Summer is coming to an end and we have a lot of big stuff happening in our fam! Notably Cam starting TK. His last day at preschool was in early August and, at the school Director’s advice, we took some time away before his first day of public school to decompress and help with the transition. (Listen, if an educational professional is recommending a family vacation – who am I to disagree?!)
We opted for a 2-part staycation; the first half at Clear Lake with friends and the second half in Sonoma with just us. Having taken all of Friday off to commute to the Lake – about a 4 hour drive – we decided to spilt up our time in the car and make a pitstop at the Oakland zoo. This is the first zoo Cam has been to and… will probably be the only one for some time. We found the experience lackluster with only a few animal sightings. The train ride we kicked things off with was fun but an additional cost to the entrance tickets so kind of annoying there.
Two highlights were a gondola ride to the top of a mountain where we had lunch with sweeping views of the Bay Area and a conservation habitarium that allowed visitors to “explore California’s diverse habitats by stepping into the work and world of conservation researchers.” Cam was pretty stoked on both of these; loving “riding the ride” (gondola) and playing with all of the hands-on things in the habitarium, particularly chilling out in a pretend kayak.
We also saw a few bears up there, which was cool but a bit depressing too… you know that sad feeling you get when you see an animal in captivity?
Having exhausted things we wanted to do, we left a little earlier than planned, figuring it was better to beat traffic to the lake anyway!
About 3 hours, one stop for gas, and a drivethru cash wash (because why not?), we arrived at our friend’s lake house. I just checked and there is a post from 2017 from our visit here – before we were even married or had kids!
This time we had a whole crew; our friend Lauren’s parents, who graciously hosted us, Lauren herself and her husband, and another bestie, Leslie, and her beau (plus 4 dogs). We had dinner on the deck and chatted into the evening on our first night there, realizing we had planned the weekend a whole SIX MONTHS in advance. The prep time needed to align calendars… whew.
Lake days typically start and end on the deck overlooking the lake and, really, how could they not? It is so pleasant out there with lounge chairs and a fire pit overlooking the water. I love hearing the sound of the waves lapping. Particularly with a cup of coffee. Which is exactly how Saturday started before we went out on the boat.
We’re fortunate that our lake visits include boat rides captained by Lauren’s dad. Cam loves this portion of the weekend (well, we all do but kids just make things extra special) and it was fun to see him adventure out more this year compared to last summer. He got in the water to swim around vs. just sitting on the back of the boat with me. Of course he was also totally in his element with 6 adults paying attention to him and asking if they should dive or canyon ball into the lake, with him counting them down each time.
We spent most of the afternoon swimming and jumping off of the boat together (others tried various water-sports like wake surfing and waterskiing too). A quintessential summer afternoon before enjoying another dinner and evening back on the deck.
After coffee and taking in the view one last time the next morning, Mike, Cam, and I drove on to the second part of our journey. We were staying about 2 hours from there at the Silverado Resort & Spa, a gorgeous property that offers decent priced rooms and villas but doesn’t lack any of the luxury, in my opinion.
Since check in wasn’t until 4pm, we hit up the Sonoma TrainTown Railway to occupy some of the afternoon. Cam loves anything with wheels so we knew this place would be a hit. The entrance is a bit uninspiring. As you walk through small doors that are basically in the parking lot, you are dropped right on the train track. We were confused if you could just get on the train or if you had to wait in line but after talking to someone who worked there, we popped right on the train and were off within 5 minutes. Which was a welcome relief to the heat.
The train looped around the park and took a break in a small “town” with a fire station, school house, etc. that you could get out and explore. We ended where we started and once you walked in the park a little more, you were greeted with a fountain, ferris wheel, and other rides that Cam had a blast riding! (I myself forgot that ferris wheels aren’t my favorite until we got to the top and stalled there, swaying in the wind… Yikes. It took effort to remain still, as not to rock our cart more, and try to concentrate on cool things for Cam to see vs. panicking hah).
After we got ice cream at a local shop, OH darling…, and then went to check-in at the resort. We got a villa suite for our 2 nights at the Silverado and I was so impressed with the layout and decor. Everything was updated and felt luxurious, plus we had 2 small patios to open the doors and let the fresh air breeze through. I would definitely stay here for an extended visit.
That night we ordered pizzas and ate them poolside, which just feels like a fully vacation-mode thing to do.
The one slight drawback to the villa we stayed in was it didn’t have a bathtub. Cam is not a fan of showers soooo… sink bath it was! He just barely fit and kept saying “this is silly, isn’t it?” (After we got back we went to see an open house – which is a fairly consistent thing to do on the weekends to keep up with what’s selling around us – and the house didn’t have a bath either… Mike and I were saying that it wouldn’t work longterm to be in a house without a bath and Cam pipes in, “well we could just take a sink bath?” So funny.)
The next morning we had an entirely free day. After a lazy morning of coffee, pastries, and Bluey in bed, we booked an hour gondola ride on the Napa river. A pretty niche thing to do but I wanted to try something new!
We arrived early but our gondolier was ready to take us out (I imagine they aren’t flooded with business on a Monday afternoon). He told us our boat was imported directly from Italy and lived on the Venetian waterways for ~20 years. I loved this fact and felt like it was more worth our money, given the authenticity.
As we swayed down the river, he sang us songs – including Part of Your World from the Little Mermaid, my favorite – and told us bitesized stories and pieces of Napa’s history. Cam was less than enthusiastic about being on the boat about 1/2 way through (person-power is slow compared to the speedboat we experienced in Clear Lake haha) but managed through the whole ride with the help of a few lollipops I had stashed as bribery.
Overall the gondola was a new experience so fun in that regard but, similar to the zoo, we aren’t racing to book another trip there. (Unless, we decided, it was with a big group and was the kick off to an evening or something – like wine and cheese aboard before a fancy dinner on the river… that is something I can get behind:)
It was time to hit up the pool again, where we spent the rest of the afternoon before taking a stroll on the golf course. Then dinner at the resort restaurant, The Grill. Sadly we don’t have rave reviews about this place – finding the service slow (with almost no one there which always feels more frustrating) and the food lacking. We wouldn’t go back, especially with so many local gems close by, but for the connivence of being steps away from our villa, it was okay. (Cam also completely lost it towards the end of the meal so extra worth it for Mike to be able to take him back and start another sink bath!)
On our final day we ventured to the spa to try Boost cafe for breakfast. The service was slow here too but that was okay. We were the only ones there and it was nice to enjoy the spa deck, dotted with olive and lemon trees, while we waited.
Of course we took one last dive in the pool before packing up. We have a joke that on our last day of vacation I am “fun mom” because I’ll jump in and get my hair wet, knowing I can go back to the room and wash it before check out. 🙂 And I will say, this last hour at the pool was the most fun! Again, we were the only ones there and Cam is just really fun to be with in the pool right now, engaging in games and being able to “swim” solo with his vest on.
Our little staycation was so relaxing and throughly enjoyed. Now school has officially started and we’re trying to get into the groove… I’m sure we’ll relax into our routine soon enough but it has felt hectic since returning! I am so glad we were able to take some time to recharge before diving into a new school.
VEG VIBES 