A day trip up to Sonoma/Napa

A couple of Fridays ago, after the huge fires died down, we went up to Sonoma and Napa for the day. The area depends on tourism so we thought we'd do our part. Here is what we saw.

We first drove up to Sonoma. We passed by Sonoma Raceway. 60% of the hill overlooking the racetrack was charred black.

We went to Ceja Winery near Fremont Diner. It was the first day the tasting room opened since the fire. We were the only ones there for a long time, until a couple from Charleston, South Carolina, showed up. Here are a few unused livery cars parked outside.

We then went to St. Helena for lunch. The restaurant is usually pretty busy, but we had no problem getting a table. The staff frankly looked shellshocked. The menu was very limited, but we had a good time.

Then, it was a stroll through town. I saw this BMW Z8 in a bank parking lot. I wonder if it belongs to a good customer who needed a safe place to protect his prized possession from the fire.

And I believe that's a Honda Clarity, the fuel cell-powered sedan. It looked fugly.

We then drove up to Calistoga. The town was evacuated but the firefighters were able to save it. It's my favorite place up there. I couldn't get a mud bath at Indian Springs that day because the male section of the spa was closed for planned renovations.

And here's the drive down Silverado Trail. The fire reached the edge of the road and many buildings and vineyards were saved. The firefighters did an incredible job.