Jelly Belly and Napa Valley

Last morning hurrah before leaving Modesto. Shannon fixed pancakes. Gina got fresh strawberries and scrambled some eggs. And we all ate breakfast before school together. The Bowmans sent us off with several treasures tucked away in various parts of our RV. More blessings!

We drove about 1 and 1/2 hours a little past The Delta, to The Jelly Belly Factory in Fairfield. We took a tour up above the plant, walking and looking through large glass windows at the machines and workers below. Periodically we watched a short video of the process of what was happening, then got a sample jelly bean. Annie wrote down all the flavors we tried: grape crush, red apple, & island punch. Black licorice, buttered popcorn, & very cherry are the top 3 sellers. We couldn't take pictures, so here we are in the store afterwards and outside.

so many possibilities

We continued on through Napa Valley to Calistoga. Shannon and Riley have hunted geese in Sawyer with Kim Suenram, so we stopped at his place to say hello. He offered for us to stay in his pasture, gave us some short history of the area, and recommended a few sights to see. We got into the van to explore! Unfortunately, the Bale Grist Mill was closed. We did spend an hour or so meandering through the grounds of a castle winery. An impressive structure!

castello drive entrance

back down the drive

Tours inside Castello di Amorosa were available, but we opted to enjoy the outside views. Riley enjoyed the castle chickens, peacocks, turkeys, and baby emus. 
Napa Valley, a beautiful, but crowded place. And rather tight & hilly for a long motor home.