Kristen at the top of the Mt Rubidoux in Riverside, CA
We left Flagstaff and headed immediately for Riverside, CA, to again stay with Julie en route to Sacramento. The drive was mostly uneventful, besides the previously mentioned detour onto Route 66.
We stayed with Julie for 2 nights, which gave us a full day in Riverside. We were a little antsy after sitting in the car for 8 hours the previous day, so we decided to do the famous local hike, up Mt Rubidoux. It was a nice hike, up a paved road, with some cool granite outcroppings to play on at the top. Later that day, after Julie was done with class, we hung out, cooked dinner, and watched Sherlock Holmes.
After Riverside, we planned to do a day of wine tasting on our way up to Sacramento. First stop was Santa Barbara. We left early, and arrived in time for a lunch of pho, and a nice cup of coffee from I.V. Drip, at Steve’s recommendation. After lunch, we visited 3 wineries in the Santa Maria valley – Zaca Mesa, Fess Parker, and Qupe. As usual, the wines were so good, we ended up buying more bottles than originally anticipated.
That night, Kristen cashed in some points for a free stay at a Hilton in Lompoc. Lompoc isn’t a typical travel destination, but it has one distinctive feature – the Lompoc Wine Ghetto. It’s a square block of industrial buildings, filled with rows and rows of small, independent wineries. We got there a little late, so we only had time for two – Loring and Taste of Santa Rita Hills (featuring wines from producers so small they don’t even have spots in the wine ghetto). We need to go back to this place. What an experience – 20 or 30 wineries all within a few feet of each other, and all so fantastic.
That night, we ate what would be our last Indian packets of the trip. The next day we would finally drive back to Sacramento, thus ending our North American odyssey. Next up: South America!
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