Napa Valley Bike Tour
On Monday, I discovered my dream job. Someday, I am going to become an e-bike tour guide. Although I don't see that happening any time soon, it was so much fun that I honestly can't think of a better job. I was outside enjoying nature, meeting and chatting with people from all over the world, eating a delicious lunch from Bichon Bakery, visiting two wineries, and biking. Can you think of a more perfect way to spend a day? 
We started our Napa Valley Bike Tour in Yountville, California. Our tour guide, Don, led Georgian guests Tara and Brian and my husband, John, and me on a six-hour tour. Don was very knowledgeable about the history of the area. He also shared interesting facts about the flora and fauna. We rode Specialized Electric Bikes, which are equipped with different levels of pedal-assist (Turbo, Sport, and Eco) and a system to help you ride on flat stretches and hills. This was our first e-biking experience, and we both loved it! This might be the way to get John out biking with me!
Yountville was named after George Yount in 1836. Grapes were first grown in 1839. Today's population is around 3,300, with nearly 800 of those residents living in the Veterans Home of California. This cute little town is known as the Culinary Capital of Napa Valley. However, some of the locals have nicknamed it Kellerville since the Thomas Keller Restaurant Group owns at least 10 of the area's highly-rated restaurants, including The French Laundry and Bouchon. Thomas Keller is the only American chef to have two three-star restaurants at the same time. Directly across the street from The French Laundry is a garden where they grow many of the fruits, vegetables, and flowers for their restaurant. Flowers are planted to attract the bees that pollinate the vegetables. Another interesting tidbit is that many of the bees are just temporary residents. Bee hives are transported in during peak pollination season when crops are in bloom. During winter, the hives are transported back to Central California to keep the bees well-fed and healthy.
The Napa Valley has a Mediterranean climate which is perfect for growing grapes. The valley typically has hot days and cool nights and receives little rain throughout the growing season. I expected to see a more lush vegetation but was surprised by the dry, golden hills. This discussion brought out the fact that California is nickanmed The Golden State for not one, but two reasons - The California Gold Rush and the rolling golden hills. Two movies were filmed in this area that you might want to check out - Bottle Shock and A Walk in the Clouds.
Before the tour, I asked our guide to provide me with interesting facts about the local vegetation. Don described how mustard greens are grown between the rows of grapes each spring. This is done for several reasons. First, the greens make a great ground cover and discourage weeds from growing. Second, they help suppress microscopic worms called nematodes from growing. Nematodes attack and ruin the roots of grapevines. The mustard greens grow very quickly and also help prevent soil erosion. After they have grown, the vinters, or grape farmers, till them into the soil to provide much needed nutrients for the grapes. Birds can be a big problem as they love to nibble on the grapes. To scare away the birds, the vinters will sometimes put up a large balloon with big eyes on it. The wind will move the balloon, prompting birds to think it is a scary, dangerous predator. Finally, I learned about a technique called a single cordon. As you can see in the photo, the grape vine is trained to grow along a trellis in order to be easily maintained and helps produce high-quality grapes. Any extra shoots are taken off so extra energy is not wasted on vines that don't produce grapes.
Don also let us stop and look at an olive tree so I could see the olives growing. Olives are harvested late in the summer and into the fall depending up the variety. We also rode past a section of huge eucalyptus trees. You could smell the wonderful scent of the eucalyptus. We stopped next to an old tree that had fallen. Look at how huge that tree is! What do you think the diameter of it is? I am 5 foot 6 inches tall. What is your educated guess in feet and inches?
The second photo above shows one bunch of immature grapes. The next photo shows tiny olives growing on a tree. The last photo shows a few rows of wine aging in barrels. Notice the burgandy staining in the middle staves (curved wooden pieces) of the barrels from dripping wine.
We started our Napa Valley Bike Tour in Yountville, California. Our tour guide, Don, led Georgian guests Tara and Brian and my husband, John, and me on a six-hour tour. Don was very knowledgeable about the history of the area. He also shared interesting facts about the flora and fauna. We rode Specialized Electric Bikes, which are equipped with different levels of pedal-assist (Turbo, Sport, and Eco) and a system to help you ride on flat stretches and hills. This was our first e-biking experience, and we both loved it! This might be the way to get John out biking with me!
Yountville was named after George Yount in 1836. Grapes were first grown in 1839. Today's population is around 3,300, with nearly 800 of those residents living in the Veterans Home of California. This cute little town is known as the Culinary Capital of Napa Valley. However, some of the locals have nicknamed it Kellerville since the Thomas Keller Restaurant Group owns at least 10 of the area's highly-rated restaurants, including The French Laundry and Bouchon. Thomas Keller is the only American chef to have two three-star restaurants at the same time. Directly across the street from The French Laundry is a garden where they grow many of the fruits, vegetables, and flowers for their restaurant. Flowers are planted to attract the bees that pollinate the vegetables. Another interesting tidbit is that many of the bees are just temporary residents. Bee hives are transported in during peak pollination season when crops are in bloom. During winter, the hives are transported back to Central California to keep the bees well-fed and healthy.
The Napa Valley has a Mediterranean climate which is perfect for growing grapes. The valley typically has hot days and cool nights and receives little rain throughout the growing season. I expected to see a more lush vegetation but was surprised by the dry, golden hills. This discussion brought out the fact that California is nickanmed The Golden State for not one, but two reasons - The California Gold Rush and the rolling golden hills. Two movies were filmed in this area that you might want to check out - Bottle Shock and A Walk in the Clouds.
Don also let us stop and look at an olive tree so I could see the olives growing. Olives are harvested late in the summer and into the fall depending up the variety. We also rode past a section of huge eucalyptus trees. You could smell the wonderful scent of the eucalyptus. We stopped next to an old tree that had fallen. Look at how huge that tree is! What do you think the diameter of it is? I am 5 foot 6 inches tall. What is your educated guess in feet and inches?
The second photo above shows one bunch of immature grapes. The next photo shows tiny olives growing on a tree. The last photo shows a few rows of wine aging in barrels. Notice the burgandy staining in the middle staves (curved wooden pieces) of the barrels from dripping wine.
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