“Sideways” Wine Tour and other Central Coast Adventures

As I have previously mentioned Vandenberg, AFB is a great launching point for many California Central Coast adventures. If you’re not looking to drive 100 miles up the coast there is plenty to do right outside the Vandenberg gates.

The second day of our Central Coast Summer Adventure was dedicated to wine tasting. Santa Barbara County has some amazing wineries that offer a more casual atmosphere then its northern neighbors. Most of the tastings in this area will run you between $5-$10/person and typically includes your glass. There are maps of the wine tasting region available at Vandenberg, virtually any hotel and at every winery – so find your way to one and have them point you to the next one. If you are a “Sideways” fan (or just like organized fun) there is a wine map featuring just the wineries from the movie.

We got an early start on Saturday, a bit too early to start the wine tasting; luckily there are plenty of non-wine related activities in the area. Our pre-wine tasting activity of choice – Blueberry Picking! Don’t expect those fat blueberries you see in the stores – these are wild blueberries and they come in a variety of varietals. On this particular trip we were all given a bucket – 15min in I had barely covered the bottom of the basket. Mom was set on filling our bucket (A $15 value or a fraction of that if you failed to fill the bucket) while Dad and Jeff were set on sampling berries from each bush. After an hour our bucket (and Jeff & Dad’s tummies) were full and we headed to our next adventure. There are several U-Pick locations in the area, with a variety of seasonal crops– we chose one we had seen on our drive in the day before. (If you happen to be there not during a picking season there are some other alternatives such as visiting a lavender farm or an Ostrich Farm.)

Right down the road from the Blueberry farm is Nojoqui Falls Park. Nojoqui falls is a 160+ foot waterfall that is actually growing out due to mineral deposits in the water. An easy, albeit uphill, 10 min walk leads to the falls. This was our second visit to this little hike – A summer visit meant much less water coming over the falls, but allowed us to get much closer than in our previous spring visit. There are also plenty of picnic spots here - including one right by the falls!

Finally, a respectable hour had been reached and we headed out on our wine tasting adventure. We found a little “shack” on the way to our first winery and picked up lunch. Mom was hesitant to pick-up any food from this place, Jeff thought it looked like a piece of “Americana” but it’s really not even worth mentioning since lunch was nothing special – if I had it to do again I would have grabbed something from a grocery store in town.

You really can't go wrong stopping into any of the vineyards in this area, but I will list a few of our favorites as a jumping off point. (We didn't visit all of these on this particular visit, but have been in this area a few times before.) Riverbench Vineyards & Winery features outdoor seating & wine tasting, a lovely little shop and even a full scale bocce court! Cottonwood Canyon is where we chose to have lunch as they have a beautiful picnic area right out front with umbrella covered tables. We purchased a Chardonnay that went well with our blueberry lunch! Rancho Sisquoc Winery also has great picnic and outdoor seating. There outdoor tables are limited but there are plenty of benches and rails to perch on and complete your tasting outside. Foxen Winery is always much to crowded for us and thus we have never done a tasting here. Foxen has opened a second tasting room to try to alleviate the overcrowding but we missed the turn on this last trip and decided to continue down the road. Its clearly very popular so is probably worth the wait.

Before we knew it the afternoon had passed and we were almost back in Solvang. We decided to stop at Old Mission Santa Inez for Saturday Evening Mass. During Mass I couldn't help but admire the hand painted walls and ceiling of the church. Don't miss the gardens which are accessible through the church or the mission visitors center/gift shop.

We had the best meal of the trip at Root 246 in Solvang and is run by the Santa Ynez Band of the Chumash Indians. Root 246 has some outdoor seating, some funky tables with seating in high back couches in front of floor to ceiling windows and some intimate booths. The menu focuses on seasonal and local produce. The meal was excellent and they, of course, have an extensive wine menu. I ordered two appetizers for my meal and it was more then enough.

After dinner we took a stroll through Solvang. Don't miss the Hans Christian Anderson Museum, which is easy to miss as it is on the top floor of a bookstore in downtown Solvang. Every April 2nd they host a birthday bash for Mr. Anderson complete with birthday cake. If Hans Christian Anderson is your thing then you wont want to miss the Little Mermaid Statue or Hans Christian Anderson Park (which has a great looking playground.) If you are there during the day we saw a Surry Rental place (475 1st Street) with four person surry bikes that looked like a good time. There are also tons of bakery serving up Danish pastries if you want to pick one up for the morning. Personally, I just enjoyed walking through Solvang taking in the dutch influence - windmills, copper roofs with exposed wooden beams and the smell of pastries. I'm already looking forward to our next visit!

Pacific Coast Fun: Up the Coast to Hearst Castle

Vandenberg AFB is one of our favorite launching points for some Pacific Coast Highway Fun. My parents were in San Francisco, so when they suggested we meet somewhere on the coast for the weekend Vandenberg was the perfect launching point for a mid-summer adventure.

We drove up from Edwards in record time and were able to meet my parents, who had spent the day winding down Hwy 1, for dinner. We decided to hit up The Hitching Post II, made famous in the movie Sideways, based solely on the fact that we knew where it was. The Hitching Post surpassed all expectations and was a perfect pick for some hungry travelers. The meals here are large – you pick an entree and it comes with an appetizer, salad or soup and the entree. Jeff and I split a meal where I ate the app and the salad and he at the entire. They also put some fresh veggies on the table to start. If you’re a wine drinker don’t miss the wines made in house. We shared a nice rose from the Hitching Post’s wine label.

Vandenberg lodging is very comfortable – if you call ahead you can request “The Sideways Room” which is decorated in Sideways memorabilia. All the rooms are done well and the beds here are the most comfortable of any AF lodging we have stayed in. There is a Starbucks walking distance from the hotel, but its only open on weekdays. (To find the Starbucks, follow the path between the lodging buildings toward the club.)

Day one of our adventure took us up the PCH to Hearst Castle. You will need to reserve tickets to Hearst Castle in advance since they often sell out. We followed almost the same itinerary as when we ventured up the coast a few months earlier to see the butterflies. We booked 2pm tours giving us the morning and most of the afternoon to get up the coast.

The first stop was San Luis Obispo where we visited bubblegum alley, the Old Mission San Luis Obispo and the creek walk. The San Luis Obispo Historical Museum, housed in the old library, is also worth a quick peek. On our visit the museum housed an exhibit on SLO weddings. San Luis Obispo is a great lodging alternative to base – filled with little bed and breakfasts and Inn’s. On a previous trip Jeff and I stayed at Petit Soleli.

Heading further up the coast we made a stop in one of budget travel’s coolest small towns – Cayucos, CA. We picked up lunch at the Old Cayucos Bakery and Deli – all their sandwiches come with this amazing salad – for a picnic further up the coast. We stopped in at The Brown Butter Cookie Co for some sweet treats. (The honey cookies were the group favorite.) Then we wondered over to the Cayucos Pier where there was a farmers market going on – we purchased some hummus and tubule to round out our picnic fair, loaded the car and headed up the coast.

Right outside the gates of Hearst Castle, on the other side of Hwy 1, is a great little picnic spot and state park. It’s the site of the old pier that Hearst used to get all the people and gear to his castle. Up top there are bathrooms and lots of picnic tables. If you have time you can wonder down the path to the beach, which usually has some seals sunning themselves. On this occasion our time was limited so we ate our lunch and headed across the Hwy.

Hearst Castle always seems to be crowded – so leave time to find a parking space and get your tickets. My parents booked tickets on the Introductory Tour (Tour 1), but since we had been there before Jeff and I went on the Upper Floors of Casa Tour (Tour 2). As the name suggests we saw the upper floors of the big house and got a much better picture of the life Hearst lead at the castle. It was much more informative then the Introductory Tour. After meeting back up with my parents at the Visitors Center we got back on the bus, this time as a group, and went on the new, self-guided, “Your Gardens and Vistas” tour. This tour allows you to roam around the outside grounds until sunset. This was amazing – strolling the grounds peering into the house windows and climbing all the stairs. You almost felt like you were a guest at the Castle. If you have the chance to do this self-guided tour it is well worth it.


The only downside to Hearst Castle in the evening is trying to find dinner after. Jeff found Madeline's in Cambria that is a wine bar by day and a restaurant in the evening. With a local menu this was a perfect little romantic dinner place. I’m pretty sure I fell asleep on the way back to Vandenberg because the next thing I knew we were pulling through the gates.

Getty Villa - Poppy Reserve

For an amazing April adventure - try this day trip! It mixes a sprig of nature, 3000 years of history and fabulous food. From Edwards, head to the California Poppy Reserve (49 miles). Check the hotline at 661-724-1180 or their website to ensure the flowers are in bloom. The fastest route is Rt 14S to Ave D west, but take Rt 14S to Ave G west to run over the Musical Road (see past post) en route. The cost of the reserve is $8 per carload but if you don't plan on spending the day there, stop just short in the many fields and get your poppy kick satiated without paying admittance!

Afterwards, continue West on Ave D (Rt 138) to I-5S and on to Malibu (95 miles). There you'll find the Getty Villa. You'll need the free tickets you can get on their website and parking costs $15 per car. But it's worth $15! The Villa is unlike the Getty Center along I-405 in that it holds some of the antiquities J. Paul Getty collected throughout his years. So you won't find paintings - just statues, pottery, coins, jewelry and beautiful gardens. Plan 2-4 hours here. For lunch, try the cafe. It has a handful of great options but carries a Malibu pricetag (entrees: $13-16). To get oriented with the Getty Villa, we took the 40 minute overview guided tour. The 12 minute overview film was actually better. Other tours and night programs abound. In fact, they have an outdoor theater where plays are performed during the warmer months. No parking fee for evening programs.

Post Getty, take the scenic Hwy 1 back south to Venice Beach. Park just south of S. Venice Blvd, 2 blocks inland from the ocean. You'll find the Venice canals there. I've been to Venice CA a handful of times and had no idea they existed. We saw the movie Valentine's Day recently and the canals were featured - so we tried this. And they were excellent. The canals had fantastic walkways and bridges to meander about.

You can then walk the couple of blocks to Venice beach and visit the boardwalk or many merchants along the walkway. Dinner places abound! But our favorite is C&O Trattoria (31 Washington Blvd, Marina Del Ray). Across the street is a sandwich and coffee shop called Cow's End. Both are walkable from the canals or beach.

Bubblegum Alley - San Luis Obispo

It's gross - but we loved it. Tucked away in an alley in downtown San Luis Obispo (on Higuera St, just North of Broad St), you'll find an alley coated on both sides in bubblegum. Folks have been putting gum on the walls here for decades. Bring some from home or stop into any of the nearby merchants (they have bubblegum machines). San Luis Obispo (called SLO by everyone) is 4:30 from Edwards, so combine this 20 minute diversion with a trip up the PCH or to Hearst Castle or wine country. Try this website for more pictures.

Elephant Seals

If you find yourself driving up Hwy 1 make sure you check out the elephant seal Rookery at Piedras Blancas. The rookery is twelve miles north of Cambria and four miles north of the entrance to Hearst Castle. We've been there on several trips and it never ceases to be both entertaining and educational. Friends of the Elephant Seal provides docents to explain the behaviors of the animals.

On this particular trip in early January the elephant seals were giving birth to their calves. The beach was littered with the little guys - sticking close to their mom's as they sunned themselves. The juvenile males provided a show by "sparing" or charging at each other with loud vocalizations. A boardwalk provides an up close view that is not intrusive to the seals.

There are many spots for seal viewing along Hwy 1 but none as accessible or fun-filled as this one.