I've made several trips north up Interstate 5 and 101 in the past few months, and wow, I was blown away with the color of wild flowers covering our rolling hills in central and northern California. Now I know (thanks to my wife) that many of these yellow Mustards are non-native invasive weeds that decimate native California grasslands. Nevertheless, they look fantastic in May and June!
My initial trip to Napa Valley in a Class C Fleetwood was eye opening in many ways. Yes, there's more than 800 wineries in Napa, and tasting is a favorite pastime, but I actually steered clear of most of that, and decided to track down the local Napa art scene.
I won't go into detail yet, but it was an experience that I will never forget. Many of the wineries use local artists and I stumbled onto one of the best.
His name is Carlo Marchiori (pictured above with his dog) and he is an Italian born renaissance artist now living in Calistoga at the northern tip of Napa. You've got to see his work (http://catoga.com)
The story on Carlo and other respected artists from the wine country of California will be featured in the Fall 2010 issue of RV.
To cap off the trips I made this May and June, i stopped off in Martinez, California and met with the great-great-grandson of John Muir, Mr. Robert Hanna. Muir as you know was America's most beloved naturalist, writer and founder of the Sierra Club.
It's my opinion that anyone who travels in our National Parks owes a debt of gratitude to John Muir because he alone convinced President Theodore Roosevelt to save Yosemite and others wilderness parks for future generations to enjoy.