The Getaway…Revealed

I was hoping to write about this sooner, but due to a minor injury, I pulled/pinched something in my back/hip while cleaning the shower, I wasn’t able to sit at the computer! Drat! I should have just let the weekend continue without worrying about cleaning the house!

As far as my surprise getaway, I was told that we needed to be up and out of the house at 8am. Martyna arrived at 7:45 and I was ready to go. Matt seemed to be stalling and I was soon to find out why. Garrett and Tanya pulled up in their car at 8:05. I told Tanya I had no idea what was going on and neither did she.

On the drive to wherever we were going, Matt and Garrett explained a bit of the secret. They were celebrating our anniversaries and my birthday, as well as making up for the time we lose when they’re shooting a weekend wedding. They were spending an entire day with just us.

We drove to a campsite near the town of Healdsburg and parked the car. Tanya and I still weren’t sure what was going on but we knew we were going to be bike riding because our helmets were one of the items packed. Not too long after we arrived a van pulled up with the logo of Getaway Adventures along the side. Out came two guys, Ken and Jesse. They unloaded 5 bicycles and then proceeded to explain what was in store.

We were about to embark on an 8 mile bike ride through wine country. There were two stops along way, one in the middle of the ride at the Robert Young winery and one at the end of the ride at Mosaic. At the second winery and end of the bike portion of the adventure, they would supply a gourmet lunch for us to eat. After we were fed it was time to drive to the river and hop into kayaks. We were to paddle the double kayaks down the river for a couple of hours, or however long it took while stopping along the way.

Ken and Jesse told us that if we wanted to purchase wine at either vinyard, Jesse was following along in the van and would be more than happy to transport anything we bought. How perfect!

With big grins on our faces we rode our bikes along the country roads and stopped to taste the grapes along the way. Ken was our guide for this portion of the trip and he knew a lot about the area and the wines that were produced by the grapes we were tasting. Personal attention, large pours and a great education on the winery and it’s history were what I loved about Robert Young.

The man behind the counter, Bruce, was a wonderful host. He told us all about the family history and how this was the first winery in the area. How UC Davis approached Robert Young because their studies showed that the soil would be perfect for growing grapes similar to the region in France. He took us into the cellar cave to show us the barrels of wine which produce a shocking 24.6 cases per barrel. There wine was delicious to boot so we had to buy a bottle!

I encourage you to read the history and more on their website. It was a fascinating story.

After the tour we rode our bikes to the next winery, Mosaic, and final biking destination. This was your more traditional winery, not as home grown feeling and definitely didn’t have the history lesson that the first winery provided. Both people who poured for us were extremely nice and our experience was enjoyable. I enjoyed the wine from the first vineyard more than the second but it was all good. I mean come on, wine at 11am on a Saturday with nowhere to be but with my husband and our good friends!! No complaints here!

After we finished tasting the Mosaic wines we headed outside to the picnic tables for our lunch. It was unbelievable. The spread was beautiful to look at and all of the foods were made locally and oh so delicious. We thoroughly enjoyed everything including the presentation.

Next was to change into our suits for the kayaking portion of the trip. We brought along some water and juice and of course a bottle of wine to enjoy while on the river.

Ken said goodbye for now and Jesse gave us our lesson on how to paddle down the river. We launched into the water and away we went. It was only a class 1+ river but perfect for the day. It was beautiful and the weather was perfect. Not too hot and blue sky’s with scattered white clouds. We stopped a couple of times along the journey to sit in the sun, take a swim and enjoy a glass of wine. It was…amazing.

Jesse was a really fun guide. He has been leading groups for a few years and even though the conversation switched to politics at one point, we all stayed calm and nice with one another. 😉

At this point I had to remind myself that when we left the water there was still more to come….dinner! Once we reached the end of the river portion, we said our goodbyes to Ken and Jesse and changed into our dinner attire. I had no idea where we were going and when we arrived, I was blown away. We ate at The Farm restaurant at the Carneros Inn and if you haven’t been there and are in the area it’s a MUST!

It was one of the most beautiful locations I’ve been to. Outside couches and seating around a glass enclosed, rock table fire pit with curtains hanging all around. Seating both inside and outside the restaurant and all beautiful. The menu was horrible because EVERYTHING looked good.

I have to say that it was an incredible day. It was so much fun to be on an adventure with Matt. It had been a while and we have so much fun together. To hear him so happy and excited while kayaking was really cool. He loved being outside, with me and our friends enjoying life. It was a great day. One of the best.

Thank you Matt and Garrett for putting together such a fabulous day. I know that Tanya and I will remember it always.

Matt, thank you for such a wonderful and thoughtful gift. I love you!!