California Tour: Day 3/4 Napa Valley

All photos by Dirtbag Darling

Thinking back, Monday started off like it was going to be a great day. And for the most part, it was! After work we drove out to the Monticello Dam near Napa Valley and opted for an extremely steep mile hike over the more moderate four-mile loop—it was already getting darker and we didn't want to leave our car alone for that long.

So off we went, scrambling up a 2,000 foot elevation change that was killer on the buns and thighs. It was beautiful! We hiked along the ridge to see both sides of the mountain and got some great practice in varying our jump shots:

See? And even though boyfriend forgot my candy bar reward for reaching the top, I had a great time and was feeling so happy to be able to work from such a beautiful place. Until we got back to the car...

"Brandon, did we leave a car window down?" I asked as I spotted our rental van from the trailhead. "No. No! No," he yelled as he started racing to our car. "Mother bleeep!" And there it was: a smashed in window. A missing purse. We were officially victims of a break in. I always thought I would handle something like this with a sense of calm, but I didn't. I started crying hysterically as I noticed my $1,000 DSLR camera and lens were gone. My wallet. My favorite purse and new scarf. Our GoPros (complete with all the footage we had of our snowboarding day). My legs were shaking uncontrollably as we checked the rest of the van. That's when we found it: The thief's cell phone!

After filing a police report and handing over every piece of information we had, I sulked off to cancel my credit cards and call the rental car company. Needless to say, we had a rough night and a depressing day. We had brought sleeping bag so we could camp out in the car! Instead, we were forced into a hotel room...no sleeping under the stars, lots of spending money we don't have.

Here's what went wrong:
1. We were in a rental car, and had brought all of our luggage with us. We were an easy target.

2. Despite written warnings and my own better judgement, I left my valuables in the car. I still can't believe I did that. But in my defense, it was a mile hike and our van was in our range of sight for the majority of it. The parking lot was busy with lots of traffic and people were coming off the 4-mile trail every minute.

3. We didn't check our surroundings. Was the guy watching us hike away? Was anyone sitting in their car?

In the end, it is what it is. It's a violating and frustrating feeling to know rookie mistakes—and terrible people—happen. It's sickening to see your things being sold on Craigslist. It's even more frustrating that the cops found the guy, searched his house, but still can't do anything. He's a career criminal. I just take comfort in knowing that his life is probably pretty miserable. Maybe he needed the money more than I do.

Anyway....

We realized we had two choices: Sulk and cry, or get out and explore the beautiful wine country we were so lucky to be in. We had a (mostly) functional car, so we drove to Artesa winery to take in the scenery, be thankful we're both safe and enjoy the one thing that always makes me feel better (thanks to a very nice bar tender who took pity on us)...

Mmmm wine. Moral of the story? Hopefully you can learn from my mistakes and take care of your valuables. You can NEVER be too safe. Trust your gut, hide your stuff. And if you're a criminal...I'm watching you.