Winter Wineland Weekend - Friday

I haven't had any opportunity to get some blogging in lately due to having to spend so much time working on the S15. But since I spent the weekend up in the wine country I figured I would just catch up with the world on what I did for the weekend in Northern Sonoma County. I actually did this last year with my wife and a few friends and had a good time. I was the "designated driver" then, and was again this year. Well at least I thought I was going to be anyways. As it turned out, I ended up not driving at all. And, since I'm not much of a wine drinker, I really didn't care anyways. It was an opportunity to get away with my wife and a good group of friends from the Bay Area and just have a fun weekend in a very beautiful part of Northern California.

Rio Nido Rental

I started out my weekend on Friday having to go to school. Well, as that turned out, I didn't have any class that day, so I just got more stuff done around my house for a good part of the morning. Then I finally decided around noon time that I'd better get my butt ready and head out. I had planned to make a few stops on the way  for some things I needed to get. I I made a few of the usual stops looking for items at places that I could sell in my store on eBay, then I stopped in at a cool comic book shop in Livermore, Ca (Fantasy Books and Games) to get some magazine protectors and cardboard inserts for some other stuff I needed to sell on eBay. Then I headed over to Charlotte's Web around the corner to see what I could find that I just had to have. As it turned out, I picked up the latest copy of "Rod & Kulture Magazine", as well as a real nice hat with embroidered red and white pinstriping. By this time is was getting a little late and I really needed to hit the road to get to the house that we rented for the weekend. My wife was already up in the area with our friends, and I just needed to get there myself.

I hit the highway and headed west for the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge. Everything was going well until I hit the usual Friday night commuter traffic of everyone coming East off of the Bay Bridge. It wasn't to long and traffic got better. I hit the R-SR Bridge and enjoyed the view of the sunset as I went across. Then once again I was in more commuter traffic for everyone going home to the North. By this time it was around 7:00 PM and I was getting a little bored and tired, so I got off the highway and grabbed some food and beverage to help keep me awake for the rest of the trip. Then I got back on the road and before long I needed to get off the highway again for another brake. After a 30 minute breather, I got back on the highway and was near my exit again. I got off the highway and headed west through Santa Rosa. I hit my destination in Rio Nido and made it to the rental house. I got there after 8:30 PM. Only I could take a 2.5 hours drive and turn into a long trip! It was a good ride though. I was able to have a good drive and just take my time and relax. I made sure to keep my commute traffic experience to a calm time and just deal with it. I got the car unpacked and went to bed.