KO and the Turk: Paso the Wine Over Here!

Our two week excursion to California started with a hike in Pinnacles National Park between San Jose and Paso Robles. After our flight from Florida, we had just enough time for a late afternoon hike - the Bear Gulch Creek hike was constructed as a WPA project and takes the hiker through caves and trails to arrive at a surprise reservoir. We were warm, but not warm enough to jump in the tannin colored water with a snake slithering here and there. What amazing rocks (pinnacles) and for our $20 entrance fee - we got an annual pass to all National Parks.

we had the required flashlights

colorful lichen

worn out after hike - and we have to walk back !

much water along the way

pinnacles sticking out from caves

Pinnacles looks like the wild west!

Paso Robles, a farm and vineyard community that we liked to visit 15 years ago when it was still sleepy. The downside - only trucker motels and Denny's to support the tourist trade. Much has changed! The upside - the number of wineries has boomed, though the cost of tastings has grown from nothing and $5 to $10-$40! Nice hotels have been/are being built. There is a nice selection of coffee shops, food trucks, and restaurants.

Tobin James winery

Wineries we visited: Condran Nelle- a very small winery with great wines. It was recommended to us by the bartender at Tin City Cider where we stopped first. The Turk got a nice surprise when a couple at the winery offered to share their fresh chocolate croissant from the Backporch Bakery in Atescadero. Of course this is where we were the next morning!

croissants at Backporch Bakery

Treana is a beautiful larger winery we knew from a wine tasting at Publix. We enjoyed their whites, which is unusual since we rarely drink white. The tasting did not disappoint and we joined the club. At this winery, we again met interesting people and got to eat our self-made lunch of fresh bread from the Italian bakery Di Ramondos Deli, roast beef and horseradish jack cheese from Vons grocery.

butcher's humor at Von's

Our day of tastings ended at Tobin James where we are members. That place was hopping and we had much wine with our server, Crystal.

Crystal at Tobin James

The next day, the Turk was on a quest for wood. We were heading to Big Sur in a couple of days and needed wood for our fire pit. Wood was for sale everywhere for $12 for 6 pieces. Since the countryside is covered in wood, and people are clearing deadwood out to prep for fire season, it was a no brainer that the Turk would hunt for wood.

hunter-gatherer Turk

Kukkula Winery is an organic, dry winery in the hills around Chimney Rock Road. It is owned by a Finnish investment banker and the building architecture is clean-lined and modern. Wines were good, of course!

Steinbeck winery is a small farm and winery owned by the family for 7 generations. They are known locally for the incident where, in 1956, a B-26 plane crashed in the farmland and the pilot was rescued by the owner. We met his son, who's son and grandson are working the farm now.

Howie Steinbeck

From this rustic farming winery, we headed out to Sculpterra Winery. The grounds are full of gardens and sculptures by selected artists, friends of the owner. There was a concert in the back garden where we hung out for a while but when the fog moved in, we were outta there!