Day 5 2016

After enjoying a good hotel breakfast after a good night's sleep, we headed to the Napa Valley.  We went to the Castello do Amorosa vineyard.  We walked around the castle (built in the 1990s, but modeled after ancient castles in Italy) and sampled some amazing grape juice. We do not drink alcohol, but wanted to see a vineyard in California.  The views at the castle were breathtaking and they also had some interesting animals, including peacocks!

The view from the castle courtyard

Cute goats and Elizabeth

Beautiful castle views

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We then headed up the coast to go to our next stop, which was Glass Beach.  I have always wanted to see the California coastline and it did not disappoint!  It was beautiful.  Glass Beach has lots of sea glass and ocean glass, hence its name.  In the 1940s, it was a dumping ground for garbage.  So, there is beautiful glass that came from everything from apothecary bottles to cosmetic bottles to drink bottles.  The glass pieces were smooth, in all sizes and colors, and covered the beach.  And also, the oyster shells are this beautiful shade of blue!  In NC, I have only seen black/gray oyster shells. 

The ocean and rocky coastline were amazing.  Our NC coastline is flat and also beautiful, just in a different way.

We ended our day driving through a tree!  Chandelier Tree in Leggett, CA is 315 feet tall with a diameter of 21 feet, and is approximately 2400 years old!  It was a beautiful, peaceful place where we took a quick break to stretch our legs...after we drove through the tree of course :).