ucdtim17

If you make it to Punchdown, down the street is Downtown Wine Merchants, run by friends of mine http://downtownwinemerchants.com/

iceblueshoes

thanks. Will try to keep it in mind

Eastbay1K

Another great Oakland spot (but not as transit-convenient) http://ordinairewine.com/

AAMillionaire

You might have heard this, but there have been massive fires in Sanoma, Napa, and Mendocino counties. Check to be sure the places you want to see are open. I've heard that a few wineries have burned down. Very sad.

Richym99

If you are going to try to get to area 51, then I would suggest a visit to Death Valley around Furnice Creek area as well.

No doubt you are now revising your plans for staying in the wine region as well given the current conditions in the area.

AAMillionaire

Most everything is open and back to normal. Have a great time and enjoy your visit.

Eastbay1K

Most everything. The big remaining closure is that you can't get between Santa Rosa and Sonoma on Highway 12, so the Valley of the Moon ride is out. Napa Valley Highway 29 is fine (still closures north of Calistoga), I'd imagine parts of the Silverado Trail is a mess, and everything along Highway 101 (Healdsburg, Geyserville, etc.) is ok -but you still can't get between northern Sonoma Co. and northern Napa Co. (Highway 128).

A light rain (first of the season) is falling this evening. Yay.

darthbimmer

Just a thought.... The Ale'Inn is far from everything else you're looking to do and is utterly unworth visiting. It's a tiny, horribly run down tourist trap in the middle of nowhere.

iceblueshoes

So far the wineries we have in mind, seem to be fine luckily, but we are keeping an eye on it.

As for getting to LV, is leaving out of Oakville really that much better/less risky?

Looking at the flights, they're 3-4hr flights because of stopping elsewhere and not being non-stop. A few actually stop in SFO, so wouldn't that defeat the purpose of leaving from SFO?

Is it really THAT risky to fly out of SFO?

Sorry, for got to add, is Sacramento an option instead of SFO?

dhuey

OAK is less risky than SFO when there are weather-related flight delays, but I think the risk you'll face problems at SFO is tolerable. Sacramento (SMF) is definitely worth considering if you're going straight there from wine country. It's a slightly faster drive than going to OAK or SFO.

iceblueshoes

Thanks.
I'll look into the flights then, but we need to drop off the car again in SF, so I was planning on staying near airport to make it easier to get there in the morning the next day. Something to consider I suppose.

dhuey

Couldn't you do a one-way car rental from SF to the Sacramento airport?

darthbimmer

It took me a few minutes to figure out what you meant by "leaving out of Oakville." You meant Oakland, of course. Oakville is a small region in Napa Valley wine country, which we were also discussing in this thread.

As far as Oakland Airport (OAK) if you're seeing nothing but connecting flights OAK-XXX-LAS you're probably only looking at the legacy airlines such as United and American. You need to consider Southwest for this trip, which may mean having to go directly to their website. They fly nonstop OAK/LAS (and SMF/LAS) several times per day.

And as for the rental car... as dhuey noted, definitely look at the costs of doing a one-way rental picking up at SFO and dropping off at OAK or SMF. You may well find minimal price increase over an SFO roundtrip.

iceblueshoes

Hehe, sorry.
There's a city near us here in Toronto called Oakville, so I think that's why I keep calling it that. I do mean Oakland though.

I can't really do a 1 way since the person I'm travelling with needs to be dropped off in SF since he's taking the train north to Portland and I need to drop him off due to his baggage. As easy as it would be to leave it in Sacramento, I can't really ditch him. lol

The plan has always more or less been to return the car back to SF and not really considered doing a 1 way rental. Well, not 1 way since finding out that driving to LV over Yosemite isn't really a good idea in Jan..., hence the change of plans.

How is Southwest? I hadn't look at them to be honest.

dhuey

It's a bus in the sky. Open seating with boarding based mostly on when you check in for the flight. If you check in very close to 24 hours out, you'll get a window or aisle seat. No food service -- just snacks and drinks. Up to two checked bags for free, and no change fees (though the flight you switch to might be costlier). Friendly flight attendants.

With its frequent service from OAK-LAS, Southwest is probably your best choice. If you're already in S.F., though, for your drop-off, you might also choose United or Virgin America from SFO. Definitely get a nonstop.