I’m completely exhausted. I can’t believe I’ve gone this long without blogging. It’s not like me, but in the past 3 weeks I’ve been home about 3 minutes – so I am going to try and update you about my California vacation bit by bit. (Randomly and with many typos.) Not that you care, Internet People, but it’s my blog and this was the best vacation of my life.

San Francisco, I love you. Yes, I do. We were in San Francisco for the equivalent of the blink on an eye, but it’s beauty and blatantly open liberalness sings to me unlike any other city – and if it weren’t for my fear of massive earthquakes and collapsing bridges, I might live there.

I love practically everything about San Francisco – the cafes, the galleries, and the rows of shotgun style houses. I love the crucial part that the Asian culture, and many others, plays on San Francisco’s heritage. It’s like traveling the world just going around the block. The finality and beauty of a city that physically has nowhere else to grow is appealing to me. Although, the traffic that accompanies that is not so much to love.

But the unrivaled diversity is the thing I love most about San Francisco. Walking down the street and witnessing a gay and lesbian community fit in among the masses is so liberating. This is what community is supposed to be like and it’s unfortunate that Bush, AKA: World’s Worst President, in his greedy quest to rule the world turned his back on humanity and bashed in the skull of acceptance preventing the world from moving forward. (Okay, so that may not be entirely true, and I’m thinking that might be a run-on sentence, but it’s my blog and I’m going to say it anyway.) Everyone should visit San Francisco to get a crash course in gay culture.

Next stop, the Bardessono – greenest hotel in America and worth it’s own post.

I’m not a good traveler. I don’t enjoy flying, I don’t like being away from my home and I don’t like not having everything where it’s supposed to be. I know, I’m a freak. Although, this manic tendency seems to comply pretty well for both the Chef and I since the Chef doesn’t like to be away from his bike and therefore doesn’t like to be away from home without it. And I REFUSE to ever air travel with his stupid bike again (re: Canada disaster many years ago) because it is NOT worth the ginormous hassle – especially as he freaks out when he sees it coming out of the belly of the plane only to watch a bunch of golf clubs plop on top of it’s container.

This vacation was surprisingly different. Everything fell right into place, from renting “Michael approved” bikes online to our hotel reservations all the way to extending the vacation. I fell in love with Napa. I adore Napa Valley. I didn’t want to leave. Everything about it is wonderful. So wonderful in fact, that I am still talking about moving there someday. It has everything I love: perfect weather, the best food, and lots of delicious wine. It gets better when you add that it is cycling and running friendly – and with green, lush, beautiful landscapes full of roses and roses and roses and vines. It’s just lovely.

And a lovely pork sausage I am, as I practically had to sausage stuff myself into my jeans on the way home. Makes for a fun plane ride. Oiy, and I still feel like a sausage. So, let the running begin. I need a plan so I don’t skimp out on myself – I’ve been a bit lazy lately. Wait, I do have a plan, I just need to put it in action. I did exercise in Napa – I rode an hour or more everyday, but with the exception of my ride with Pamela and Juls, my rides were mostly scenic. I couldn’t help it; there were so many beautiful things to see.

Many more Napa Adventures to come in the ways of fancy toilets, meeting friends, restaurant reviews and wine by the barrel. But for now I must work on my pork sausage reduction plan, so here are a few pictures from our trip until then:

This is part of the elevation map Pamela sent me from our ride on Tuesday. The Napa Valley Bike Shop called this an “Intermediate” 26 mile loop. Well California cyclists, if this is intermediate for you, then I salute you! Because it was the equivalent of climbing a mountain and falling over a cliff for me. More on that later, but riding is awesome here. When I’m not fearing for my life.

And this is from the day I learned about the spit buckets, and why they are unfortunately necessary.

Internet people, if I ever met good people in my life – it’s 21st Century Mom’s Pamela and Keeping Pace’s Jules. I’d link them, but I’ve been tasting wine all day and it’s beyond my current neurological capabilities. I can tell you this though, they are the kindest, nicest and most genuine and beautiful ladies I’ve met in so, so long.

I heart them so much they make me want to move to this beautiful area of California. These women are beyond amazing. Hands down, the best part of our Napa Valley trip so far was meeting them! I miss them and it’s only been a day since they were here. (Sorry about my constant hill climbing and descending whining, I’m not always like that – only 80% of the time). My next goal is to get them to Dallas!

I’m not sure what everyone is wearing in California these days, but this is what I’m wearing. And shut it. I know my closet is a mess.