Our first stop was Calistoga, which boasts "The Old Faithful of California" -- a geyser that shoots up every 10 minutes or so. Fiona was fascinated by the geyser, but perhaps more fascinated by other attractions at the geyser site, like....
...fainting goats! (While we didn't actually see these goats faint, apparently they will do so in the presence of predators. Supposedly the predators assume they're already dead and leave them alone, although that doesn't seem entirely logical to me).
...llamas!
...and a bamboo maze that our intrepid explorer led us through.
We stayed in the town of Santa Rosa, where Fiona was relieved to see that she was welcome to hang out on a bench outside the coffee shop (having left her cigarettes, pets, and glass elsewhere).
Santa Rosa was the longtime home of Charles Shultz, of Peanuts fame, and is thus filled with Peanuts tributes. Amazing how appealing Snoopy is, even to a child who has no idea who he is!
Our last stop of the day was an inviting park in downtown Santa Rosa. Fiona has recently discovered dandelions, but hasn't quite figured out that blowing them requires some distance between ones lips and the weed itself....
...so she often finishes dandelion encounters looking like this:
We played in the park's playground, which boasted a nifty camel sculpture.
And then it was back to the hotel, at the close of a busy day. More to follow!
