Thanksgiving in the valley.
After two crazy weekends in Vegas and San Francisco, there is no better wind down than the short trip north to the Napa valley.
Known as 'wine country' for obvious reasons, there are acres of countryside and vineyards. The temperature had dropped significantly since my previous visit in August. It was in fact a stark reminder of weather I will be facing when I go back home to England.
I experienced my first road accident on my way to Napa. Some idiot decided it would be a good idea to pull out in front of me and despite my best efforts to avoid him, my jeep ploughed through his car. Fortunately there were no injuries, the damage to the jeep was minor and as it was the other guys fault, I won't be paying a penny towards it.
After the journey from hell, I arrived at my Friend Ryan's place who kindly put me up for a couple of nights. We went through the procedures of reporting the damage to the vehicle and then went out for dinner at Gotts which is a famous gourmet burger place in the area.
The following day, Ryan invited me to visit the Larkmead winery where he works. He took me on a guided tour of the Vineyards and showed me the procedures of making the wine. We also had the opportunity to do a little tasting (I can see why Ryan enjoys working there!)
Later that evening we paid his local Mexican place a visit. Apparently it's a very popular tradition to eat Mexican the night before thanksgiving. Probably due to the fact that turkey is on the menu for the next few days.
That brings me to the main event. Thanksgiving saw one final 'team old' reunion as my friend Jill kindly asked me to join her family and friends. In total there were 28 people sat around the table. The atmosphere was great, it felt like Christmas day minus the crackers and party hats.
The turkey was deep fried (only in America!) which made it extra tasty. The meal really was a feast.
I still have very little understanding of the meaning of thanksgiving, however the Andres family truly made me feel welcome as we drank and partied till the early hours.
Once again a day to remember on this epic journey which will soon come to an end.