After dropping off Mama T. we were busy getting ready for our next guests to join us. Here at On Your Marc, Get Mary, Go! Excursions we aim to please even if that means swan-shaped towels on the bed and chocolate bars on the pillows! 

Erin and Zac arrived at the campsite, after a very long drive from San Francisco, hungry and ready to relax.

We enjoyed a campground gourmet dinner of Eggplant Parmesan. It was pretty tasty if I do say so myself. 

The following day we traveled to the quaint little town of Healdsburg for our food and wine pairing at the Seghesio Family Vineyards.

We partook in their Family Table Tasting which included a full tasting of a variety of their delicious wines, a wonderfully informative tour of their barrel room, and a phenomenal pairing of their best wines alongside freshly prepared food from their chef. The wines were our favorites of the trip and the food was absolutely fantastic!

Our tour guide Travis was fantastic. He answered all our questions about the winemaking process (we had quite a few) and he truly made us feel at home. 

After our tour and our tastings we enjoyed some chocolate and a competitive game of Bocce Ball in the courtyard in front of the winery. Although both couples were on their game, in the end the Beussinks prevailed!

I cannot say enough good things about our visit to Seghesio Family Vineyards. It was the perfect way to kick off our time in wine country. Nice pick Erin!

From here we wandered through downtown Healdsburg stopping for some exotic flavored cupcakes and much needed coffee. 

We found a couple eclectic antique stores where Zac and Marc both found treasures to match their tastes. 

With bellies full of chocolate and wine we decided we needed something a bit more substantial to eat. We headed over to Willi’s Seafood, one of Travis’s recommendations, for some delectable tapas.

It had been a full day in wine country so we retired to our campground to relax by the campfire. 

The next day we sampled a few more of the local wines. First stop was Iron Horse Winery where we sipped on Chardonnay and Sparkling Wines. 

From there we headed to Hartford Family Winery where we enjoyed Pinot Noirs and Zinfandels. We spent the remainder of the afternoon snacking on treats and sipping on wine in their courtyard. 

That night (after some very bean-y black bean burgers, ha ha) we enjoyed another crackling fire and the great company of friends.

During our visits to the wineries Lucy and Max got a little break of their own. They spent two days at Almost Home Doggie Daycare, which they absolutely loved! The staff there was fantastic and we highly recommend it to anyone in the area. 

In the morning we sent our friends on their way to San Francisco and plotted out our course North.

Erin and Zac, it was so nice to have you there to share in the adventure. We hope you had a fabulous time in San Francisco! You guys are awesome; we love you!

From Sonoma County we were off to see the Redwoods. We traveled along the Avenue of the Giants and saw some amazingly large, beautiful trees.

We had contemplated staying in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest for a few nights, but at this point, having been in California for a month, we thought it was time to move on to a new state.

So we stayed just one night on Shasta Lake. After a morning dip in the water we were Oregon bound!

The drive through Northern California into Oregon was beautiful. Mount Shasta, with its snowy peaks towering over 14,000 feet was something to behold. 

                                                                And finally, Oregon!!!!

We noticed something peculiar during our time in California. Everywhere we looked, all we saw were California license plates. It was as if nobody drove to California from any other state! As soon as we crossed the state line into Oregon, we saw a variety of different plates. It just reaffirms our theory that California may be to big for its own good. We do, however, have a solution in mind. Somewhere between L.A. and San Francisco a line should be drawn and voila, Northern California- the 51^st state!

Two new bumper stickers. The cooler is getting colorful!

Anyway, our next destination was Crater Lake National Park. We set up our gear and were doing some laundry when low and behold, RAIN! At this point in the trip it had not rained, not even a drop since New Mexico! It had been nearly a month and a half with not so much as a storm cloud on the horizon.

We loved it! Our tent finally got a wash and we put our vestibule (front porch) to good use.

The next day we took a short hike then toured Crater Lake.

On our hike we found snow! The roads in this area of the park had just recently been plowed. The snow banks on the side of the road were over six feet tall.

To tour Crater Lake we drove the 33 mile drive around the water and stopped at the many vistas along the way for views of the lake from every angle. Crater Lake is the deepest body of water in the U.S. and the largest clean body of water in the world.

The water is so deep blue it is almost purple. This is contrasted by steep rugged peaks of black volcanic rock jutting straight up from the lake. It was a breathtaking drive.

A view of Wizard Island

From here we head to Eugene and then on to Astoria. Goodbye for now!