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Wine Country Ablaze

Hey, Koi what can ya tell me about the Silverado trail? Who’s open, who would ya recommend, who has free or low cost tasting, etc?
 
DReg350 said:
Hey, Koi what can ya tell me about the Silverado trail? Who’s open, who would ya recommend, who has free or low cost tasting, etc?
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Everything is open that didn't burn down, so Odette, stag's leap would be two I'd avoid.

North of Yountville you're good anywhere.

Pick up a "wine country this week" anywhere, all sorts of coupons.

Buy wine to comp tastings, the fancier you go the more you have to buy to comp.

Hagafen cellars is awesome for whites

Vince Arroyo in Calistoga for reds

Mumm right now has the best view, start there for a sit down tasting of sparkling.

Buy wine and support an area that has just been extremely hurt during the end of our busiest season. Employees making the final push to make some money before winter hits and they struggle for hours as it is.

Tour companies with 15 reservations, and 3 people showing up.

Balloons are even worse.


Not that I have a problem with a cheap tasting, to me more than half of the tastings in the Napa valley are overpriced for what you get back.... (((Have I mentioned free wine tasting and discount for Barfers only 30 minutes away from the Silverado Trail?))) But right now I also hope your visit isn't about a free drink but more about spending your money smartly but still, spending money and supporting the people struggling through what's been a devasting event for the people.


PM if you need more suggestions on restaurants, other wineries, engagement spots, timing and reservation suggestions, or anything else you need to know. :thumbup
 
two wheel tramp said:
When do we wanna do a support wine country group ride?

I like food and there are great restaurants and roads.
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Did you know we do food service at the base of one of the more fun roads in the area and have room for up to 200 paying Barfers?
 
i_am_the_koi said:
Tour companies with 15 reservations, and 3 people showing up.
balloons are even worse.
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I know this to be true but it surprises me none the less. There is a lot there to see by air, disaster tourism being what it is.
I'm not suggesting the balloon companies chase after those clients, I'm just shocked the looky-loos aren't clamoring for rides.
 
Was told multiple times this weekend that all that people have heard on their media across the country was how bad the air quality was and how bad the devastation was "everywhere"....

It's not, normal trip will be normal, hills will be black.

Normal Friday is 50-75 people.

We had 18

Normal Saturday? Nope, 80 short off normal

Normal Sunday? Actually we had a good day today. :dunno
 
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Big day in Napa valley today, lots of high end cars sportin' about, and the cops to chase them.
I'm here for the goat roads, not the tasting.
I did bump into a guy I haven't seen since the mid 80's, sitting next table over.
Living in 'member berry country, lots of flash backs, then add a past Fleet 194 member, and the regattas, BA to Mexico.

Now off to Paso Robles for a month,
Rossi's driveway, Pozo for a beer,
lunch in Parkfield, anyone?
 
i_am_the_koi said:
Did you know we do food service at the base of one of the more fun roads in the area and have room for up to 200 paying Barfers?
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Good to know. I think we need a lunch ride. Tasting is cool but would need to be in moderation on a motorcycle.

Lemme think a little.
 
I just started a thread. I don't want to divert from this one too much,

Please go share some ideas you have there. I would super, duper appreciate it. :)
 
EPA up at my friend's on Franz Valley Road today.

Much faster than we thought to be honest.

Got clearance to remove a burned out car that my friend's BIL left there for safe keeping while he was in Georgia...but not the one in the US.

He's not too bummed, wanted to sell it anyway.

State Farm gave him over Blue Book which is darned good for a hard to sell Volvo C30.

Hopefully the Army Corps of Engineers will get up there soon and take out everything else including the foundation.

He's going to mark where the septic main line is as well as the pump house for the well so they don't go overboard!
 

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Glad they got through phase 1. I was at my mom's place today marking the septic tank, but I'm really not sure where the leach lines are. I have the original permit that kinda shows where they are so I'm going to laminate a copy of it and attach it to the tank lid so hopefully they will get the idea and be gentle in that area. I'm really hoping we can get hooked up to the sewer so we can build on a larger portion of the lot.
 
Damn, Geoff... good and still bad I guess. Good that EPA, insurance and National Guard are on it. Bad that... well, that folks have so far to go to get back to normal. I’m guessing normal will never fully arrive. As mentioned in TWT’s ride thread, I’ll be staying along the Silverado Trail area for four days with So Cal friends this weekend. We switched from Paso to Napa this year. The goal is to have fun, and support the economy while staying out the way of the recovery effort.

I’ll wine taste, but most likely won’t buy very much. However, the others I’ll be with will. I’ve taken classes, and tasted with passionate experienced and knowledgeable connoisseurs. I’m a beer guy. Bummed we won’t be closer to Santa Rosa. Lots of beer around there. I know there’s a case of Pliny with my name on it there. But, I’m a survivor. I’m certain I’ll find something to splurge on near where we’ll be. Perhaps a few nice ports. :thumbup
 
In the rush and great effort to move things along its a good idea to pay some attention when cleanup hits you. There is a lot of pressure to make numbers and set records and the best intentions don't always translate into best practice.

Gratitude and appreciativeness have nothing to do with a little self serving interest and monitoring, it is after all, your property.

Fully documenting the clean up effort is a worthwhile effort. If you are asked to accept a cleanup and sign off, its a good idea to ask important questions so that later there isn't an "I didn't know and no one told me" problem.

Just because something burned down doesn't mean it isn't yours or that you have no interest in what happens after the insurance sends the check.

There is a huge rush to get the clean up done and haste can make waste. Protect your interests.
 
DReg350 said:
Damn, Geoff... good and still bad I guess. Good that EPA, insurance and National Guard are on it. Bad that... well, that folks have so far to go to get back to normal. I’m guessing normal will never fully arrive. As mentioned in TWT’s ride thread, I’ll be staying along the Silverado Trail area for four days with So Cal friends this weekend. We switched from Paso to Napa this year. The goal is to have fun, and support the economy while staying out the way of the recovery effort.

I’ll wine taste, but most likely won’t buy very much. However, the others I’ll be with will. I’ve taken classes, and tasted with passionate experienced and knowledgeable connoisseurs. I’m a beer guy. Bummed we won’t be closer to Santa Rosa. Lots of beer around there. I know there’s a case of Pliny with my name on it there. But, I’m a survivor. I’m certain I’ll find something to splurge on near where we’ll be. Perhaps a few nice ports. :thumbup
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:thumbup

They got their Motorhome delivered yesterday so maybe they'll be out of here in the next few weeks!:laughing

As someone mentioned in a prior post it is amazing to me how upbeat they are vs. some who's homes were saved who complain about PTSD.

To say that annoys my friends to no end would be a gross understatement! :laughing
 
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I've had two beggers approach me with tales of living on Atlas Peak Road....

One of which has been begging and living behind the taco truck for 2 years now...

FUCK YOU!
 
Had a fantastic time in the Napa Valley last weekend. I’d forgotten how drop dead gorgeous the valley is. Rediscovering Saint Helena, Rutherford and Yountville was so much fun. My two hands down favorite wineries were Franks Family and Praeger. Loved every single wine we tasted at Franks Family and bought several ports at Praeger. Restaurants were awesome, but Spring Valley Market meats, cheese and olives were the bomb. We stayed at an Airbnb and hired a driver on Saturday. So much fun, and yes, we did our level best to pump up the economy. We weren’t the only ones though. We had to compete with the film festival crowd for tasting room. Note to self: make reservations in advance when going wine tasting in Napa Valley. :thumbup
 
PG&E talking about another bankruptcy if they're found liable.

http://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2018/06/15/lawmakers-pge-talks-bankruptcy/

Kind of a funny snippet:
PG&E would not respond directly to our questions whether it is considering bankruptcy, but in a written statement, a spokeswoman says California’s rules about wildfire liability are not sustainable, saying in part:

“PG&E could be liable for property damages and attorneys’ fees even if we followed established inspection and safety rules.”
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"..even if.." nice choice of words, kind of implying not following the rules is the default position.

We've been getting emails from them about plans to turn off power under certain conditions this summer. I've been trying to get an answer about what the criteria is relative to the fire danger tier. We're in tier 3 Placer County and like much of California, almost all of the below conditions are constantly present during the summer, so it looks like it's going to come down to those north winds. This was the most info they were willing to give:

At this time, I have the following information available specific to your question regarding the criteria for deenergizing PG&E lines in high risk conditions.

PG&E’s Wildfire Safety Operations Center team will monitor conditions across the system and trigger a decision making process to temporarily turn off electric power lines in the interest of public safety, if extreme fire danger conditions are occurring. A number of factors will inform this decision including extreme fire danger conditions such as strong winds and very low humidity levels; critically dry vegetation that could serve as fuel for a wildfire; and on the ground real time observations from field crews among other factors.
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Info:
https://www.pge.com/en_US/safety/em...ster/wildfires/community-wildfire-safety.page

Map:
ftp://ftp.cpuc.ca.gov/safety/fire-t...8.5X11inch_PDF/CPUC_Fire-Threat_Map_final.pdf
 
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