Petrified Forest in Calistoga

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wearing: silver earrings / lipstick / long sleeve tee / sweatshirt / backpack / jeans / nail polish / hiking boots /

Our family loves the outdoors, and hiking! So, when I was researching hiking trails in the Napa Valley, I came across The Petrified Forest located in Calistoga. I had no idea we had one here in the Bay Area! This sounded amazing, and like something we needed to check out. We are so glad we did!

The Petrified Forest in Calistoga features petrified redwood tress which are frozen in time. They fell over about 3.4 million years ago, you read that right, 3.4 million years ago! The trees were knocked down forcefully by a volcanic explosion from a volcano located behind present-day Mount Saint Helena. It is no longer a mountain, and it is dormant; buried behind our current mountain. The explosion was so forceful, it toppled a redwood forest filled with trees which have been aged at over 2000 years old at the time of the explosion. Can you imagine? Trees which were already 1000-2000 years old, toppled over by a volcano, then preserved under the ash for 3.4 million years! It’s incredible!

We took the 11am guided tour which was incredibly interesting. Our tour guide taught us so much about petrified wood and the history of the forest. He was incredibly nice, and so informative! We really enjoyed the tour.

The tour is also a hike, so if you go, wear a good pair of hiking shoes or boots. My hiking boots were perfect for the terrain. Also be sure to allow enough time for the tour. It was roughly 1.5 hours which was not only a good hike, it was a lot of time to learn a ton of information from our guide. We loved it!

You can learn more about The Petrified Forest on their website.

Shop my hiking outfit online:

Have you seen a petrified forest before? What did you think?

XOXO
Cathy

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Family friendly winery in Napa Valley

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wearing: blue and silver earrings / lipstick / long sleeve tee / winter cardigan sweater / blue scarf / belt / bootcut jeans / Chloe bag / nail polish / charcoal boots /

Well, one cannot visit the Napa Valley without visiting at least one winery, right?! Of course, this may sound easy in theory, but if you are traveling with kids to the Napa Valley, many wineries will close their doors to you; after all, you have to be 21 to drink in California.

We are not a big drinking family. We just wanted to tour a winery, relax, and have one glass of wine to taste. After quite a bit of research, I discovered Inglenook Winery offered the upscale aesthetic we were seeking; plus, they were kid friendly. Win/win!

Inglenook Winery has a rich history in Napa Valley, not to mention they have really good wine! So we were really happy to find they were set up for families to enjoy their winery setting. I called ahead and got on the “guest list,” which is essentially making a reservation for the Bistro. The Bistro is great because they offer food, non-alcoholic drinks, coffee, and wine by the glass. This isn’t wine tasting, which is in a separate room, and kids are not permitted. The Bistro is like a little cafe where you can get snacks, and buy your drinks.It’s perfect if you have kids.

We decided to sit outside with our baguette, cheese plate, Coca-cola and water for kids, and one glass of wine each for my husband and I. It’s winter, so sitting outside was a bit chilly, but worth it! Outside the Bistro, kids can play with wooden boats in a giant fountain. There are also Bocce Ball courts, benches, tables, and a relaxing vibe. My kids felt grown up playing there, even though they were drinking soda and water. It was great!

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There are certain parts of the winery where children are not permitted, but we were allowed to tour the facility ourselves. Inglenook has a fabulous museum on-site which shows, and tells, the history of the winery. Since Francis Ford Coppola is the current owner of Inglenook, he also has a movie museum on-site which has an incredible collection of old film projectors, and other movie memorabilia. It’s really interesting. My whole family enjoyed it!

We also enjoyed touring the beautiful and historic building the museum, Bistro, and gift shop are located in. I was awestruck by the beautiful chandeliers; I’m a huge fan of ceiling light fixtures. Outside, we toured the grounds, and saw the beautiful vineyards, as well as olive trees used for producing olive oil. I am kicking myself for not getting a bottle of olive oil while I was there.

We really enjoyed visiting Inglenook Winery located in Rutherford, in the Napa Valley. Next time I am in the Napa Valley, I will definitely visit it again!

Shop my Napa wine tasting outfit online:

What is your favorite winery to visit in the Napa Valley?

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO
Cathy

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New haircare for winter 2020

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New in my hair-care arsenal for 202 from left: Dyson supersonic hair dryer / Garnier color reviver in warm brown c/o Garnier / Garnier dry shampoo in Melon-tini c/o Garnier / Garneir dry shampoo in Coco Colada c/o Garnier /

OK, if you have been following along, you may have noticed I have had my eyes on this hairdryer by Dyson for quite some time. Apparently my mom took notice from reading my blog, and guess what I got for Christmas! Yay!! She hooked me up with the Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer of my dreams; and yes, it is the hairdryer we all had no idea we needed.

In addition to my new hair dryer thanks to Mom, Garnier sent me a fabulous PR package for the holiday season with new hair-care, and beauty products, from their collection.  I always love testing out new products from Garnier since they tend to be products I end up falling in love with. This hair mask, and these two dry shampoo’s, are my new hair-care go-to’s in 2020. Since I am coloring my hair to cover up my salt-and-pepper grey, a color revivier mask is exactly what my hair needs a few weeks after my salon appointment; especially if I am outdoors a lot. It’s a game changer in keeping my color looking fresh!

Dry shampoos have always looked like a good idea in theory, but I haven’t really found one I felt I could attach my recommendation to. This one from Garnier has just captured my eye, and my recommend! The Melon-tini and Coco Colada are fabulous scents, and they will be ideal as the weather starts to warm up next month. Love this!

Best Dry Shampoo by Garnier

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Garinier’s dry shampoo is available in a variety of scents. The Melon-tini, and the Coco Colada, are definitely my favorites. I love a warm weather scent on a cool day since it evokes a sunshine vibe. I also happen to love the scent of coconut and of melon, during warm weather, so these will both be perfect all year long. Love!

Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer review

Best Hair Dryer on the market

dyson hairdryer review

I have wanted the Dyson Supersonic Hair Dryer for years!!! The thing that kept me from buying it myself was the price. I really could not understand how a hair dryer could be that expensive, I mean, I could get a nice one for $50 at CVS, so why spend almost $400 on one??? I just didn’t get it, and no-one could possibly understand why it is worth the money until actually trying it.

When you blow dry your hair, how many times have you felt like it was dried out, or taking a really long time to dry and style? With the Dyson Supersonic hair dryer, I can dry my hair in under five minutes, and it doesn’t feel like I used a hair-dryer, it feels like I air dried my hair. My hair feels healthier, and it is shinier, just from using this hair dryer; how crazy is that?! Plus, I am saving a ton of time in the morning since it dries my hair so quickly. Thanks mom!!!

If you have been eyeing this hair dryer, and have been hesitant to buy it due to the price, let me tell you, it’s worth every penny. I’m in love!

Shop my new favorite hair products in 2020:

What are you favorite hair care products right now? Do you have a favorite hair dryer?

Thanks for stopping by! Stay tuned for more new beauty product reviews later this month!

XOXO

Cathy