Change of Greenery BlogThings to See and Do in Napa Valley that's GREEN!

Ever since I created that 27-mile bike loop, I’ve sent 16 ebike riders on that loop. It’s only been 2 days since it’s been on every since bike that we have in stock. I have to admit… it’s probably the most beautiful loop that I have created. An older nurse practitioner (in her 60s?) went on that loop with her 30ish year old daughter. Once you make that turn on Oakville Grade, you will see an amazing view of Napa Valley and when you coast down, your mind is just boggled (Do I brake or do I look at the breathtaking view?!!). Just for you future bike riders who are taking this loop, make sure you use ONLY pedal-assist! I know people tend to get excited over the throttle, but let me tell ya, I’ve had 3 ebike riders (out of 16) who winded up losing their battery power before making it back. The best way to maximize your battery life is to use pedal-assist versus throttling (Think of it as 30 miles vs 15 miles). Both will take you to a max speed of 18mph (but really it goes around 20).

Here is what this loop looks like:

Oakville Grade View

Oakville Grade View

Other things you’ll see:

Yup, this route is becoming VERY popular and pictures doesn’t do it any justice!! For people who don’t want to go through Silverado Trail to Oak Knoll Ave after The Oakville Grade, you can go south through the town of Yountville towards Napa. You’ll be able to make pitstops at any of the 5 partners, Domaine Chandon (2-for-1 bubbly tasting there) and onto a bike path back onto Solano Ave. and back to The Napa Valley Marriott. For the record, it’s approximately 6 miles from Domaine Chandon back to the hotel.

Change of Greenery Electric Bicycle Rentals and More is going to be SLAMMED this weekend but we still have a few more bikes left so reserve now! We are excited that the Napa summer season is here! The weather IS amazing! Today, we reserved bikes for a family of 4 and they don’t want to do wine tasting tomorrow and they want to go off the beaten path, so we  decided to create a fun 27-mile bike loop for them that doesn’t have as many partners like the Silverado Loop.

Dry Creek Road Bike Loop

Behind the Napa Valley Marriott is a long road called Dry Creek Road which slowly but surely inclines in the hills. Once you make a right on Oakville Grade from Dry Creek, you’ll be going higher and higher until you see some amazing breath taking views of Napa Valley and then it’s a roller coaster ride thereafter! I do have our partners’ location just in case you want to stop and take a break – grab some water or a snack! Our partners are more than happy to help our bike riders out in anyway possible!

When using our mountain ebikes on inclines, put the ebikes in 1st or 2nd gear and use the pedal-assist. Trust me when I say that it helps out tremendously as I rode this climb last week with ease! NO WAY, NO HOW would I be able to do this with a regular bike… nor would I attempt to because of the lack of cell phone coverage if I did this alone.

Since I have mapped out some of our partners on the map, I did put some cute warning signs on the map! Since O’Brien’s Estate Winery is within the vicinity, I enclosed their location, but gave a nice little forewarning…

Do Not Go Here!

O’Brien’s Estate Winery has been The #1 Favorite for Change of Greenery’s bike riders for the past 2 months. Not kidding. I told a couple today to avoid that place as I’ve heard soooooo many good things about O’Brien’s from our ebike riders, that I feel that our other winery partners aren’t getting a chance. Well guess what? The couple today winded up going to O’Brien’s Estate Winery LAST. I called them close to 7pm because I was getting worried about them (Wineries tend to have their last pour at  4:30pm and I was FEARING the WORST!). When I got a hold of them via cell phone, they told me they have been hanging out with Bart O’Brien since 5:15pm! They came over after they closed and Mr. O’Brien let them in! Talk about customer service! Sheesh! I’m tellin’ ya – there’s always a party at O’Brien’s and I hope it might have something to do with the egreenery bikes because when the O’Brien clan sees that they pulled up with the bikes, it’s just a fabulous celebration! You just have to go there to see what it’s about I suppose…

I also got a nice handwritten note in regards to Page Wine Cellars in Yountville, CA telling me that they had an AMAZING time there from Egan. They were so impressed with their wines, they became wine club members! Yay! It’s seldom that I get a handwritten note so I was appreciative! I met Egan last week and WOW – what a genuinely nice guy! Highly recommended to visit!

Also, if you decide to do this 27-mile Dry Creek Road, be sure to check out Baldacci’s Vineyards, which is the first vineyard on the right when you get on Silverado Trail. They have a 60 degree cave so they would be PERFECT to visit to get a cool break after doing those climbs! Mike and Fran are the peeps to ask for.

Baldacci's Vineyards

I’m pretty positive that if you tell them you just did the Oakville Grade incline, they’ll understand why you URGENTLY need to visit the cave! Heehoo! Yeah – they ROCK!

Ebikes and partners go hand in hand!!!

BTW, I think we’re going to be launching some fantastic fun around Napa on Sundays, so stay tuned!

This awesome pair loved their ebike tour! They spent the entire day on the egreenery bikes and Joe is reeeeeaallllly interested in purchasing one now! He even sent me a fantastic email stating how amazing the bikes were and Jane told me that it was the most fun they had on their 4-day Napa vacation! We’re glad we can assist (pedal-assist that is!).

Joe & Jane

Thanks Joe for wearing the green shirt on your ride – OH so appropriate! See you guys next time!