Haven’t we all read the Peanuts books or watched the television specials that showed Snoopy fearlessly flying across the fields into enemy territory? I for one recall sitting in my bunk bed when my grandmother would babysit, and pretend I was Snoopy chasing the Red Baron across France. Ra-ta-ta-ta-tat!

Last spring I got to live out my fantasy and ride in a red open cockpit bi-plane. Vintage Aircraft Company has been around for ages. If you drive to the wine country on a regular basis, you will recognize them because their sign and location is on Highway 121 just before the final turn towards Napa Valley.

They have several different vintage planes including a World War II Warbird. My choice was definitely one of their Boeing PT-17 Stearmans, and on the day I went up they had a bright and shiny red one ready for me! It can accommodate two passengers but I wasn’t about to share this ride, so I had a great time sliding about the 32″ seat.

When we got there I learned they offered aerobatics for an additional fee of $50 on any of the planes including my open cockpit bi-plane. Of course I said yes to that and I think they gave me a “famous Cuban Eight” but I couldn’t tell you because unlike regular planes, you don’t get a headset with a mike connected to the pilot. It is a bit like water skiing, just tap your head to ask them to slow down or give the slashing across the neck if you are done.

My 20 minute tour over the beautiful Sonoma Valley was the best. After I stopped thinking about the reality of my possible death, I loved soaring just a few hundred feet above the fields and vineyards.

If you want more they also offer 40 minute flights:

The Wine Country tour: Catch an Eagle’s View of the world renowned vineyards of the Sonoma and
Napa Valleys, heading east across the bucolic Carneros region to Napa, Turn north to St. Helena, West
to glen Ellen then back south through the lush Sonoma Valley. Grapes galore.

West to the Pacific: Aviate over rolling hills and open pastures of Sonoma, Novato and Petaluma;
then head out to Tomales Bay and absorb the Majestic magnificence of the Pacific Ocean.

Spires of “The City”: Drift south toward San Francisco. A panoramic outlook of the Sausalito and
Tiburon Harbors: outlying views of the Golden Gate Bridge and the Marin Headlands,
then circle Mt. Tamalpais en route to Point Reyes and your safe Sonoma return.

And this adventure is also available for kids too. They can accommodate a child about 40 inches tall with their booster cushion, though all kids under 10 years must fly with an adult.

When your ride is over there are lots of great Sonoma Valley restaurants nearby or drive a little further into Napa Valley for world class restaurants or maybe just a slice of pie at Cindy’s Backstreet Kitchen.

Here is me "Amelia Snoopy Earhart" in my shiny Boeing PT-17 Stearman

There’s some spas in Napa which take pleasure in treating guests like pigs. Yep, that’s right – you’ll end up wallowing in mud up to your neck. This would be the mud spas in Calistoga, where a mix of volcanic ash, essential oils and water from the region’s mineral hot springs are used to offer a body and skin treatment which, believe it or not, is actually cleansing and relaxing.

Before we get to the spas offering this treatment, here’s a bit of background about why these mud spas are centered around Calistoga. For that, we need to go back 148 years to 1860, when a bright spark called Samuel Brannan had the idea to mix some volcanic ash from Mount St. Helena with the plentiful mineral water from the hot springs in the area  and offer spa treatments at his’Calistoga Hot Springs Resort. The mud bath thing kinda caught on, and now Calistoga is ground zero for mud baths, with a string of resorts and spas offering said treatment. For the record, Samuel Brannan was Calistoga’s founder, and a cottage built by him – The Brannan Cottage Inn – is now a Bed and Breakfast.

The spas offering mud baths in Calistoga include the Calistoga Village Inn & Spa, Golden Haven Hot Springs Spa & Resort, Solage, Oasis Spa, Indian Springs Spa and the Lincoln Avenue Spa.

Of course, spa treatments are not just about minerals and massages, so it helps that Napa Valley in general, and Calistoga in particular, offers a splendid vista and a beautiful landscape for a romantic holiday or getaway. Poking around the wineries and the historical landmarks, with some relaxing downtime at the spa in between, is what really makes these Napa vacations really memorable. And you get to fool around in the mud without anyone telling you to get out of there at once!

Photo copyrights – Golden Haven Spa

Napa Valley Mustard Fields

February 2008