Weekend Escape: Napa-Sonoma : Tracks Across Wine Country : Mud, wine and the gentle chug of the Napa Valley choo-choo make for a relaxing mix

A friend in Sacramento had been after me to visit. Now was the time. My husband obliged, agreeing to stay home with our two young children. I called my friend. Her weekend was open.

We decided on Calistoga in the Napa Valley. Rest, relaxation, some wine tasting and a massage. We wanted lodgings friendly and informal for our footloose weekend. It wasn’t easy, this last-minute search, but I finally found a room--the only one left at Dr. Wilkinson’s Hot Springs in Calistoga. A couple days later I was on a Southwest Airlines’ Saturday morning plane to Sacramento.

Rochelle met me at the airport. We took California 128, a two-lane, winding road through the scenic rolling hills of aspens into wine country. Every bend unwound me a little more. Our game plan was to stay clear of the large wineries and visit one or two of the smaller family-owned vineyards. Because it was a weekend, we thought this was the best way to avoid the crowds the bigger vineyards attract.

Our first stop was Nichelini Vineyards, founded by Swiss-Italian immigrant Anton Nichelini in 1890. Nestled in the hills near St. Helena, it is the oldest continuously owned family winery in Napa Valley. Under the sturdy, 80-year-old walnut trees, we enjoyed a picnic lunch (Brie, crackers and fruit) that Rochelle had packed. We leisurely sampled wines--Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Chenin Blanc, Merlot and Petite Sirah--brought to us by an engaging older gentleman who seemed intent on mating our taste buds with the appropriate grape from his vineyards.

Although many of the bigger wineries have begun charging a flat fee for sampling, many of the smaller ones, such as Nichelini, have resisted the trend. Pleased with the Zinfandel--and feeling happier with my getaway by the minute--I bought two bottles.

It was mid-afternoon when we left. We made our way through wine country, taking in all the scenery and occasionally stopping to walk through the quaint towns--Yountville, Oakville, Rutherford and St. Helena--window shopping. As late afternoon turned into early evening, we drove the last few miles into Calistoga and checked into our room.

Calistoga’s future was shaped millions of years ago with the eruption of Mt. Konocti, only 20 miles away. The eruption deposited volcanic ash on the land, which is now used in many local spas’ mud bath treatments (typically local volcanic ash, imported peat and naturally boiling hot-spring water). The eruption also caused a fissure in the Earth through which ground water still seeps and hits the hot magma at 4,000 feet. The superheated water then resurfaces as thermal geysers, rising through old sea beds and picking up rich mineral and salt traces. Voila --mineral baths!

There are a number of spas to choose from in Calistoga. Dr. Wilkinson’s, built in 1946, is clean and comfortable. The rooms are without frills, but the spa is surrounded by a quiet garden. What it lacks in luxury it gains in its soothing simplicity. It features a variety of treatments--from mud baths, mineral pools, steam rooms and blanket wraps, to massages and facials. We would enjoy some of those later.

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After changing clothes, we walked into town. The warm afternoon had turned into a very brisk evening. Although Calistoga is short on glitz, its “downtown” obviously caters to its upscale visitors. Boutiques, gourmet shops and antique stores are interspersed among thrift and hardware stores. Small restaurants abound. Famished, we decided on some Greek food at the Cinnabar restaurant and cafe, starting with an appetizer that included falafel, hummus, tabbouleh, baba ghanoj (eggplant baked with tahini, lemon and garlic), stuffed grape leaves and pita bread.

After dinner, we retreated to our spa and relaxed in the mineral pools. Rochelle and I caught up on news, but soon lapsed into silence as the warmth of the baths pulled us toward sleep. The evening temperature was in the low 50s, cool, crisp air, which made it harder to finally lift ourselves from the comfort of the water.

In the morning, after taking a brisk walk through some of Calistoga’s neighborhoods, we drove 30 miles south to the town of Napa, where we had reservations to board the Napa Valley Wine Train for its 9 a.m. brunch. (We had reserved at the last minute and the Saturday night dinner run, our first choice, was already booked.) Hot air balloons, drifting lazily, dotted the horizon. Whooshing sounds, from the quick bursts of flame shooting from their propane burners, echoed through the vineyards.

The train ride was a 36-mile, three-hour, round-trip excursion through the heart of the wine country. The Napa Valley Railroad was founded by Samuel Brannan in 1864 and sold to the Southern Pacific Railroad Co. in 1885. It remained in operation for the next 102 years, until it became the wine train in 1987. The first half of the trip was the dining experience, a champagne brunch. We were frankly surprised at how good the food was, served on bone china in the restored 1917 Pullman dining car, and it included entrees such as baked chicken roulade, Creole crab Benedict, vegetable scrambled Orleans and Cajun sausage fritters. The train makes 13 trips per week, including daily lunch runs, Wednesday-through-Sunday dinner excursions, and Sunday brunch--all on the same route. April through December is the high season for which month-ahead reservations are recommended (800-427-4124).

The train tracks run parallel to California 29, and we caught occasional glimpses of the flow of congested, weekend traffic. Taking another sip of champagne, we remarked how nice we had it. During the second half of the trip, passengers moved back to the luxury lounge cars to continue wine tasting and enjoy the ambience of the vineyards floating by.

Back in Napa by noon, we decided to drive northwest to the Russian River Valley in Sonoma County. After an hour of driving, we stopped at Martinelli Winery in Windsor, which is best known, we were told, for a Jackass Hill Zinfandel made with grapes from the 90-year-old vineyard. We sampled the Zinfandel and a couple of Chardonnays and wandered through the art gallery featuring Sonoma artists.

The pace was nice, but it was time to experience something other than our palates. The answer was a canoe, which we rented at Burke’s, a mile north of Forestville on the Russian River. Rochelle and I did a free-form trip: We paddled upstream through the beautiful, redwood tree-lined stretch of the river until we tired. Then we let the current ease us back down to Burke’s.

Back in Calistoga by early evening, we went in search of a big salad, and were told that Checkers pasta and pizza restaurant was the best place for it. I ordered the Napa Valley salad with apples, raisins, walnuts and Gorgonzola cheese, and a poppy seed dressing. It was outstanding.

We saved the salon for early Monday morning--the last day--to fortify us for the trip back to the city. My treatment began with a relaxing body massage followed by a facial and cerofango treatment for hands and feet. The facial included cleansing, steam, mud mask, moisture and a facial massage. The cerofango treatment is an application of mud, clay, herbs and paraffin, done for deep relaxation and hydration of hands and feet. It worked.

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Budget for Two

Air fare, LAX to Sacramento $104.00 Airport parking 19.00 Two nights, Dr. Wilkinson’s 143.36 Gasoline 20.00 Napa wine train & brunch 112.85 Dinner, Cinnabar 32.31 Dinner, Checkers 22.04 Canoe rental 15.00 Salon spa packages 85.00 Lunch, Checkers 17.55

FINAL TAB: $571.11

Dr. Wilkinson’s Hot Springs, 1507 Lincoln Ave., Calistoga, CA 94515; tel. (707) 942-4102, fax (707) 942-6110. Napa Valley Conference and Visitor Bureau, tel. (707) 226-7459.