Written by: Elie Koay (Class of 2025)
Photos by: Elie Koay (Class of 2025)
Video by: William Shi (Class of 2026)

On Friday, May 19th, the Boys Biology class took a long anticipated field trip to Calistoga, California. The trip’s main destination was the Old Faithful Geyser of California, one of only three “faithful” geysers in the world. The trip also included a brief stop for coffee, a walk around an old California town, an amazing lunch, and the grandeur of a French castle.

The old Faithful Geyser of California was the main focus of our excursion. The privately owned business that runs the place also had many other interesting activities on the property. The place was home to the Old Faithful Farm, which had a herd of goats. The little goats in the farm were loads of fun, and we spent a great portion of our time petting and feeding them. The horses beyond the wire fencing were also quite receptive to our presence.

Immediately afterwards, the geyser caught us off guard. While we were looking for a bevy of quail that Dr. Vega, our teacher, spotted in the marsh, we noticed the geyser erupting in the distance. Hastily, we rushed over to watch nature’s amazing water show. After watching the geyser erupt, we left Old Faithful and decided to grab lunch at a local restaurant.

We decided that pizza at a restaurant less than 5 minutes away would meet that day’s dining needs. We spent some time waiting for the 11am opening and quickly placed our order for two garden special pizzas. Opting to spend the wait somewhere interesting, we concurred on downtown Calistoga.

Downtown Calistoga is a blend of everything that you would expect from an old, historic California town. The streets are lined with numerous shops, art galleries, and restaurants, not to mention creameries, breweries, and hotels. Calistoga truly is a unique town—one that deserves future visits.

The pizzas back at La Prima beckoned, and we bid farewell to the town with plans to return for ice cream dessert, the opportunity of which we traded to visit a place with unparalleled prestige. The pizzas were worth every bit of our time and appetite. Fountain drinks from a high-tech soda fountain were not unwelcome either. After downing all three pizzas, we contemplated our next move while making the most of our money by loading up on soft drinks. What follows is testament to how serendipity graciously presents itself when itineraries are less than complete.

As we were dithering over whether to visit Healdsburg, the petrified forest, downtown creameries, and a straight shot home among other possibilities, we made, in my opinion, one of the best, possible decisions. A chateau piqued our interest, and our curiosity made the decision for us. The opulence of wine-famous Chateau Montelena hit us the instant we entered through the gates, Mercs and other luxury cars lined the parking lot, chauffeurs drove private coaches, and VIPs awaited service. At least admission onto the grounds happened without money.

The history of Chateau Montelena dates back to 1882, when entrepreneur Alfred L. Tubbs bought a sizable piece of land at the base of Mt. Saint Helena. With his planting of vines, Chateau Montelena came to fruit in 1896. After the Prohibition era came around, the grapes from the vineyards no longer saw the inside of vats, and the Tubbs sold the Chateau to a Chinese engineer by the name Yort Wing Frank. Together with his wife, he created a unique Chinese-style garden and commissioned the excavation of the Jade Lake. Even if you skip the wine (as we did), the grandeur of the place and the beauty alone makes it a mandatory stop while traveling in Napa Valley. In short, Chateau Montelena is a must visit, regardless of whether or not you have deep regards for fine wine.

Our trip ended on a high note, and we bid farewell to Dr. Vega, who headed south to Berkeley. The rear row enjoyed a soporific drive home while the second row kept conscious to document the trip.

Thank you to Dr. Vega and William’s father for fulfilling our transportation needs and chaperoning the trip. A special thanks to Dr. Vega for organizing the trip and making this year’s Biology class a blast.

Video recap: