More SLO hikes - Wine Tasting - Cayucos - Back to the Ranch

 I had received an email from Turley Cellars about a wine tasting event pairing their wines with pasta and fresh mushrooms from local producers. I had dropped by the winery shortly after arriving in Morro Bay and made a reservation for 3 PM on aSaturday. 

 Mary and I drove over early planning a hike in the Three Bridges Oak Preserve located in Atascadero.  The Preserve features several different types of native California oak trees including blue oak, coastal live oak, and canyon live oak. Three miles of trails with 670 feet of elevation gain take you from shade to great views of the Paso Robles/Templeton/Atascadero valley.

 Mary and I headed up towards the Madrone trail. It was a Saturday so lots of folks were enjoying the Preserve. All the trails have interpretive signs detailing flora & fauna.

 

 Mary on the Oak Woodlands trail.

 

  Mary at the top. The mosquitos were bad so we didn't stay long.

 

After the hike we were ready to do some wine tasting. Turley Vineyards has been a favorite since I was told about it 9 or 10 years ago by friends Pat and Larry Vasquez. They make Zinfandel's from Paso Robles, Lodi, Napa and the Sierra foothills. All very good.

From Tin City in Paso Robles, Etto Pasta made a great dish with fresh pasta, fried capers, fresh mushrooms, basil and olive oil sauce. We talked briefly with the owner/chef who had lived in Colorado in the past. We didn't get a chance to talk with the local mushroom grower, but his product was A+.

 

Mary with Turley Zin and Etto Pasta

 

Next day we set out on another road trip, this time to the south and Solvang. Mary drove us from Santa Maria through the Sisqoc River valley to Los Olivos, a picturesque little wine country town. From there we stopped at Buttonwood for a tasting, that I had visited a couple weeks before. We had tasted their Grenache Blanc and she liked it enough that I thought "Hey, let's go there". Once again Cate was a great hostess and a couple hours later (and a few more bottles purchased) we drove down to Solvang. 

 Mary had visited Solvang back in the 90's or so, so we didn't spend much time in town and eventually headed over to Buellton to the Firestone/Walker Brewery for lunch.

From there it was back through Solvang then down to Nojoqui Falls for a return visit. 

 

 The following day I found out early in the morning that my longtime friend Bob Reed had passed away from a heart attack. Bob and I had known each other since the early 90's and had climbed 14ers, watched the Perseids Meteor Showers on the hood of my Toyota in the Snowy Range of Wyoming and where we ate breakfast at the Centennial Cafe (We serve 100 people, 10 at a time), survived the mobs at Yellowstone and escaped the vampires of Lamont, Idaho (another story for another time). We sang Beatles songs in his Monte Carlo as we drove up to the Rawah Wilderness to camp. We watched Man Soap Operas like Aussie Rules Football, the WWF and listened to more music than I can remember. He was instrumental in my wine education and an original member of the Zep Commandoes. 

Bob was incredibly smart, funny and a loyal and trusted friend. His passing leaves a emptiness in my heart that won't be filled. 

 On the 22nd we set out for the 4 or 5 mile drive to Cayucos. I had only driven through the downtown area once on my many trips out to Morro Bay. It was memorable because I came upon a woman lying in the middle of the right hand lane. Another gentleman had stopped and was trying to help her so I did so as well. She had a pretty nasty cut on her head (she had fallen off her bike). I eventually got her to move out of the street after she had convinced us that she was okay. I offered to call the paramedics, but she declined. Someone else did. 

 Me on the Cayucos Pier

 

Cayucos California

We walked around town checking out restaurants and coffee shops. Not a lot going on in Cayucos, but it's a nice little town.

The 23rd was another SLO market day, but we went down to the beach in the morning and spent some time checking out the tidal pools.

 

 

The Tidal Pools with the Rock in the background. 

 

Pismo clams on the rocks.

 

 

Mary had hiked the Johnson Ranch in SLO on a previous trip and had liked it enough to go with me before we headed downtown for Market Night.

 

Johnson Ranch has several multi-use trails and connects with the Irish Hills trails that we had hiked previously. A beautiful piece of property with wind swept grasses and live oaks. 

 

We had seen a few mountain bikers on the way, but when we arrived at the trailhead there were 15 or 20 kids on bikes (with a couple adults). Talk about timing.

 

We were still early when we got downtown so I had wanted to explore some of the other streets just to take a look around. We found a open air marketplace called the Creamery. Lots of Wine Tasting, Restaurants and Boutiques. Among them was Mistura a Peruvian restaurant with a nice bar, so we went in and had a glass of wine.

 

 Yes, I changed my shirt after the hike.