We Finish with Justin

Late each afternoon of this trip we gather to enjoy tasty bites along with BYO drinks.

This was the sky as we ended our third day in Paso Robles.

A great climax to a great trip is more wonderful wine.  On our fourth day, we drove up through rolling hills lined with rows of grape vines.  Our destination for the afternoon was Justin Winery.  We began with a delicious lunch accompanied by a light Sauvignon Blanc and provided by charming servers.

The ladies pose for a group photo

while the men fiddle with their cameras.

We then relocated to a nearby Justin location for a private tasting of their outstanding wines.  We started with malbac and each succeeding red was better than the previous.

We left Justin with wonderful additions to our past days’ collection of wines.

This has been a fabulous trip thanks to the careful planning by Noreen.  We will continue to thank her as we return home and enjoy our liquid souvenirs.

Morro Bay

Morro Rock, actually a small volcano, dominates the seascape of the charming town.  Light clouds filled the sky and sailboats swayed.  We enjoyed wandering through the shops and pausing frequently to enjoy the view.

Giovanni’s, where we chose to have lunch, overlooks the bay and serves a nice range of seafood choices.

Following lunch we boarded the Lost Isle boat for a short cruise in the bay.

Our captain, who is a native of the area, gave us an excellent lesson on the sea life of the bay.  This raft of otters, who were almost hunted to extinction, has grown.  The females give birth to one offspring every three years.

They do not migrate and only a few males leave the area.  Having no predators, they seem to spend their time basking and frolicking. 

This peninsula is on the migration route of the brown pelican.

These sea lions must stay out of the water for a couple of days to dry their coats.

Staying true to one of the aims of this trip, we stopped at Turley’s for a luscious sampling of both white and red wine.  Again, we left with a few samples.

San Luis Obispo

We are enjoying relaxing days that start late-ish but are full of good adventures.  We started today with a wonderful lunch at Taste, a well-earned name.  With choices of sliders, salads and sides, each of us thought we made the best choice.

Our leader Noreen holds up our reservation sign.

Next we had an excellent tour of Mission San Luis Obispo, built in 1772. 

This was the fifth of nine missions founded by Junipero Serra. 

The mission was named after Saint Louis of Anjou, Bishop of Toulouse.  Known as the Boy Bishop, he was the son and heir of a king but chose the Franciscan life instead of the throne.  This mission embodies the simpler style of the Franciscans.

Here is our group in front of the original bells in the tower.

This sculpture pond sits at the base of the stairs leading to the mission.

A fun fact:  Adobe was used to build throughout the southwest.  The material holding clay and other materials together is manure.

Another fun fact: Back in the frontier days, cow hides were called “California Gold” for their trade value.

Note the hours on this barbershop sign.  Maybe the bar next door has something to do with the times.

Later in the afternoon we worked up a thirst for wine.  Tobin James is a winery with personality.  This bar originally stood in Blue Eye, Missouri back in the 1860s and is alleged to have a bullet hole from a gun fired by one of the James Brothers. 

We enjoyed the tasting and felt compelled to bring some back with us.

Springfield RV Caravan to Paso Robles

Six Rvs drove out the gate, onto the highway, and south to Paso Robles.  That’s a long drive through the central valley of California.  At the end of the journey we gathered in the evening to share a pot luck, such good cooks and shoppers we are. 

After a good night’s sleep, we headed out on our first day’s adventure, to lunch in Cambria. 

Moonstone Beach Bar and Grill is known for its seafood which we found good but not great.  After lunch we strolled across the road to enjoy the beauty of the tide pools and gentle surf of the Pacific Ocean.

 Seals basked on rocks and floated near the shore.  The blue sky was streaked with streamers of white clouds.  It was warm and lovely.

Next we toured the town of Cambria.  The town is filled with a wonderful array of scarecrows for their annual festival.  Admiring the unique-to-the-businesses where they stood, they are most amusing.

We also ducked in and out of shops filled with art, food stuffs, clothing and collectibles.  We did leave with a few bags of goodies.  Then we went down the road to Linn’s Gourmet and Goods Shop and left with additional bags.

On our way back to the RV park, we stopped at Jack Creek Farms (a fifth generation family farm) to sample varieties of honey and syrup.  The charming woman who provided us with endless samples led us to leave with even more bags.

Worn out after our hectic day, we sat chatting and nibbling the leftovers from the pot luck.