Travel With Betsy

Ahh……the Smell of a New Car……

….well… almost 9 years, 150,000 miles and a few dents and dings later (for both of us), I am parting ways with my Honda Civic Hybrid. I can’t believe it. We have been together a long time and have been through a lot since coming to California.   It’s been a good run…….But….it’s time…..

It’s been….well….about 9 years….since I have searched for a new car…..or, frankly, even thought about a new car. I had to jump start my brain a little bit to remember how to sort through the myriad of options to find the best selection for me from the multitude of cars that are on the market.  I read all of the reviews….Consumer Reports, Edumunds, Kelly Blue Book, J. D Power….on and on it went.  I had forgotten how maddening….and exhilarating….the whole process could be!  Whew! But, finally, I landed on a Subaru Forester.

It had everything I wanted….the perfect seating position with lumbar support, extra space to carry things, all the bells and whistles, and a seat height that is even with my butt when I am entering the car….no more crouching to get in…..just an easy slide……..Great!

I was ready to make a change in cars, but I have to say that it’s been a bit of an emotional ride. The Honda is the first thing of substance…..after the house, of course…..that I purchased here in California. It has been part of my support system here….a friend of sorts.  The thought of parting with it brought tears to my eyes. And, yesterday after I took it in for it’s last service, I almost wept.   My grief over selling the Honda was compounded by the weight of the very challenging decision about what kind of car “fits” my lifestyle now, the outlay of money for such car, and some unnecessary sarcasm from a friend about my choice. The whole thing left me with a rather poignant and stressful week that ended in a bout of “Buyers’ Remorse”…. the likes of which I have never seen.

I wanted to love this car!  I needed to take action! So, I decided that I would take the car on a ”Road Trip”! Perfect! A little “bonding” is what I need! What better way to put the Forester to the test and get to know it’s many attributes?!

This afternoon, I “bonded” with my Forester on my trek to Los Gatos, deep in the heart of the Santa Cruz Mountains. I only have one full day here, but I plan to make the most of it!

I decided to stay at The Los Gatos Hotel.

It’s an old historic hotel close to the center of town. I visited the hotel just to look around when I first came to California. Ever since then, I have wanted to stay here. However, now that my dream has been realized, I’m not sure what the attraction was. I’ll just say that it has “Old World” charm. It’s a little dated and could use a little buffing up. But, it will suffice for my short jaunt. And, the staff members I have met so far have been very nice and helpful.

I have also wanted to explore the wine region here, which is known for yummy Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. This will be part of my “bonding” exercise.  I have already been to visit Testarossa.

They had some excellent Pinot Noirs, my favorites coming from Doctor’s Vineyard in the Santa Lucia Highlands and the Sierra Madre in the Santa Maria Valley.

This place has a great story! It was started in the late 1800s by a group of Jesuit brothers and fathers from Santa Clara College. They planted the vineyards, tended them and did all of the winemaking and sales. There were some great vintage pictures of the brothers on the walls of the long hallway leading to the tasting room.  Over the years, the operation was sold and the vineyards went into disrepair despite the best efforts of the new owners to keep it up. So, there are no longer grapes growing in the old vineyards. Now, the grapes are purchased from all over the area and are made into some very fine wines. Biz, the tasting room attendant, told me that some of the aging Jesuits who worked in the winery still live on site and come to the tasting room periodically. Some of them are 100 years old. I’ll bet they have some interesting stories to tell!

I finished my day with dinner at “Nick’s Next Door”, a recommendation from the people at Testarossa. It was a great choice out of the many good restaurants here.

The friendly staff helped me to craft a plan for my day tomorrow.  I am going to the Summit area, where there are several wineries with outstanding views and tasty wine.  Tomorrow is supposed to be a clear day.  So, it should be perfect for viewing the surrounding area.

I also spent a little bit of time walking around in the downtown area to walk off my dinner. The town reminds me a lot of San Luis Obispo, only bigger. There are lots of quaint shops mixed in with some newer stores…and lots of restaurants. It’s cute!

It was a great day! I’m feeling happy, and the “Buyer’s Remorse” is gone! After my 3-hour ride to get here, I realize that the Forester is everything I want it to be and more. And, how could one not love the “new car smell”?!

The road trip was a great idea! But, now I have something else to think about.  How will my new car fare for the night in the underground garage at the hotel? I hope it will be there in the morning….just where I left it….and that it is ding free when I retrieve it.

Parking is a little  tight in the underground garage……

The first ding is always the worst…….

This entry was posted on March 31, 2017 at 5:55 am and is filed under North America, Solo Travel for Women, Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.