Those Things You’ve Always Wanted to Do

You know all those things you’ve always wanted to do? You should go do them.

I love this saying for so many reasons, but two especially. 1) Because if you delay your dreams, you may never have a chance to make them a reality. And 2) Well, I guess you could say that this has been an overarching theme of our year-long road trip since we’re following two big dreams…growing our business and traveling the country and it’s many National and State Parks.

So, it was especially appropriate to see this coffee shop quote as we re-initiated our travels again after our mind blowing, busy holiday season for Destination Tree. We had stationed ourselves in Oregon for the holidays, and the day after Christmas we were ready to find some sunny California skies and to check off some big destinations on our “always wanted to do” list.

Napa Valley

First up, Napa Valley. I can’t say I’m a wine connoisseur, but I do know I like to drink it, and that’s what’s important right?! Anyhow, Napa’s been on my bucket list for a while, and especially after seeing the movie “Bottle Shock”, I wanted to visit Chateau Montelena and explore this legendary wine growing region (although you don’t “grow” wine, so technically, shouldn’t it be the world famous GRAPE growing region?!).

After recommendations from several friends, we decided on a self-guided bike tour through the grape-growing countryside to do some wine tasting. It was perfect because we set our own pace and got some exercise while we went from tasting to tasting to tasting. I’d say that we, at the very least, broke even on calories burned vs calories consumed. Maybe. Well, at least that’s what I’m telling myself.

Anyhow, some might say late December is not the best time to visit Napa because the vines are bare and the temps are chilly.

Hogwash. (I don’t know why I just used that particular word, but I did, so there.) Yes, the vines are bare. And yes the temps are chilly, BUT the rows and rows of vines are beautiful even when bare. And we bundled up against the cold and pedaled to stay warm. We breathed the fresh air and gazed at the blue skies skimming acres and acres of California vines. Napa in December is perfect. I highly recommend it.

And perhaps the best reason of all…minimal crowds. We weren’t jammed shoulder to shoulder in tasting rooms, we didn’t battle traffic on the roads with our bikes and it felt like a stroll through the country. Probably not the case in peak season.

Family Time

There was not a chance I was going to pass up the opportunity to spend time with my cousins while in California. I love my cousins! So, why haven’t I seen my California cousins in TWO YEARS?! Great question. No good answer. And no time like the present. The highlights? Uphill hikes, waterfalls, FOOD (duh), Skip-Bo, hugs, and endless laughs with Heads Up and Charades on NYE. Ringing in the New Year with west coast family and laughter = Perfection.

Winchester Mystery House

I have to be honest, this was on Matt’s “always wanted to do” list. I had never even heard of it before. However, as usual, I ended up enjoying yet another one of his paranormal picks.

I’ll leave the detailed description to Matt’s next paranormal blog post, however I will say, if you are ever in the Bay Area, stop and check this place out. Disregard the super touristy gift shop and walk the impeccably maintained grounds, along with a guided mansion tour through over 110 of the 160 rooms.

The old widow maintained constant construction for 38 years as an attempt to keep the millions of souls killed by Winchester guns at bay. Staircases to nowhere, windows in the floor, and secret one-way doors…it’s the most bizarre mansion you’ll ever experience.

Yosemite National Park

One of the most beautiful places on earth…Yosemite National Park.

Famous for jaw dropping scenery, there is no denying this is true. While I would have loved to hike back-country trails, and gotten an up-close view of Half Dome, we were somewhat limited to the main thoroughfares and shorter hiking options due to the winter weather. However, a recurring theme here is the minimal crowds.

Yosemite has a bad rep for being overcrowded in the summer. Solution? Go in the winter. There were definitely tourists in the Yosemite Valley, but not bumper to bumper by any means. We had winter waterfalls almost to ourselves and admired the snow and ice draping El Capitan and Half Dome.

Winter in Yosemite? Check.

Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Park

Matt likes the mantra, “Do something every day that scares you.” He likes it more than I do, mostly because I can be a big fat scairdy cat. I was the one who lost a bit of logic and did the egging on when we climbed higher and higher in elevation driving to King’s Canyon National Park. We had purchased snow chains for the truck, which were required in the park (Up to $5,000 citation if caught without them…or the more likely result, dropping thousands of feet to your death off the side of the cliff because you have no traction. No, thank you.)

The snow was coming down RELENTLESSLY. Remember all that rain in Oregon? Turns out it followed us to California. (We were kind of happy to help out the drought ridden farmers by providing some much needed rain). However, rain in California, means snow in the mountains. LOTS of snow! Already covered in snow, with more coming down, Matt suggested it might be better to come back another time. But I was insistent. We have snow chains! We can do this! So, after a self-tutorial on installation of our new chains, we continued on.

Our white knuckles matched the white snow, but it was absolutely worth it.

I’ve been asked several times, what my favorite place has been on our road trip across the country. It’s impossible to pick just one favorite. And there’s different reasons for loving all the different places we’ve been. King’s Canyon however, will always stand out in my mind as one of the most magical places I’ve ever been. The weather had a lot to do with it, because the snow covered every tiny branch and needle in glistening white.

And there was a soul stirring silence standing in the midst of Giant (absolutely GIANT) Sequoias with the snow blanketing everything around us.

There were only a few other brave souls who ventured into the park in this weather and we were all rewarded.

My words fail me to truly describe the scenery here, so instead of rambling on, go ahead and scroll through about a hundred pictures. Okay, maybe not a hundred, but far too many for a blog post because I just couldn’t narrow them down. And probably not surprising, this is only a fraction of the photos we took.

We checked off some big destinations. And created some unforgettable memories. So, whether we call it a “bucket list” or the pursuit of our “destination tree” destinations, or just following our passions, I hope our adventures inspire you to do the things you’ve always wanted to do. Or at the very least, I hope you enjoyed the pictures!

And, in the wise words of a coffee shop sign:

“You know all those things you’ve always wanted to do? You should go do them.”

Cheers!
Kristin