On the last day of our Napa Valley tour, we ventured to the far north end of the valley, and the historic town of Calistoga.

Calistoga is famous for its hot springs and geysers. The town was founded in 1859 by a gold-rush entrepreneur, Sam Brannan, who built a resort here to take advantage of these. The name is a combination of California and Saratoga (the famous New York state spa). Stories tell that Brannan came up with the name accidentally, after imbibing a bit much at a dinner party.

Most of our party chose to have a spa morning, trying out the famous Calistoga mud baths, and/or a more traditional massage.

Those with a bit more energy headed up to Robert Louis Stevenson state park for a hike. The author (most famous for Treasure Island), came here for one of the most unusual honeymoons ever. He and his bride found an abandoned, rundown shack at the closed Silverado Mine, and made it their honeymoon home. Wonder if she knew what she was getting into? He wrote The Silverado Squatters about their experiences here. Aside from telling of his odd honeymoon, the book is interesting in sharing its views of Napa Valley life in 1880. Even then, most of the redwood trees were already gone, and a few people were growing grapes and making wine.

We had a lovely day for the hike and a final picnic overlooking the vines. The leaves have turned more yellow in just the last few days. There was rain yesterday, and the vineyards are scrambling to get the rest of the harvest in as quickly as possible. It seems that winter is coming early this year, but for today, we can just enjoy the fall colors.