Tough day: the first with a real goal/destination we had to reach before night fall: Napa Valley for the celebration of Julie's 28th birthday. We left Mendocino early and while the town was still covered in the early morning fog, aka
Marine Layer that we have come to love, fear and be puzzled by every morning since hitting the California coast. For the reader who did not specialize in weather phenomenon in school, here is the short explanation of what Marine Layer is (quoted from a
USA Today Q&A Site) "A marine layer is a cool, moist, sometimes fog-laden layer of air that is typically several hundred to as much as 2,000 feet thick. Chilly oceans, such as the Pacific off California, cool the air just above it, creating the marine layer. Warmer air above the layer acts like a lid, keeping it from mixing and dispersing. A steady west wind often piles the marine layer ashore, especially overnight, locking coastal communities in a cool, thick fog that lasts usually until midday when the sun is strong enough to break the inversion and mix out the layer."
While driving down the coast it didn't take long for us to realize that the cows living on California's north coast are some of the luckiest creatures in the world - just look at the view this one gets to enjoy (for free!) on a daily basis...
Seems like other people figured this out quicker than us - In
Fort Ross the Russians settled in 1812 to hunt for Sea Otter furs which were the latest fashion hype back in St Petersburg - I'll dare to speculate that they simply liked it so much there, that they looked for an excuse to stay for as long as possible instead of making the ghastly trip back to Siberia. At least their books seem to support this theory, they never really did all that well financially. The Russians ended up eventually selling the Fort and all it's land to one Mr. Sutter in something like 1850, but not before having left their mark on the region. Only a few miles further south we arrive at the
Russian River Valley - a beautiful river valley in Sonoma County renowned for its many wineries and the start of our journey in to wine country.
We follow the river to our final destination for the day
Napa Valley, regretting for a bit having left the cool breezes of the coast to venture into the dry and dusty interior, at least until we reach our final destination and are greeted by Julie & Tim at the (in)famous
Red Hen Cantina with some cooling compensation...
Tough day: the first with a real goal/destination we had to reach before night fall: Napa Valley for the celebration of Julie's 28th birthday. We left Mendocino early and while the town was still covered in the early morning fog, aka Marine Layer that we have come to love, fear and be puzzled by every morning since hitting the California coast. For the reader who did not specialize in weather phenomenon in school, here is the short explanation of what Marine Layer is (quoted from a USA Today Q&A Site) "A marine layer is a cool, moist, sometimes fog-laden layer of air that is typically several hundred to as much as 2,000 feet thick. Chilly oceans, such as the Pacific off California, cool the air just above it, creating the marine layer. Warmer air above the layer acts like a lid, keeping it from mixing and dispersing. A steady west wind often piles the marine layer ashore, especially overnight, locking coastal communities in a cool, thick fog that lasts usually until midday when the sun is strong enough to break the inversion and mix out the layer."
While driving down the coast it didn't take long for us to realize that the cows living on California's north coast are some of the luckiest creatures in the world - just look at the view this one gets to enjoy (for free!) on a daily basis... 
Seems like other people figured this out quicker than us - In Fort Ross the Russians settled in 1812 to hunt for Sea Otter furs which were the latest fashion hype back in St Petersburg - I'll dare to speculate that they simply liked it so much there, that they looked for an excuse to stay for as long as possible instead of making the ghastly trip back to Siberia. At least their books seem to support this theory, they never really did all that well financially. The Russians ended up eventually selling the Fort and all it's land to one Mr. Sutter in something like 1850, but not before having left their mark on the region. Only a few miles further south we arrive at the Russian River Valley - a beautiful river valley in Sonoma County renowned for its many wineries and the start of our journey in to wine country.
We follow the river to our final destination for the day Napa Valley, regretting for a bit having left the cool breezes of the coast to venture into the dry and dusty interior, at least until we reach our final destination and are greeted by Julie & Tim at the (in)famous Red Hen Cantina with some cooling compensation...
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