THE ROADS LESS TRAVELED Wine Country Road Rally takes drivers deep into the heart of Northern California JESS LANDER When I arrived at the 8:15 AM driver’s meeting for Day 2 of the second-annual Napa Valley 750, the first Wine Country Road Rally hosted by St. Helena’s Harvest Inn, hotel principal owner and rally founder Rick Kaufman was already smoking his first cigar of the day. I bee-lined for the coffee station, dressed in multiple layers in anticipation of an April day where temperatures were set to rise into the mid-70s and was relieved to see a group of women taking Dramamine ahead of the day’s drive. We were set to cover roughly 180 miles through Napa, Yolo, and Lake counties. Knowing that there were some particularly windy roads on this route, I had made a point to pick up the anti-nausea meds the day before. I was glad to know that even those who do these types of events every year still needed a little help. While directional and safety guidance was given at the driver’s meeting, it was mostly lighthearted and full of wisecracks. For example, Kaufman reiterated that the drivers should 40 | INSIDE NAPA VALLEY
Author Jess Lander on the road. Jess Lander Allan Rosenberg
SPRING/SUMMER 2021
