Thom & Carol's Adventures: The California Central Coast

First, my apologies for being very late with this post. I got side tracked with a bout of a killer cold and flu that I'm just about over and also with distractions of family and friends in southern California on our last stop of the trip.

Our trip down from Benbow started with what I embarrassingly refer to as “The Magical Mystery Tour”. As most of you know, I am somewhat proud of my sense of direction and ability to reach a destination without use of a map. Well, meet the newest fan of Garmin! Thankfully, the lovely bride hasn’t rubbed it in too much, but let me warn you; she has a new arrow in her quiver for future shots.

Everything was fine on our six hour drive to San Juan Batista l from Benbow until we crossed over the Richmond Bridge into Oakland. My mission was to head down Hwy 101 through San Jose and down a little past Gilroy. To accomplish this, I had to divert “a bit” around Interstate E/B 80 and S/B 880 along east bay. Somehow I missed the 880 connection south and I cruised along E/B 80 and was passing UC Davis, I knew something was amiss. Trapped in never-never land, I figured I’d eventually a southbound highway towards San Jose to get back on track. Long story short, we revisited Sacramento and the delta, then headed west after we past Stockton towards San Francisco. It turned out to be a nine hour drive and long day to get to our camp in San Juan Batista. Thank God the Betabel resort was a beautiful oasis to land in. They really have some super people managing this park.

From this three day stop we day tripped to Monterey Bay including Carmel, Gilroy and San Juan Batista. We took some trip along memory lane and some new adventures at this stop.

Monterey Bay is a fantastic place to visit if you’ve never been there. The aquarium is, in my opinion, one of the finest in the world. Cannery row has some luxurious hotels and shops and the Bay is spectacular. After our town visit, we did the 17 mile drive at Pebble Beach. Golf fans will know this one; think AT&T Pebble Beach tournament and you’ve got it. Something new to us; it’s now a $9.75 fee to do the drive. Progress, but I guess somebody need to pay for the road upkeep and it is private land. Well worth the fee. We drove out at the Carmel gate and went through downtown. Two thing we missed while there. We didn’t see Clint Eastwood or Doris Day hanging pour nor did we see the Boar’s Head Saloon, Eastwood’s old bar and grille. Either it closed or we just passed it without recognizing it. We highly recommend this area for a romantic getaway place.

Gilroy is the garlic capital of the world and being there at harvest time is easy to recognize. Your eyes are watering along Highway 101 for about 15-20 miles from the odor coming from the fields. To locals, the sweet smell of money; to cooks, the smell of fresh seasoning; to travelers, some fine garlic products and other produce that is fresh from the vines, ground or trees. Taste buds delight! At our resort, one of the full timers has a garden and stocks the store with produce including corn, tomatoes, chilies, onions, potatoes and some fruits. All is free for the taking, donations accepted. There is nothing better than fresh produce from the fields. OK Greg, I get it!

San Juan Batista is a charming small town with the mission being the center of the town. Most missions along El Camino Real have been restored to some degree, but this one is not only beautifully maintained, but is also one of the few that remains the active parish. The plaza buildings are restored and there is a museum at the old stable with a nice collection of old restored wagons of commercial and private use. We particularly liked the wagon that transported Hotel Hollister guests to and from the property and around the countryside.

The next leg of the central coast was based in Paso Robles, CA. We picked a good spot here. The resort was without question a five star resort. We felt like we were at home in Dolce Vita with all the property amenities. Another great couple running the resort and we met a lot of new friends at the evening happy hour in the Vineyards, the on-site wine bar.

Day trips included Highway 1 along the central coast including Cambria, Pismo Beach and San Luis Obispo with stop at the Madonna Inn, some vineyard tours and shopping in old town Paso Robles.

The Paso Robles area is wine country south with the most acres of vineyards in the state. It is better known for blends and whites. There are plenty of medal winners in this part of the country and many wineries to visit. I would guess no less than 60 wineries. Obviously, we couldn’t visit them all, but many of the labels were available at the resort. I did locate and visit the Arciero Vineyards (Frank Arciero was a high school friend) only to learn they had sold the property back in the 90’s to another company. Oh well. I did some nice pictures of the property and cellars. Downtown is another charming town with lots and lots of watering holes and restaurants from which to choose. I chose F. McClintock’s because they had a fabulously restored old west bar. Think of the saloon in the classic western movie Silverado and you get the picture.

Highway 1 along the central coast is one of our favorite areas. Cambria remains a charming coastal town with a fantastic path along the beach side of the highways and B&B’s on the coast side. We could live in this town and if we ever hit the lottery, maybe will. All the towns along the coast have a special ambiance and we would recommend this trip to anyone. Spending a week along the coastal towns would be a memorable vacation.

If you’ve never been to the Madonna Inn in San Luis Obispo, go to their website and it will give you a decent perspective of this unique hotel. The photo of the steak house will give you a small idea of the elegance of the property.

I'll post soon with the next and final leg of the trip. Take care and keep on truckin' guys.

T & C