Balloon Napa Valley

Napa Valley's Best expands, offering many vehicles to see valley up close

“The best way to explore wine country: Cycle along scenic vineyards, sip amazing wines, enjoy a gourmet picnic lunch and learn about winemaking.”

So reads the website of Randy Johnson’s enterprise, Getaway Adventures, now located in a new Post Street office in Napa near Silverado Trail.

Closer inspection reveals that this expanding company, now celebrating its 20th year under the same ownership, offers much more than cycling tours.

Johnson is forming a consortium of similar outdoor companies to provide a single-access center for both tourists and locals. Napa Valley’s Best will help arrange balloon rides, biking (including electric bikes), hiking, walking tours, limousine and van tours, ziplines, kayaking, biplane rides and, beginning next month, Segway rentals.

“I started the company by accident, no pun intended,” Johnson said. “I was a passionate ski bum who shredded my ligaments on the Tahoe slopes when I was 26. I had my ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) removed and my hamstring was rerouted to replace it. During my convalescence, the doctor advised swimming or cycling to build up the knee muscles. My aunt had a pool at her St. Helena home, so I tried swimming first. Laps quickly became too boring for me. Instead I began cycling all over the valley.”

Exposure to wine country brought him into contact with many wineries, expanding his knowledge of the grape.

Matters might have ended there but for a visit in September 1990 by his uncle, a wine buyer who normally drove around the area. Johnson suggested a bike tour instead and his uncle was hooked.

He spread the word when he returned to Southern California and soon he was referring his friends.

“At first, I was happy to entertain my uncle’s friends until one day one of them called me with an urgent request: His boss was in town and he wanted to impress him by taking him on this wine tour he’d heard so much about. I had taken up skiing again by this time and had a big trip planned for that weekend, but this guy practically pleaded with me, saying how much he needed to make an impact, and finally he offered to pay me. I saw the possibilities of making money doing what I loved, so I began picking up bikes and business grew from there.”

With the help of his wife and brother, Johnson rented a place in Calistoga, bought new bikes, and began his business in 1991.

“Those early days were all bike tours,” he said, “either around the wineries or providing van trips up Mount St.

Enjoy your Napa valley trip with Wine Country tours

Located approximately 50 miles north of San Francisco , Napa Valley is home to numerous world class wineries. Tourists galore keep coming here unceasingly to explore the area, halting at all the wayside wineries and sampling rare and vintage wine in various tasting rooms. But you should opt for the guided tours of the Napa Valley wine country so as not to miss all the picturesque sites and also the less prominent wineries often missed by the general tourists.

Exploring the Napa Valley Wine Country can be educative, entertaining and adventurous – even if you are not a connoisseur of wines. To heighten your excitement, you can go though the Napa wineries using different modes – bike, car, train, bus, limo, balloon, boat, motor cycle, horseback etc.

One of the most comfortable methods of visiting the Napa Valley wineries is by engaging a car and self-driving with the aid of a few wine country brochures and guide books. You can even opt for jeep tours that will take you through the vineyards and not just the tasting rooms. These tours are ideal if you wish to learn more about the vineyards and the process of wine making.

The Napa wine tour by train offers a memorable travel experience to several well known wineries. You can choose from a plethora of excursion options along with specific winery tour packages. There are holiday and themed Wine Train specials available throughout the year and you can check up to find updated information about the forthcoming Wine Train programs.

Opting for the wine country shuttle tours by bus will mean you can be care-free and concentrate on the wineries as there will be a designated driver and a well-conceived wine country itinerary already in place. These shuttle bus trips stop at the major Napa Valley Wineries and include a picnic lunch and invariably end with an exciting ferry ride back to San Francisco .

There are plenty of luxury tour options if you wish to avail the classic limo service. This is an excellent method if you are looking to explore the California wine country scene without having to worry about driving after tasting or wasting time sorting out winery directions or getting caught in tourist traps. This is an ideal option if you just want to concentrate on the featured wines.

If you have enough time to leisurely go around and wish to get close and personal with the best of the Napa Valley wineries, the right thing would be to choose from the many cycling vacation packages. The popular Napa valley bike tours can offer you unlimited fun and excitement as you pedal through the wine country’s most quaint side roads and alleys. Please know that bicycle tours offers wine country 4-day and wine country 6-day itineraries with many attractive add-ons.

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