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Cruising California’s Coast
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We arose the next morning to find our hotel shrouded in a thick, wet blanket of fog. Knowing that the nearby mountains had a tendency to stop the fog from coming further inland, we decided to journey east on Highway 46, toward Paso Robles. Within 10 miles, the sun was shining brilliantly and the mercury began to rise. The microclimate created from the coastal fog and the mountains is perfect for growing grapes and over 70 wineries and 200 vineyards call this region home. We explored just a couple of wineries along Highway 46 before continuing onward to Paso Robles. This town of 25,000 has a downtown area filled with buildings from the late 1800s and early 1900s as well as a town square where we stumbled upon a local arts fair and learned that Paso Robles' winemaking history goes back to 1797 at the Mission San Miguel Archangel. We decided that should be our next stop and hopped back in the car for the short drive north.
Located a baseball's throw from the freeway, Mission San Miguel Archangel still looks nearly the same as when it was founded in 1797. We escaped from the near 100-degree temperatures by journeying within the cool adobe walls. We looked at the original painted designs that decorated the doorways and walls, while getting a feel for how the padres lived over 200 years ago. Our tour was cut shorter than usual as part of the Mission was closed due to earthquake damage and we found ourselves blinking in the hot sun, anxious to seek comfort in the BMW's air conditioning. We traveled back to our hotel base and enjoyed another leisurely walk along the shore.
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| ADDITIONAL RESOURCES |
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A D V E R T I S E M E N T
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