the town and everything it has to offer – we did tons of hiking, riding, and off-the-path adventures.

But the summers in Moab are brutally hot, and by the time August hit we had to take a break – so we headed north and spent about five weeks in Whitefish, MT.  We headed back to Moab in September and finished out the season – and then headed to Napa, CA (where we are now) to finish out the year.

I can’t really say if the workcamping thing was a “success” or not – it was better in some ways, worse in others.  I suppose the fact that we aren’t planning to do it again tells you everything you need to know.  So, on to bigger and better things in 2020!

Looking forward, I think we’ll be calling this phase three of the trip.  We’ve been doing a lot of talking about what we want for the next 1-2-3 years – and where we want to be for the next phase.  As you may recall, this whole adventure began as a way to figure out where we wanted to live next… and since we haven’t quite been able to figure that out yet we’ve stayed on the road.

But unfortunately, we are beginning to question the financial sustainability of this lifestyle for this stage of our lives.  With me still working, and Darryl not working, we find ourselves in this “no-man’s land” – we can’t spend time off-grid because I have to work, but we can’t really afford to be “on-grid” like we have before.  My job is taking more and more of my time (and causing me more and more stress) so it isn’t allowing for the flexibility we had at the beginning.  We are kind of stuck in a cycle of having to go back to the same places we’ve been to ensure that I have what I need to work.  It has put a bit of a damper on the adventure part of the adventure – something we don’t take lightly.

So we’ve been thinking… and talking… and thinking… and talking… and a plan is (sort of) coming into place.  Big changes?  Maybe…. we’ll keep you posted.  Meanwhile, hope your 2020 is off to a great start – here’s to a great year!

Canyon Lake – 15 miles north of Apache Junction, AZ.  Was formed in 1925 when the Salt River was dammed.  It sits at an elevation of 1660 feet above sea level, and encompasses approximately 1.5 square miles.  It has several areas for boating and fishing, and also maintains a very nice campground along its southern shore.

For more pictures of where we have been, and where we are going, go to Road Trip 2018

When we first started planning our trip, we knew that the California Wine Country was one place we wanted to spend some time. We do love our wine after all… and planning to be here for nearly a month would give us plenty of time to indulge in two of our favorite pastimes – eating and drinking!

Our first stop on the wine tour was Napa. Neither of us has been here for nearly 20 years – so we knew it would be very different… but I’m not sure either of us expected it to be SO different! Napa has certainly grown by leaps and bounds! It isn’t the quaint little wine town I experienced before – it is now a sprawling city with over 75,000 residents and every chain store imaginable. They even have their own outlet mall! There are now nearly 500 wineries in the valley now – and it is a little overwhelming trying to figure out where to go and what to taste! Fortunately I have a friend in the wine business here who made some recommendations for us as a place to start.

Besides the growth of the area, one of the biggest changes to wine tourism in this area is the emergence of appointment-only tastings, and very high tasting fees. Everyone we ask given us a different explanation for these developments – from city regulations, to competition, to just trying to stay in control of the numbers of tourists coming to the valley each year. Tasting fees can range from $15 all the way up to over $100 – most will waive the tasting fee if you buy a few bottles of the wine.

I get it – all those drunken bachelorette weekends add up, and if everyone just comes to the valley to get drunk on tastings and doesn’t buy any wine, the wineries will go broke. And I guess I get the whole “appointment-only” thing… they are trying to control the number of people, and give tasters more of a “wine experience” than just a pour and dash.

But I’m not a fan of either of these developments. I want to be able to just “drop in” and do a tasting when I feel like it. You can only taste so much wine each day, and it’s nice to have the flexibility to go or not to go if perhaps you over-indulged the day before. And the tasting fees… holy cow! You could go broke on them alone and not even be able to afford any actual bottles of wine!

So I have to admit that besides the recommendations from my friend, the rest of the tastings we did had to meet two criteria: Tasting fees of less than $25 per person (and allow sharing the tasting), and no appointment necessary. Priority to wines not available in stores. I know, I know… I’m sure we missed out on some terrific wines… but we are on a budget after all!

Here’s our list of visited wineries during our stay in Napa with some thoughts and impressions on each:

Alpha Omega – this was a recommendation and a splurge ($50 tasting fee). Outstanding Cabernet Sauvignon – very pricey, but one of the two best Cabs we had in the Valley. Tasting room was a little snooty, but the gentleman who did our tasting was very warm and friendly.

Andretti – Yes, THAT Andretti…. Mario Andretti started this winery about 25 years ago. Overall, one of my top two stops in the valley. One of the few to do Italian varietals – Dulcetto, Ribera, and a fantastic off-dry Muscat. Not a bad wine in the bunch, and bottle prices are very reasonable.

Frank Family – A small boutique winery off the main road in the Northern Valley. Started with a terrific sparking rose followed by a really good Chardonnay and several outstanding reds. A bit pricey per bottle, but I would definitely go back again!

Freemark Abbey – The other of my favorites in the Valley! Their tasting room is absolutely beautiful, and we had the place all to ourselves early on a Sunday morning. Their Viognier was the best we’ve had, and their Merlot was also fantastic – not very “merlot-like,” which is a good thing (to me)! Affordable too – score!

Laird – Maybe I was just done with wine for the day, but I didn’t care for their wines as much as some of the others. Whites and reds – most were somewhat acidic and tart, not my favorite.

Monticello – Probably the other of my bottom-two of wineries from this trip. Wines were good – but just not as good as others for the price.

Miner Family – Beautiful tasting room, one of the few Rosato’s I actually liked and a really smooth chardonnay.

Napa General Store – this was our first tasting when we got to town. We were looking for lunch and ended up staying for a wine tasting. They specialize in small-batch wineries who don’t have their own tasting rooms. Special treat – we got to sample wine made by the Napa Community College Oenology Students (which we bought a bottle of!).

O’Shaughnessy – This was another recommendation, and another splurge – but well worth it. WAY off the beaten path with wonderful cabernet. Martha, our host, was just wonderful and gave us a cave tour in addition to the tasting! Wonderful experience!

Pina – We stumbled across this winery when the one we were planning to go to was closed for an event. They were having a weekend event themselves – barrel tasting and paella… what’s not to love! Very nice reds and the cutest winery dog ever!

Raymond – Raymond makes a wide range of solid reds and whites, some of which are available in stores. The best part of this tasting was that they were having their annual “cellar sale” so we got some great buys on a few extra bottles!

We also found a hidden gem – the Oxbow Public Market – which features Fieldwork Brewery (Galaxy Juice IPA… best I have EVER had), outstanding Sushi, Wood-Grilled Pizza… and a spice shop… can you say HEAVEN!!

If it wasn’t so damn expensive, I could totally live here. So until my rich uncle gets out of the poorhouse (as my Mom used to say) I guess planning our next visit will have to do!