Scenic Road trips and baby boomer retirement fit together like a hand in a glove. With time to roam, where should we go? Join Donna L. Hull from My Itchy Travel Feet (http://myitchytravelfeet.com), The Baby Boomer’s Guide to Travel, as she takes us on a coastal California road trip.
By Donna Hull
When my husband, Alan, starts spreading out maps on the dining room table, I know a scenic road trip is on the horizon. That’s how we ended up on a spring journey along the California coast. If you like scenic drives far from the interstate, come along for some baby boomer retirement fun.
First stop ― Paso Robles. For an off-the-beaten-path journey, choose ultra-curvy Highway 58 heading west from I-5 near Bakersfield. As the road climbs the Tremblor Mountains, wildflowers blanket the hills in orange, yellow and blue displays of vivid color. Don’t be surprised when an ocean view does not immediately appear at the top; instead, the road dips into the remote Carizzo Plain, the largest single native grassland remaining in California.
But that’s not the only surprise of the day. Arriving in Paso Robles, we discover a little bit of Europe at La Bellasera Hotel & Suites (http://www.labellasera.com), our accommodations for the next three nights. The boutique hotel is reminiscent of a Mediterranean villa or a grand, stucco home in the hills of Tuscany. The two-room king spa suite includes a computer with wireless keyboard, large whirlpool tub surrounded by an Italian-inspired wall mural and a guest refrigerator for storing food from the road. With a heated pool and outdoor fireplace, it’s tempting to lounge around La Bellasera all day; but we have wineries to visit.
Although you’re probably familiar with the California wine destinations of Sonoma and Napa, you may not know that Paso Robles has its share of wineries ― over 200 of them. Rather than driving immediately to the vineyards, start in downtown Paso Robles at the Paso Wine Centre (http://www.pasowines.com/), where a little tasting beforehand helps shape the itinerary for the day.
Map in hand, the wine journey begins. A left turn on 24th Street quickly deposits us in the coastal hills. The wine tasting starts on a drive down Adelaida Road for a loop along Paso’s west side wine trail that eventually brings us back to La Bellasera Hotel & Suites. Stopping at Carina Cellars, Wild Coyote, Thunderbolt and Halter Ranch, we meet local winemakers who personally fill our glass, offering explanations of how his or her wine is made. Over a dinner of coconut-crusted halibut at Enotecca, La Bellasera’s signature restaurant, Alan and I come to the realization that four days is not enough time to experience the many wineries of Paso Robles.
Grapes aren’t the only thing growing in Paso Robles. The hills are filled with organic vegetable farms, cattle ranches and olive groves. After a Saturday morning downtown browsing the farmer’s market in City Park, we arrive for lunch at Thomas Hill Organics Market Bistro & Wine Bar (http://www.thomashillorganics.com). Inventive dishes fashioned around the organic produce grown at the Thomas Hill Farm provide the foundation for a deliciously healthy meal. Leaving the bistro’s courtyard, we exit through the door to We Olive. After stopping to rub on the silky smoothness of We Olive body lotion, it’s not long before we’re standing in front of the tasting bar to sample the extensive selection of extra virgin olive oil.
Later, a visit to Steinbeck Vineyards & Winery (http://www.steinbeckwines.com) on Paso Roble’s east side provides an education in how grapes are grown. Fifth generation grower, Cindy Newkirk, loads us into her vintage jeep for the Crush Tour ($40 per person for 1 – 1.5 hours). We’ve chosen to learn about Sustainable Wine Growing, but you might prefer Economics of Vineyards and Wine, the Home Tours and History of the Paso Robles Region or the Taste of Steinbeck. After a close-up inspection of the vineyard, the tour stops at the schoolhouse in the Wine Yard at Steinbeck Vineyards to learn more about sustainable grape growing and the challenges that six generations of Steinbecks have faced tending their vines. Wine tasting in the Steinbeck Tasting Room completes the experience.
Having satiated our appetite for food and wine, it’s time to explore the historical side of Paso Robles. A road trip to Mission San Antonio de Padua (http://www.missionsanantonio.net), located on Fort Hunter-Ligget Army Base, reveals sweeping hills filled with vineyards and farms. The well-preserved adobe buildings take us back to 1771 when Padres Junipero Serra, Miguel Pieras and Buenaventura Sitjar hung bells from the branches of an oak tree, claiming this spot in Valley of the Oaks for a Spanish Mission. As we walk the corridors surrounding an inner courtyard, the echoes from our footsteps compete with tinkling wind chimes and whispers of history that waft on a gentle breeze.
Of course we can’t come to Paso Robles without experience the town’s cowboy heritage. At Harris Stage Lines (http://www.harrisstagelines.com), the stagecoach rides again and you can be on it (1 to 6 passengers at $200). After watching Tommy Harris hitch the team, we bounce along in the stagecoach imagining what travel to California must have been like in the late 1800’s. Be sure to ask Tommy and Debby to show you their collection of rodeo and cowboy memorabilia, it will bring back baby boomer memories of Saturday mornings watching Roy Rogers And Dale Evans for you, too.
Before leaving Paso Robles, our tired muscles deserve a soak in a secluded, outdoor hot springs tub at River Oaks Hot Springs ($16 per hour/per person) http://www.riveroakshotsprings.com). It’s the perfect preparation for the next segment of our road trip – Highway 1 on the California coast from San Simeon to Half Moon Bay. Stay tuned as the scenic road trip shifts into high gear.
Donna L. Hull specializes in writing travel and human interest content for online and print publications. Her popular blog, My Itchy Travel Feet, (http://myitchytravelfeet.com) explores the world of active travel for baby boomers.