March Mustard Madness, and Segway Napa Fun!

March is always a fun month in the Napa Valley. The mustard is in full bloom, the lupin are starting to bud all over the valley. The annual Mustard Festival will soon have their marketplace- this year at the River Walk in Downtown Napa. (March 13/14)
Green emerald hills, rainbows arched over the vineyards, bright yellow patches please your eyes as you drive down the country roads. St. Patrick Day celebrations are in full swing. Check out our fun history article at http://www.smalllotsbigwine.com/virtual-tours, then click on Napa History.

The downtown merchants are getting ready for the season. Lots of sales to move merchandise as new arrivals get stacked in the back rooms. The downtown tasting rooms are gearing up as more and more tourist realize how much Napa has to offer in the way of history and wine tasting. Stop by Mason Cellars at the Oxbow for a complimentary tasting. Get a Napa Valley wine for the $20 range you won’t find that often. Unbelievable that this tasting room hasn’t truly been discovered – but now you know!

Another fun tasting room is Gustavo-Thrace. Stop by and maybe Gustavo- of Bottle Shock fame – will be in the tasting room pouring his wines. Or you can get lucky and the ever so charming Thrace will share her vast knowledge of wine and the best places in town to visit. Or - - set up a private tasting tour with Segway Napa and we’ll take you there, and throw in a little history.


Our regular Napa History tour does not include the tasting rooms, but we will show you where many of them are. What you get on our Beyond Wine Tour is a few treats that are exclusive to Napa, quirky facts about Napa that will surprise and delight you, and a fun ride as we glide through redwood lined streets of painted ladies. Oh, yes, we did have a red light district, but painted ladies refers to the glorious Victorian Mansions, many of which are now Bed and Breakfasts! You can stay in the spring for a pretty good discount and get the best breakfast Napa has to offer!

Spike is our promotional mascot. Those of you who follow me on Facebook know that Spike likes really expensive cheese that is accidentally left in the grocery bag - so now he has to work for his room and board! Here he is making sure gliders stay safe on the trails!

Below is a very short video of segwaying in Yountville - this is a family shot, our family-we don't normally allow little kids to ride with their moms - but it's cute so we thought we'd share it :)


We hope to see you soon!
Happy St. Patricks Day!
Segway Napa
http://www.segwaynapa.com/
segwaynapa@aol.com



we are now on YouTube - just do a search for segway napa

February - A Sweetheart of a Deal!

A Sweetheart of a Deal! and a Contest to boot (scroll to the end for details)
February is upon us. For Valentine’s Day and Presidents Weekend only – have we got a deal for you! Book a tour with us, and bring your sweetheart for ½ off. That’s Feb 12th -15th (If you book that weekend and we have to cancel due to rain, we will reschedule at the discounted price) For some reason, gliding on a segway is romantic. Really! Here are some pictures to prove it :

The Vineyards
It’s a new year, and another season has stated here in the Napa Valley. If you visit now, or in the next month or so, you will notice that some vines have lots of “wood” and some have been pruned to the base. The pruning needs to be completed before bud-break. The vines are dormant right now, so the rain we are currently getting will not do any harm. You will see some vineyard workers in the fields, pruning the vines. These are 92-yr old Zinfandel vines! Ever seen a grapevine wreath? This is the time to harvest that portion of the vine.
It is also Mustard Festival Time! You will see vineyards with brilliant yellow flowers. I took this picture during a storm, in a moving car, when the sun all of the sudden broke through – so it’s a little fuzzy – but gorgeous!
The mustard plant adds nutrients to the vineyard land during the dormant season. Napa Valley has a Mustard Festival – amateur and professional photographers are all over the valley trying to get that winning shot! You might see some segway photos too!
The Segways
Lots of rain in January meant few tours for Segway Napa. Spike kept a watch over the Napa River to make sure there were no floods.

In addition to rain, we even had some snow! Check out this picture – mustard blooming on the valley floor and snow on the top of Mount St. Helena!

We take this opportunity to do maintenance, take mini vacations and time to enjoy the sunsets!

We added two more segways to our fleet – yeah!! 2009 was a good year for us, 2010- should be great! Even in this rain, every week we’ve had gliders don the ponchos and head to the streets. Luckily, no one got too wet! I love this adventurous side of segway riders- why let a little rain stop you? Especially if you’re on vacation.

New Tour Coming Soon! Calistoga is jam packed with interesting history! This year we will be adding a Calistoga Historical Tour. We’re working out the kinks right now. It promises to be a fun and entertaining tour.

Our website: http://www.segwaynapa.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/profile.php?ref=name&id=1470331979
Twitter: http://twitter.com/segwaynapa
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/SegwayNapa
A Contest!! Be sure to check out our history article at http://napa.smalllotsbigwines.com/napa-history/the-zin-trial email us the correct answer and your name will be submitted into a drawing for a segway ride for two! Winner will be announced on Valentines Day!

Segway into the Season of Giving!

November left Napa with a wind storm which resulted in downed trees, power outages - and shops losing out on the big weekend after Thanksgiving spending spree. Luckily it only lasted until 4 pm. Good thing too, since the parade started at 5!

Segway Napa participated again in the Light Parade - handing out awesome savings coupons. Did you get one? It expires on December 31, 2009. We do this once a year, during the parade. If you missed out - don't worry - we have various specials going through April.

December has been chilly, getting as low as 21 degrees! Even so, we've had a lot of segway riders braving the cold to see Napa in this unique, fun way. We love our customers - you are truly adventerous!

Something that surprised me - mustard blooming in Carneros! This is the earliest I can remember it blooming! I've seen it often in late December, but not during the first week.

Are you looking for that special unique gift? Consider a Segway Napa Gift Certificate. With our 25% Christmas special (and Hanukkah :) it's a win/win.

December is a time for giving - this year we have received many requests for gift certificates for Christmas presents. Assuming the last order was also a Christmas Gift, I offered cute Christmas stickers to make it festive. The lady laughed and said that would be great, except this was a Hanukkah gift! I couldn't find any Hanukkah stickers :( but hopefully the present will be well received.

Speaking of giving- Small Lots Big Wines is holding their monthly tasting this Sunday (Dec. 13th) at the Rutherford Grange, featuring "Wines That Give Back" - it's a very cool event with some very amazing wines being poured. (like Cloud's Rest) Wineries will be taking wine orders, a portion of profits go to the charity of their choice. There will also be baked goods, art, jewelry and wine swag. And - weather permitting, free segway lessons. So, if you're in the valley and still need some gifts, stop by! 2pm - 6 pm. $15 at the door.

Contact: www.segwaynapa.com, segwaynapa@aol.com, 707-254-9773

Bring It!~ Crush is here at last . . .

Don't let this picture upset you - the grapes are getting thinned to allow for maximum sun exposure to the rest of the red grapes to bring you the very best wine Napa has to offer!

Wow, things are definitely hopping here in the valley - harvest has started - traffic is getting heavy, and the mood is happy! The wineries are the happiest - since '08 yielded so little- this year there are tons of grapes for sale on the market. I guess the vineyard owners are not too happy about that! Unfortunately, you can't please all the people all the time.

Most wineries are crushing white. Some have even started on the reds.

Segway Napa can get you up close and personal to those red grapes - if you're not afraid to get your hands dirty, that is. Our Yountville tour is probably the most popular this time of year - Harvest is a great time to be in the valley - you can actually smell the grapes fermenting as you glide along the side roads.

If you've glided with us before - be on the lookout for some mail from Segway Napa - that is if you gave us your address :)

Do you like history - Check out our history articles at http://www.smalllotsbigwines.com/ Small Lots Big Wines is your concierge to unique boutique wineries in Napa and Sonoma - they can arrange a very special day with owners and winemakers. Here is link to our September article- http://napa.smalllotsbigwines.com/napa-history/napas-white-grape-roots

Summer is coming to a close, our family discount is good until September 22nd - so if you have kids - now is the time to take advantage of our kids tour for 1/2 off. But if you miss us this year, there's always next year!

Until then, happy gliding to you all!

Segway to Summer Happiness!

mmm, summer, fresh berry pies, sun kissed cheeks, 4th of July, baseball, hot August nights, ah - segways! A new family tradition! Our Summer Family Special is a big hit with families making Napa their vacation destination - we have more kids riding segways this year then ever. Talk about making a memorable family experience! Brings back fond memories of our family vacation two years ago in San Antonio. Segwaying around the Alamo! We had a big family get together with 11 people - the youngest was 2- too young for a segway - so dad rented a bike with a trailer and came along for the fun! If you plan to visit Napa this summer, be sure to experience some of our down home events: Parades, Fairs, Farmer's Markets, Free Concerts in the Park, Town & County Fair, Movie nights outdoors in the Park, etc.




We've been keeping a close eye on the grapes - they are starting to turn a beautiful deep purple. The sparkling wine grapes will probably be picked this month. Most of harvest is Sept-Oct. We have a boutique winery that we visit during harvest that allows guests to participate - it's fun to punch down the grapes in the bins! Get your hands stained - great reminder for a few days of the fun you had!







Small Lots, Big Wines finally re launched their site. Want to go to some fantastic hidden secrets of the Napa Valley? Small Lots will point the way. I recently scheduled a tasting at Bourassa Cellars. At first I had misgivings, I mean, seriously, going to a Corporate Park? But once you're inside you're beamed into a small, intimate winery, the ambiance makes you feel very special - and the wines are amazing - I can't wait to go back!!

April/May Blog

April/May Blog











April showers bring May flowers- so the rhyme goes. In Napa, April was full of showers! May continued with rain during the first week. This is ok for the vines. Speaking of vines = we are now in what is termed Bud Break.

Various levels of budding going on around the valley. (aren't those tiny grapes just too cute! click on the picture to see a bigger view, just remember to click you back button or you'll close out the blog.)









After the mustard and fava were plowed under, beautiful lupin dotted the hills and is absolutely gorgeous! Right now the purple lupin has given way to the yellow, but I don't have a picture of that - - yet!


Our second Concierge Day was a huge success. Thank-you! to all who participated. We glided around the wetlands trail by the Napa River - learned what the bums Bivouac was, and saw the 6th largest solar panel in the US (well, it was 6th when it was built!)
Next one will be in Yountville.










May is a beautiful month to segway in Napa Valley- with all the rain we've had, our hills will stay green at least until the end of the month. Unless we get another crazy hot spell like we did in April- 103 reported in some spots of the Napa Valley.

EXTREME SEGWAY - We had our first qualifying Mount St. Helena tour. Yeah! A recently engaged couple (congrats to S & T!) braved the mountain together - and an old farmer. Ok, well, the old farmer was my dad - but you should've seen how excited he was that someone finally was going up, he's been waiting since December.



Small Lot Wine Tours, one of our sponsors, is undergoing some remodeling. They will now be called, Small Lots, Big Wines - your key to boutique wineries. Looks like a good change - they will start to offer guided tours to the boutique wineries - guess they got a lot of requests for those. Anyway, we highly recommend going to their website and signing up for their newsletter http://smalllotsbigwines.com . They have done a tremendous amount of research into the smaller wineries in the Napa Valley - in order to be on the site, the winery has to be 10,000 cases or less! Definitely worth checking out.

Another new sponsor - please welcome Shelleys-Style.com - Shelley is a local artist with many talents. She sells her tiles at Robert Mondavi Winery, and hopefully soon some other places.