Sunset a we enter Yosemite National Park


Tasting Wine....


At Jordan Vinyards


Cabernet Grapes on the Vine

From El Portal, Ca:
Greetings from Yosemite National Park. We are staying at this neat little B&B at the gateway to the park -- The Blue Butterfly Inn. A hotel was built all around it, but the folks that own it wouldn't sell their land. It is right on a river and is really lovely. We spent our last day in Santa Roaa drinking wine and eating. We forgot to mention in our prior post that we were in a restaurant having dinner and in the restaurant were the finalists for the "Top Chef" competition on Bravo. They had been shooting the final episode there and were having a party in the restaurant. Fun to see the folks up close in person. One of the finalists was a surprise. We would never have guessed he would make it to the final! The last day in Santa Rosa was rainy, so we took it slow by only visiting two wineries compared to the five the previous day. The Jordan Vineyards tasting was special because it took place in a beautifully recreated french chateau, and each wine was paired with a different cheese. We end up leaving Calif. wine country with lots of bottles of wine… not sure where we are going to put Emily on the way home. The ride to Yosemite was so beautiful today. We arrived just at sunset. We are looking forward to touring the park tomorrow.

Stats:
Location Today: El Portal, CA
Traveled 4954 Miles since we left Maryland
Approx. 2690 miles from Md
Visited the following states: Md, Va, Wv., Tn, Ky, Ar., Ok., Tx., Nm, Az, Nv., Ca.
Next Destination: ??
Nights on the Road: 26
Number of Hotels/Inns/B&B's: 14

Highlights:
"Top Chef" finalists sighting in Healdsburg
Jordan Vineyards Tasting
Bennett Lane Winery
Taylors Refreshment in St. Helena
Scenic drive entering Yosemite


Not so great stuff:
Three straight days of rain
Hearing about the Fort Hood killings