Stephanie Snyder Photography Blog

The last full day we we were in San Francisco, we decided to rent a car and drive to the NAPA Valley to check it out. I had researched it before we flew out to San Francisco, and was pleasantly surprised to learn it was only a little more than an hour away from San Francisco! Our hotel had a Budget car rental in part of the lobby, so our car was waiting for us when we walked outside. How convenient!

We drove our rental through downtown, then drove north across the Golden Gate Bridge. It’s a toll bridge, but only when you drive southbound into the city. There was no toll to go northbound.

We drove over the Golden Gate Bridge to Vista Point, where I hoped to take some photos of the bridge, Alcatraz, and the San Francisco skyline all together in one landscape, but the fog was so thick that we couldn’t even see the end of the bridge after we passed by it! The fog itself was beautiful, though.

The drive over to Napa was gorgeous as well. The rolling hills, low-lying thick fog, and country filled with trees and cows made for a pleasant and peaceful drive. I couldn’t have asked for more. We drove north on 101 toward Santa Rosa, passing Sausalito. After that, it was a nice little mountain drive to the town of Calistoga, where we enjoyed a wine tasting, and just breathed in the beautiful scenery! Here are some shots from the drive, and from Napa! Please leave your comments below the post!  I read every one, and love hearing your thoughts!

 

I got these shots about 20 minutes outside San Francisco. The fog cleared up completely right after we passed this field. There is a wide difference in temperatures between San Francisco and Wine Country. Even twenty minutes away in Alameda, it was actually hot versus the chill we felt in San Francisco.

 

Pardon the gratuitous shots of these trees, but I fell in love with the contrast between their branches and the fog, and I think it created a haunting image. It was so quiet and still there, except for the highway traffic in the background. Something about these images makes me feel at peace.

 

We hit up the vineyards after driving several miles around a mountain. The sky was so blue, and each town was so small and intimate. The town we spent the most time in was Castiloga. The image below is what greeted us almost immediately upon entering the town.

I found out the yellow flowers between and around the vines were actually mustard flowers, and naturally grow in some of the vineyards. They are not planted there intentionally, and every year the area hosts a huge mustard seed festival.

 

A nice shot of our really nice rental car:

 

One thing I noticed about this area is that they love unique sculptures. I guess since all vineyards pretty much look the same, they use these sculptures to make theirs unique.

 

We stopped by a really neat and unique winery for the obligatory wine tasting. I mean – it’s Napa Valley. I’m not really a drinker, so I barely know the differences between the wines, but the guy inside was very friendly and knowledgeable. It was interesting to learn about some of the process, even if I didn’t understand the terminology. Otman and I split one tasting, since we really only did it because who doesn’t have a wine tasting in Napa? We did it for the experience, not the wine. LOL.

 

This vineyard is called the Clos Pegase Winery, and is actually one Napa’s most famous wineries. The building below was designed by renowned architect Michael Graves.  We didn’t go into any of the caves, but this particular winery has over 20,000 square feet of caves. The owner is a HUGE art collector, and I think I had the most fun perusing the collection around the grounds than in the wine.He has spent millions of dollars on artwork that is displayed throughout the winery, and he has collections on loan to the SOMA Museums.  You can see some of the collection of large sculptures below, and the building itself is a piece of art.

I loved this one. I want to stick a giant thumb in my backyard.

 

It was amazingly peaceful and quiet here. I would have loved to lie in the grass for hours, just enjoying the silence.

 

The expression on this statue’s face makes me laugh….

Another sculpture – this one was moving. The top pieces that cross over each other actually opened up and crossed again, over and over, like a sword fight.

This was a different winery that we stopped by, but didn’t go in. I just loved the architecture of the house.

 

On the way out, we had dinner with a good friend in Davis, CA, and drove by the rolling hills of Southern California. What a beautiful end to a beautiful vacation!!!

 

 

 

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South Carolina Wedding Photographer, Portrait Photographer and Boudoir Photographer
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