Ron and Dorothy Bealer and family were savoring the last days of a perfect vacation in Napa, Calif., when everything started to shake as an earthquake struck the area.

The Bealers' children, Ron Jr. and his wife, Rachel, and Jennifer and her boyfriend, Chris, had rented a house in Napa where the clan could celebrate Ron Sr.'s birthday with a week of wine tasting and other activities.

On Saturday, after the group had spent time sightseeing in the historic district, the younger Bealers prepared to leave town a day ahead of their parents.

At 3 a.m., a rental limo pulled up to take them to San Francisco International Airport.

Ron Sr. helped load their bags into the vehicle.

"Have a safe trip," he said.

He turned the lights off 15 minutes later and went to bed as the kids were on their way.

The earthquake struck at 3:20 a.m. Aug. 29.

Jen recalls what happened next.

"There was lots of shaking," she explained. "We thought the driver hit something under the chassis of the car.

"It swerved violently side-to-side as he tried to regain control. It seemed like all four wheels were off the ground, and we thought it might flip over."

Flashes of purple and smoke could be seen across the horizon from transformers damaged by the earth's vibrations.

The Bealers were trying to figure out what was happening.

"It's an earthquake and the worst one I've ever seen," the driver told them.

Meanwhile back in town, Ron heard a loud roar, followed by about 50 seconds of violent shaking.

"It felt like it was forever," Ron said. "It threw me toward the bed where I fell onto the mattress with my knees on the floor.

Dorothy, who held on to the mattress, said it was like riding a bronco.

"For several seconds, we were scared to death," Ron said. "From watching the History Channel, I knew it was an earthquake."

Shortly after, the landlord stopped in to make sure Ron and Dorothy were OK. Shattered glass from wine goblets, blown out of a cupboard, covered the floor.

Wine flowed from the owner's collection of vintage bottles, which broke from the shaking.

As daylight arrived in Napa, helicopters were flying around; sirens were wailing; and smoke could be seen from fires started by electrical malfunctions.

The Bealers gave up on having any sleep.

"My wife and I decided to clean everything up for the guy," Ron said. "We picked up things that had fallen from the walls, as well as six pails full of broken glass.

"He thanked us and offered us a free night next time."

When Ron and Dorothy left Napa Sunday afternoon, emergency crews had already filled in some cracks in the roads.

"Philadelphia never smelled so good," Ron said after arriving home.

Ron, who has volunteered on 12 church mission trips to help disaster victims, now has seen first hand the devastation from natural disasters on planet Earth.