Arriving at Dulles airport at just after 6am to catch our flight.
We prefer flying direct, and BWI had no direct flights.
So we hopped on the plane from IAD to SFO.
The SFO Airport.
We landed and had some time to kill before we were going to meet with the group, so we had a beer.
We met up with the group outside…
And we all headed over to the chartered bus.
And let the real fun begin!!
There was beer on the bus…
And we made sure to get ours.
Time to resupply.
Nothing like beer to make a long drive better.
We made new friends along the way.
Leaving San Francisco, and we went by Alcatraz…
And across the Golden Gate Bridge.
A few hours later we arrived in Petaluma…
The home of Lagunitas Brewing Company.
There was food for us in the Laguminiamphitheaterette (yes, that is the name).
It was a good spread…
And Kel and I enjoyed our plates.
Lagunitas runs a 24×7 operation, and that is very large.
Leaving the brewery it was time to head to the campground.
Of course, there was more beer to be enjoyed on the ride.
Kel took a little nap while I continued to drink.
Arriving at the Willits KOA campground and we got our wristband…
And had to sign a waiver.
Bernie was there to greet us…
And he took us to our tent for the weekend.
Lots of treats for us, including some homemade cookies!!!
Looks like we are in for a wild weekend.
Here is the schedule for the weekend.
Seeing it was dinner time, we headed to the red barn. There was beer to be had everywhere.
Live music could always be heard somewhere.
The eating area was really nice…
And it was a great night out for star gazing.
It had been a long day, so Kel and I had one last beer before calling it a night.
The next morning it was Skunk Train time.
The band was already playing as the train rolled into the campground.
There was only one roofless car, and it filled up fast.
It was a lot of fun riding in an open train.
The scenery was great.
We decided to enjoy the second half of the ride sitting inside.
Almost 2 hours later we arrived at our destination in Northspur (the train only traveled at about 13Mph/20Kph).
The stop was in the middle of a great redwood forest.
Again, there was plenty of food.
Northspur was a quaint little daytime destination.
We roamed around and had a look at the area.
It seemed the area could hold a lot more people than the size of our group.
Find Kelli.
A different band, The Highway Poets, were playing when we arrived.
They were a really fun bluegrass band.
There was a very steep hill on the other side of the train tracks and Kel, Bernie, and I decided to climb up.
The view from the top.
Some of the trees were scorched from a fire, and Kel is showing her dirty hands.
Group shot before heading down. (also the last shot of my sunglasses before I lost them 15 minutes later)
This is where I think I lost my sunglasses. I was skipping stones with everyone, and I think they fell in the water.
The time had come to head back to the campground.
A little reading for you about the Skunk Train.
The band that played on the way out, played on the way back, too.
We stood outside for a little longer on the way back.
When we got back to the campground there were plenty of activities to enjoy.
Beer drinking (of course that activity was always happening).
Volleyball.
Disk Golf.
I walked to the camp store to see what they had for sale, and was not impressed with their beer selection (I’m guessing the Lagunitas was only in there for the event).
Kel wanted to take a nap…
So I went to get more beer, but I noticed the decal on the truck was wrong.
On this side the writing is correct…
On this side it’s backwards. I have no idea why.
Dinner was almost ready…
Corn in a keg.
Some beef.
Chili.
As I headed back to the main area, lots of other campers were heading in for dinner.
I saw this little camper on my way back.
It’s a very cozy little trailer.
With some storage in the back.
Most of us, however, were camping in the tents.
There were a few cabins, too. Not sure how it was decided who was in the cabins and who was in the tents.
The band was playing a little pickup session.
So I stayed for a little while to listen.
Sold in the camp store, these Mystical Fire packets were in high demand.
This is what they did to the fire (notice the colors on the right).
This night was more of a quiet evening of just sitting around the campfire.
Kel was happy to be next to the warmth of the fire.
Although this was a fire of a different sort.
At around 11pm we ducked into our tent for the night.
The next morning it was time to say goodbye to the KOA.
We arrived back at the brewery, and I used the WiFi and NFL Sunday Ticket to watch the Ravens game at the bar.
But we are asked to join an expedition to Point Reyes, so we decided to join the adventure.
It was a rag-tag group of us that enjoyed the rest of the day together.
We started walking around the downtown area of Point Reyes.
Small and touristy…
But a very enjoyable time.
This bar happened to have Lagunitas on tap…
So we all enjoyed a round together.
From there it was up the coast to Nick’s Cove for lunch.
They, too, had Lagunitas on tap.
The menu for lunch, if you’re interested.
The food was really good, and I would recommend going.
We checked out the pier behind the restaurant…
Before heading back to Lagunitas Brewery.
We walked from our hotel…
To Lagunitas Brewing Company.
The brewery was empty, as it was closing time…
But we got behind-the-scenes access to the store.
So many things I’d like to buy…
But not enough luggage to bring it all home.
We were then given access to the brewery.
There was grain milling going on at the time.
We were allowed the special treat of going into the loft you see upstairs in the background.
This is a very cool area above the brewery. You may have seen it in this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NOBhmRHPUA
Of course, it was time for more beer.
Kel enjoyed relaxing while taking in the sights.
I took a few pictures of items of interest in the loft.
Lots of cool stickers on the fridge. I should have brought an IndependentBeers.com sticker.
An odd bar stool.
Me behind the bar with Bernie.
Lagunitas is very large, and it seems they can’t make enough beer.
From the brewery we headed across town…
To the casino…
For more drinks before calling it a night.
The next morning we got back on the bus and headed to SFO.
Our trip had come to an end, but we’re very thankful for Victoria Gastro Pub, and Lagunitas for hosting us. Fun times!!!!