California Adventure: Days 5, 6, and half of 7

This was the actual purpose of our trip to California. I was attending a conference at the Silverado Resort in Napa Valley. Funny, when they took a vote at the conference last year (in Florida) to select the location for 2011, I voted for Santa Fe, along with three other people, and the remaining 146 or so attendees all voted for Napa Valley. Had I known at the time how close San Francisco and Napa Valley were to each other, I definitely would have voted for Napa, too. This was definitely the best work trip I've ever been on!The conference ran from a reception on Tuesday night til noon on Friday. Chad puttered around the grounds, used the pool and the running paths, slept in, explored some of the surrounding countryside by car, and otherwise fit in a little well-deserved R&R. I spent my days attending the conference but we had a few hours each night to spend as we pleased. Truth be told... Napa was my least favourite part of the trip. I don't drink wine, I'm not interested in visiting wineries, etc. The countryside was very pretty - we rented some bikes and rode up and down the valley one evening - but I much preferred our time in San Francisco and Marin County.One thing that Napa did have going for it was the FOOD! There are no plain-Jane restaurants in Napa. Everything is upscale, run by proper chefs, and delicious. I think we ate our way through Napa Valley. We found a great BBQ place in Napa itself, called Bounty Hunter - we both loved that. I also made advance reservations for a place called Mustard's that was wonderful. There is a culinary school in Napa and I suppose it's just a natural pairing with the wine. So yes, the highlight of Napa for me was the food.That, and the outlet mall. Gap dresses for Mallory for $4? Come ON!We had one last 12-hour stint to spend as we pleased in California after the conference ended. That's coming up next.

(And in case you're wondering... Liam is very pleased with the outcome of the hockey game last night. He has said all along that he wants Vancouver to win in Vancouver. I think he would have been a little disappointed to see the series end with Game 6.)