San Francisco, Napa Valley, and in between

On my second day up north Mom and I ventured out of the city and up to the Napa Valley so I could spend a bit of time visiting with my in-laws.  It was a beautiful day a gorgeous drive. As we left the city the thick San Francisco fog was just starting to break.

 Toll Plaza Clock, Northbound on the Golden Gate Bridge

As we drove across the bridge I opened the sunroof of the car and starting clicking away, watching the towers of the bridge whiz by above the car.

Just east of Sonoma we decided it was time for a bit of breakfast.  We saw this little place along the side of the road and flipped a u-turn to go back and check it out.  The Fremont Diner was a great find!

 An old International Pickup that sits out front of the Fremont Diner

The fields around the diner were planted with rows and rows of grapevines and the area between each row was overflowing with mustard.

Most of the fields were full of flowering mustard but along the Yountville Crossroad in the Napa Valley we came upon a field full of beautiful orange flowers.

After a good visit with my husband's family my mom and I headed back toward San Francisco.  We made a last minute decision to stop in the Marin Headlands to take in the nighttime view of the city and the Golden Gate Bride.  Absolutely spectacular!

The north tower of the Golden Gate Bridge with San Francisco and the Bay Bridge in the background

We were up on the hill shooting the city for quite awhile before I remembered one of my Christmas presents that happened to be in my camera bag - my star filter!  I really love the shots where I used the filter, the next one is my favorite from the evening!

Eventually we decided to pack up our gear and head back to our hotel, hungry and tired, but happy about another fantastic day in Northern California!