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In September, my brother was married in Plymouth, CA. My husband and my parents decided to make the most of our travels. We enjoyed the energetic city of San Francisco, the natural beauty of freshwater Lake Tahoe and the tastes of harvest season in Napa Valley.

We started off in San Francisco.

Since we had been to the city before, we did more unusual excursions. Our first stop was the nearby redwood forest of Muir Woods. Muir Woods is a National Monument that protects 559 acres of Redwood trees with the tallest tree standing 258 feet tall.

The deer in the woods were very close and didn’t seem to mind people being around them at all.

Back in the city, I loved exploring the streets to see the beautiful homes adorned with iron gates.

One of the best things about San Francisco: Kara’s Cupcakes. I consider myself to be somewhat of a cupcake connoisseur! Living in Manhattan and D.C. has given me the opportunity to seek out the very best cupcakes but Kara’s wins by a landslide! Super moist, not too sweet, the perfect size and an array of interesting and delicious flavors! The fleur de sel–chocolate cupcake with caramel filling, ganache frosting and topped with a pinch of fleur de sel salt–is my personal fave.

A trip to San Francisco would not be complete without seeing the sea lions at Pier 39. This particular sea lion caught a ride on the end of someone’s boat. Perfect spot for a rest!

The next stop was Lake Tahoe.

I have never seen such beautiful blues. We rented a boat to travel to Emerald Bay and then to see the amazing boulders at Sand Harbor Overlook on the Nevada side of the lake.

Eric and I had some fun with levitation photography. Ready? Jump!

Here my parents stop to try to get the perfect shot. This photo cracks me up!

We were also able to do some hiking off the Bayview Trailhead. Walking down was beautiful. Walking back up was steep and quite a workout!

Our final stop on the trip was Napa Valley.

We were very lucky to have my mom with us, who does not care much for wine so was happy to serve as the designated driver! With her at the wheel, we were able to really make the most of our time and check out a lot of wineries.

Some of our favorite stops included V. Sattui Winery, Rutherford Hills, Cakebread and Turnbull.

Whenever Eric and I travel, it always gives us the bug. We have so much fun we want to see more, do more and taste more. Here’s to the next trip… Cheers!