Visiting Healdsburg, CA

Visiting Michelle & Tommy and grandsons Trevor & Adam and seeing their new home was the reason for our visit to Healdsburg.  The family is literally JUST getting moved into their new home so there was lots of activity!

One afternoon we were treated to a  visit at a local very famous winery, the Francis Ford Coppola Winery!  The entire region is home to many vineyards and wine-related businesses.  Indeed this one stands out from others we have  been to previously.

Michelle's neighbor and friend (on right) is an employee at the winery.  She provided a fascinating personal tour of the facility!   (Note the desk behind these ladies.) 

This Winery includes many mementos that are the property of the owner who of course is a famous screen writer, director, and producer.  This desk was an actual furnishing from "The Godfather",  a 1972 American crime film directed by Francis Ford Coppola.

Our tour included viewing the state of the art equipment for the bottling process of the wines.  

The museum at the winery was home to this vehicle, a Tucker.  Francis Ford Coppola  directed the 1988 movie, "Tucker..The Man and His Dream."

According to Wikipedia, "A Tucker 48 (named after its model year) is an automobile conceived by Preston Tucker and briefly produced in Chicago in 1948. Only 51 cars were made....The 48's original proposed price was said to be $1,000, but the actual selling price was closer to $4,000.^[3] A 1948 Tucker sedan was featured in the July 26, 2011, installment of NBC's It's Worth What? television show. The car's estimated value at that time was US$1,200,000."

Michelle checks out the actual Academy Awards (Oscars) and other memorabilia that has been won by Coppola.

Besides wine tasting, dining,  and checking out the museum, some visitors delight in the opportunity to enjoy the CA sunshine!

The grounds of the winery include  awesome stairways and gardens!

Upon heading east toward Nevada, we enjoyed boondocking in the Echo Lake  Sno Park at about 7000' elevation.  We were amazed to take a quick walk up the hill and then peer over the edge to this site...Lake Tahoe was off in the distance  about a 1000' below us!   (The lake is seen at the top of this photo just under the clouds.)