It’s been a secret, but the secret is out now.
A month or more ago I decided Heath and I loved taking care of the new baby but needed a break. Pumpkin is a ton of fun but she is getting easier to handle and we could really benefit with some time to ourselves. Valentines weekend made sense so I started to make a plan. I decided it would be fun if it was a surprise for Heath but I wanted to make sure I could spend some money, we could get a sitter, and make sure she was ok with it being a surprise where that money went. She agreed that a surprise would be fun and to stay out of my checking account. She got her aunt to come live at our house the weekend while we were out and take care of Pumpkin for us.
So Friday we both took a 1/2 day off work. At noon we will load up the Vue and head east. After about 2 hours of driving we will get off the highway at The Les Bourgeois Vineyards just off the Missouri River. At 2pm we have a reservation for a BEST tasting package.
The Les Bourgeois Extra SpecialTasting package is the red carpet tasting experience. For just $8/person, you’ll be able to taste every wine, including those not yet released or that are still in tanks and barrels.
This tour takes an hour at a minimum so I planned for 2 hours to make sure we got all the tasting and touring we could handle.
From there we have a 2 block drive/walk to the Amber House bed and breakfast.
We check in at 4pm and are shown to our room.
I picked out the Sapphire Room
This old-world European style room is decorated in rich blue-gray and antique gold. There is an alabaster fireplace, carved armoire, carved settee with gilded finish and ornate Queen-size iron bed. The adjoining bath is probably our most romantic, featuring a corner soaking tub for two, a glass block walk-in shower, and 2 neo-classical design pedestal sinks.
- Queen-size iron bed
- Alabaster Fireplace
- Private bath with corner soaking tub for two, walk-in shower, and pedestal sinks
We have 2 hours to digest the wine, explore the house and get accustomed to the room and soaking tub. Then we head back to the vineyard to the Blufftop Bistro.
Where our wine garden and bistro is the perfect place to turn your outing into an occasion. Enjoy spectacular views of Mother Nature’s finest work, no matter what the season.
he Blufftop Bistro offers a full menu of provincial fare for lunch or dinner, including our signature house-smoked meats, fresh seafood, hearty pastas and only the best sun-ripened produce from our garden.
The restaurant has huge windows on the bluffs overlooking the river and the food is supposed to be pretty awesome. I am imagining a pretty amazing meal and then back to the room. I’m envisioning we will want to try more of the local wine but just in case I’ll have some other drinks around.
In the morning I hope to sleep in with no worries of sick kids or hungry infants. Of course there is a breakfast as part of the deal and by 11am we will check out.
And begin the second day.
Hiking on the Katy trail.
We will stash the car and put on some heavy backpacks and hit the trail. Mine is starting out at 60lbs and Heath’s is about 30lbs. The Katy Trail used to be a railroad track so the all gravel path is relatively flat and follows alongside the river with amazing views of the bluffs.
I imagine the trees are really cool in the spring and fall but I hope the rocks and river are impressive in the winter. The hike east from Rocheport is possibly one of the best views on the 225 mile long trail. We have about 7 or maybe 8 miles to hike till we get to Katfish Katy’s Campground in Huntsdale, MO. I expect us to make the hike in about 4 hours with plenty of breaks and photo ops but if it takes longer that is fine. Actually I don’t care if we don’t even make it to the campground as we will have all we need in our backpacks and any private area off the trial will work.
The high for Saturday is 37 but overnight it will get colder going down to 29 and not really coming up any Sunday morning. Also we will have a 40% chance of snow the whole time we are there. I feel like we are packed well for the weather but if Heath does not kick this respritory infection we may have trouble.
I expect we will eat a large breakfast and be full for most of the hike but I have lots of energy providing snacks packed and a dinner of brown rice and tuna fish with some sauce. In the morning we will have oatmeal and raisins then hike back to the car. If it’s really cold on the way back I expect we will make good time back to the car but if it’s nice out we may take our time on the way back. Once at the car I imagine we will want some real food and will have to decide what we are hungry for and what we are dressed for before stopping for lunch. Then home to make goo goo faces at Pumpkin.