Old Faithful Geyser Calistoga

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

One of the must-see’s when visiting Napa Valley is Old Faithful Geyser. While admission is a little high, you cannot go through life living in the bay area without seeing this geyser at least once. It’s one our local natural wonders!

We visited Old Faithful Geyser in Calistoga right after Christmas, so there had been plenty of rain during the holiday season to fuel the geyser, and temperatures were quite chilly. The conditions allowed for the geyser to erupt every 5-10 minutes. Under normal weather conditions, it erupts roughly every 45 minutes. According to information provided by the geyser museum, the geyser slows eruption to every two hours about 72 hours before an earthquake within 150 miles. That is incredible information for local geologists!

Since it was really chilly outside, with temperatures in the high 40’s and low 50’s, the weather wasn’t conducive to an outdoor picnic. In my opinion, the best time to visit Old Faithful Geyser in Calistoga would be the fall or spring seasons. Temperatures will be mild, and it will be comfortable for spending half a day, or an entire day, on the geyser grounds. They have plenty of picnic areas, bocce ball, and other activities to keep you busy while you enjoy a picnic; perhaps even some local wine you bring in! This is a bring-your-own-picnic type of place. They do have a little convenience store within their gift shop, but I would recommend bringing in your own picnic.

In addition to an Instagram-worthy picnic area, the Old Faithful Geyser grounds offer farm animals and a relaxing fountain to enjoy gazing at. This would make a really relaxing, slow day in the spring or fall months. We definitely need to go back when temperatures warm up! You can learn more about visiting here.

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Thanks for stopping by, and stay tuned for more from Napa Valley!

XOXO

Cathy

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Dinner and a sunset on the Napa River

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wearing: blue and silver earrings / lipstick / blue scarf / black turtleneck / long belted coat / nail polish / black handbag / black and white pleated skirt / knee high black suede boots /

After Christmas, we took a quick road trip up to the Napa Valley with our kids. On the first day, we checked into our hotel around 3:30pm, and then headed over to downtown Napa to walk around and enjoy dinner. It was fun showing the kids around the historic buildings, and to walk along the Napa River at Sunset.

The river area was decorated for the holidays with lights, and pretty decorations. My kids loved seeing all the holiday decor, and checking out a new town they haven’t visited before.

For dinner, we ate at Napkins Bar & Grill which is across the street from the river in Downtown Napa. I had heard the food was good, but WOW! All five of us loved what we ordered and ate! My oldest daughter ordered the chicken dish which she said was delicious. My middle child decided to have an appetizer buffet with wings and sliders; both of which she loved. My son had a plate of pasta which he too, enjoyed. My husband had the pork chops, which he thought was cooked to perfection, and quite tasty. I enjoyed a cup of clam chowder to start, and for my entree, scallops with risotto; which was fabulous and I am craving another plate of it as I type this! If you go, definitely try at least one of these dishes, you will love it!

Our dinner was really yummy, but as all children tend to do, they asked for dessert! My husband had noticed a Ben & Jerry’s sign while we were walking around, so after dinner, we walked over to get ice cream for the kids. I was stuffed from dinner, but still managed to enjoy an entire egg nog milkshake! haha yummy!

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Stay tuned! We had a ton of fun in the Napa Valley, and I cannot wait to share it all with you!

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO
Cathy

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Happy New Year!

happy new year 2020

My top nine most liked photos on Instagram from 2019! Thank you for all the love and support in 2019, I couldn’t maintain this blog without you! I hope you have a fabulous new year in 2020, and I look forward to continuing to share with you, and connecting with you, in the new decade!

XOXO

Cathy