The Blue Boar Inn, Alcester England

Last week I traveled to Stratford-Upon-Avon while touring England. Not knowing the area I took a chance on finding a place to stay. Looking back at my stay I don't think I could have found a better place.

Parts of the Blue Boar Inn date back to the 1600's. It has been an ale house since then. You can sit in the bar area or outside. In the winter you can enjoy a cozy fire inside. When I first got there I had a couple pints and got to know the locals.

For food they have a very nice restaurant. The dinner menu is great and a full English breakfast is included. My breakfast was more than enough to get me through the morning.

For a place as old as it is the rooms are huge. I had a suite with a queen size bed in one room and 3 twin beds in the other.

I loved the staff. Not only are they friendly but they also offered great advice on exploring the area.

It is out in the country but that made it even better. Away from the town that was crowded with tourists it was a relaxing place to stay.

The location is about 6 miles from Stratford-Upon-Avon. If you have a car you can park all day at the train station in town for about 4 pounds and walk into the center of town.

If you are in the area I highly recommend staying there.

Yosemite Valley Loop Trail

If you are looking for a nice hike that isn't strenuous I would suggest the Valley Loop Trail in Yosemite Valley. The trail hugs the edge of the valley will take you by Mirror Lake, Yosemite Falls and El Capitan. If you do the full loop it is about 11.5 miles. The good thing is if you want to stop at any time you are close to a bus stop and you can return any time. On this hike we had 2 small children so we ended up hiking about 8 miles total. We left the trail between Yosemite Falls and El Capitan and traversed a meadow to cross the swinging bridge to get back to our campsite. The meadow is beautiful and  is now one of my favorite sites as seen in the picture above.

One other benefit is there are places along the way like Yosemite Lodge and Half Dome Village where you can take a break.

This is a great year to go to Yosemite

I just got back from a camping trip to Yosemite Valley. If you have ever thought of going this is the year. In a normal year the falls start to dry up during the summer and by late summer they are very dry. This year the falls are in full glory. A good sign is that Tioga Pass is still closed due to too much snow. What that means is the falls should be roaring all throughout the summer. I saw waterfalls in places that normally don't exist. My son hiked up the Mist Trail to Vernal Falls and came back soaked.

Even though it is late June you still have time to book a Yosemite vacation.

What a Ski Season

This week I went skiing at Squaw Valley. For the end of May I couldn't have picked a better day. Over the weekend the Sierra received a dusting of new powder and Monday was clear. The day started with about 6 inches of new powder that was a little crusty but with a clear sky it soften up early. A little later in the morning clouds rolled in which kept the conditions from getting flushy.

All in all it was a great day. This is the last week Squaw Valley is open all week and starting next week they will only be open Friday thru Sunday. Hours are 8 am to 2 pm. When the temps get back to normal you wouldn't want to ski past 2 pm anyway.

It's unusual to get storms this late. We are expecting more snow over the Memorial Day weekend. If all goes well I'll be up there again in June.

The views from the top are awesome. In the background is Lake Tahoe.

Oenotri Italian Restaurant, Napa

@Oenotri is an Italian restaurant located on First Street in downtown Napa. The food is Southern Italian style and is Michelin rated. We were lucky enough to eat there Saturday night with our son and cousins that live in the area.

The menu is seasonal and changes quite often with an incredible variety from pasta to dishes like Steelhead Trout. The appetizers were awesome which we ordered a variety to share between the five of us. I had the port loin which melted in my mouth. We later ordered a variety of desserts to share and my son and I had grappa in which we had a lot to choose from. Since it is Napa you also get a great wine list to choose from.

The staff have been there for a long time and the service was great. Our waiter was there when we needed him and stayed away enough so that we could socialize.

I would highly recommend @Oenotri for a dining experience in downtown Napa for the food, service and experience. It doesn't seem as touristy as some of the other restaurants and is located on the far end of First Street from the river. You can choose to dine inside or out.

Springtime in the Sierra Foothill Wineries

What a beautiful time of the year. This weekend we are looking at temps around 80 degrees. This is a perfect time to go up to the Sierra Foothill Wineries. From Sacramento you can get there in about one hour. Many wineries have special events going on. Check out this site for upcoming events.

https://amadorwine.com/events-4/

Amador isn't the only area to visit. Check out El Dorado County and Placer County for events in their areas.

Most wineries offer free tasting and don't limit the selection.

Mobile Passport

Having just got back from an international trip I was reminded that I need to say something about an app offered by the US Government that will make entry into the US a lot easier.

Mobile Passport is an application that you can download onto a mobile device that lets you enter the same information that you would have to do on a declaration worksheet or kiosk before entering the US. It is easy to download and use. The first time you use it it will ask for a passport number, name, etc. After the first time you don't have to enter it again. You also take a picture of yourself that is attached to your data. After the first time all you have to enter is the normal questions asked on the declaration sheet.

Once you are able to turn off airplane mode and access the internet you submit your declaration. Now for the good part. When you enter the immigration area there will be special lines for Mobile Passport users. On this trip entering in SFO there was no line for me where the normal line was backed up. I breezed through and was on my way to the baggage area.

The app is free and will save you a lot of time.