Hi there, thanks for the comments. Yes, the trip is soon - we leave on Sunday! Im very excited but a bit nervous about the horrible cold I've developed from Xmas travel. It better clear up before the flights!
I am bring extremely low gears. We live in northern cal so are used to the hills, but many of the climbs seem to have extended steep sections and given my present (historically low) level of fitness I thought I'd better be safe than sorry in the gear departments!
Pip: thanks for the tip about your inlaw's winery. We will definitely stop by if we are in the area!
Millie: excellent tip to email the doc sites. They responded promptly and provided info on site access/arrival times etc. as you suspected, we can't book ahead but we will try to arrive early and hopefully get into sites. Wish us luck!