Life on the Road Series 2021
To start Life on the Road from the beginning, start here!
Breakdowns, Wine Tastings & Radio Frequencies
Kern County, California (Southern California Desert – north of Los Angeles)
Buena Vista Aquatic Recreational Area Campground
Earth Date: 8/1/21 – 8/7/21
Our first day upon arrival at Buena Vista Lake was met with temperatures of 100 degrees or higher. We ask ourselves every single year why we end up in this desolation during August, but while hubby’s mom was with us, her birthday was on the 12th, and my dad’s is the 28th. With family gatherings to celebrate special events, we often found ourselves here for those reasons alone. Combine that with his mother passing in the summer and then his brother’s passing late spring, and we end up here time and again, where the heat is unbearable!
So, the first day was no surprise when you step outside your vehicle, the blast of hot air always causes you to catch your breath, and beads of perspiration pop out on your forehead. This time, however, shortly after setting up camp, Dad was on his way to visit when his car broke down. I should mention my Dad, at the time, was in his late 90s. As I write, he will be 101 next month!
Thankfully, he was close by, and hubby went to help. They called AAA and waited for well over an hour for a tow truck. The rest of the week was spent trying to get his car up and running before we left. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen, but it sure wasn’t for lack of trying. The good news is that shortly after we left, a friend from Dad’s church was able to get the car running for him, so we were all relieved and counting our blessings.
While there, we did get to visit with Cheryl (our sister-in-law), but not as long as we would have liked. Due to Dad’s car issues, we lacked the time for a second visit before leaving.
Each day was met with high temperatures. Growing up in this part of the country, you can’t beat the beautiful mornings. At the lake, it’s necessary, even in the mornings, to sit in the shade, preferably under a big tree, listening to the doves cooing. Views of the lake shimmering and sparkling in the early morning sun while sipping coffee are truly memorable and relaxing. It’s one of life’s true treasures – it’s the simple things! It’s always an adventure camping at the lake.
San Louis Obispo County, California (The Central Coast)
Paso Robles (Tobin James Winery)
Earth Date: 8/7/21 – 8/8/21
We arrived in Paso Robles several hours after leaving Buena Vista Lake, only to find it was just as hot there. Tobin James is a winery located on the east side of Paso Robles, where it’s much warmer and the oak trees are sparser. Paso Robles is known for their grand oaks, so it was a little disappointing that the east side is drier and not nearly as beautiful as the west side. The winery itself is a lovely establishment and appears to be quite popular among both locals and tourists. As members of Harvest Hosts at the time, we were allowed to stay overnight in their parking lot, located across the street from the winery. However, the property is just a big dirt field. Because of the dryness, it’s dusty and hot. Soon after parking, and succumbing to the heat with beads of perspiration popping out on my forehead and whimpering like a baby … believe me, it’s not pretty – we were ready for wine tasting and hopefully to cool off in the process!
It was way too hot to deal with the dust and heat, so after the wine tasting, we left to grab some lunch at Fish Gaucho. They have outdoor seating and they’re dog-friendly. A requisite for us, so we included our four-legged children. The food was spectacular, and we were finally cooled off and refilled.
San Louis Obispo County, California (The Central Coast)
Paso Robles (Dark Star Cellars)
Earth Date: 8/8/21 – 8/9/21
After breakfast, we departed for the west side of Paso Robles to Dark Star Cellars. This Harvest Host only has two places to host guests. We were told to park behind the buildings that butts up to a vineyard and a small knoll with beautiful oak trees that line the top of the hill. Beautiful – in a word! And because this parking area only accommodates one guest, we had privacy, and it was significantly cooler on the west side.
The winery features a large, lovely patio with several tables for guests to enjoy wine tasting, and is also home to chickens that roam around, as well as other animals. A cool place, and we enjoyed a wine tasting before leaving to find a spot for lunch. And because we tried several places that turned out to be closed, we ended up at Jack in the Box. Doesn’t everyone go to wine country for a good ol’ Jack burger? Yeah, I thought so too!
The funny part, though, is that the next day we discovered two restaurants nearby – one at the end of the road where Dark Star Cellars is located. Yikes! That afternoon, we returned for our second wine tasting and enjoyed chatting with the girl who poured our drinks.
The night sky is fabulous, and the place is so peaceful and quiet at night. I would love to camp here again in the future if given the chance.
San Louis Obispo County, California (The Central Coast)
Paso Robles (Grosso Kresser Vineyard)
Earth Date: 8/9/21 – 8/10/21
Now we’re headed to Grosso Kresser Vineyard for our third night stay as a Harvest Host guest. This boutique winery is also located on the west side and is situated more in the foothills of Paso Robles. They offer wine tastings by appointment, and once there, we were instructed to park inside the gated entry, where a slab has been poured for guests.
Karl, our host and winemaker, was extremely friendly and helpful in getting us parked on the slab so they could accommodate a second guest who was expected later. After getting settled, we headed up the hill where Karl had things set up on a huge patio so we could do a tasting. Karl is from Austria, and his wife is from Italy – hence the last names, Grosso & Kresser. These wines were exceptional, and Karl’s motto is quality above quantity. I mean, these were some of the best wines we ever tasted!
For lunch, hubby spotted a place that has wine tasting and a restaurant. Unfortunately, it was a Monday, and the place was closed. We continued to cruise around and ended up at KFC. *sigh* But it tasted good, and it’s been a very long time since we last had their chicken.
Mat and Ina were the second guests to arrive at Grosso Kresser, and we introduced ourselves and enjoyed their company. Ina is from West Germany, and Mat is originally from East Germany. They are such an interesting couple, and Ina writes for a popular wine magazine and makes jewelry. You can find her on Etsy!
The next morning, we ate breakfast outside in the vineyard, and we still marveled at who gets to eat breakfast next to a vineyard?
San Louis Obispo County, California (The Central Coast)
Paso Robles (Stanger Vineyard)
Earth Date: 8/10/21 – 8/11/21
Our last stop as a Harvest Host guest is Stanger Vineyard. It’s located on the east side, and by now, I’ve had my fill of being overheated and whiny, so I was about ready to back out and let them know we couldn’t keep the reservation. We checked the place out the day before, and we both felt that there was enough of a breeze for it to be doable.
We arrived and were told to park around back, on top of the hill, where several picnic tables had been set up. The place, however, had only a few oak trees and was mainly in the sun. And the grounds looked more like Sanford and Son. But the owners were friendly and even allowed us to refill the fresh water tanks from their water supply. I thought it was pretty generous!
But it’s hot and once again, I’m whiny and whimpering, so hubby is working fast to get us leveled and the generator going so I can go in and cool off. Once ready to meet the owners, we were asked to conduct a wine tasting at 6:00 p.m. after another guest was due to arrive. It seemed odd but okay…
For lunch, we headed back to the west side of town to a winery we had visited eons ago, which was based in an old house and was relatively small, called Barton Family Estate Wines. They’ve grown and, much to our surprise, even have a restaurant – yep, they’re the ones located at the end of the street where Dark Star Cellars is located. Slapping our heads…
The place was comfortable, calm, and fun! The food was excellent, but the wine was so-so. But it was a place to fill our tummies and cool off before heading back to the hot side of town and awaiting our hosts for wine tasting.
Long story short, this turned out to be the most fun place of all. Our hosts were hilarious, and I won a corkscrew for having the correct answer when they asked why the champagne glass he was holding had an extremely long handle and no base. The other Harvest Host guests were another couple, and we had a great time. The wine tasting lasted 2 ½ hours, with plenty of conversation, games, humor, and laughter, all accompanied by some truly exceptional wines.
The night sky was beautiful, but the kicker to this part of the trip was that some inane person had a radio playing way too loud, tuned to a talk show that lasted ALL night long. We were kept awake and couldn’t tell which direction the radio was playing from. Finally, the next morning around 6:00 a.m., when it’s still on, hubby gets dressed and goes outside to investigate.
When we step out, we no longer hear it. We look at each other in puzzlement, and then I say, “Is it the radio under our bed?” We check, and sure enough, the inane and rude people playing that radio are none other than ourselves! When hubby got under the bed last to arrange supplies, he must have brushed the radio somehow and turned it on. ACK! To the point, be sure to check that the emergency radio is not playing when you go to bed.
