Paso Robles and its colourful vineyards was a welcome sight
after the dry desert and polluted LA basin.
Steve Miller had recommended we stop here and had given us the name of
at least one winery to try.
Our plan was to do one tasting in the morning, then two in
the afternoon. With a bit of pacing I
could still drive. We started out at Tobin
James, which to our pleasant surprise was free!
This set the scene for the day and as long as we bought a bottle of wine
the tastings were gratis.
Following on were Maloy O’Neil, where the wines are all
hand-made, similar to some of the small boutique wineries at Bendigo, NZ. There
we met the dog heroine Tootsie. When
Tootsie was 1 year old, she saved a little boy from drowning. She dived in the river
and held the boy up for 5 hours till the rescue team got there. Her exploits
are chronicled in the Wine Dogs of California book.
Last of the day was Castoro, where 8 tastings were $3. It was a mellow and very laid-back day. The wines were good and we ended up
well-stocked for the rest of the trip.
We carried on north to San Francisco on Highway 1. This scenic costal road is remarkably quiet
and under-rated. The elephant seal colony at Piedras Blancas was a highlight. There are hundreds of the huge seals just
metres away from the path, and they are very much alive and entertaining. They bark, fight, cuddle, flick sand, scratch
and sleep; very cute.
We had a night in the retirement beach village of Carmel,
where there are more dogs than children. Clint Eastwood was mayor here for a
while. It was very twee, and a good place for Thanksgiving dinner. We can recommend O’Flannery’s Seafood Restaurant,
especially the full seafood grill. As they say...”Happy Turkey Day!”
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