Santa Margarita, CA: July 13-16

We left Malibu with a lot of fond memories and a wish that we could stay longer but we pressed on to Santa Margarita, CA.  We arrived around 5:00 PM and were treated to a nice shady sight where we set up for the next 4 nights.  The first day was maintenance (oil change for the van) and then on to lunch - great Mexican.   We then stopped to see an outstanding Veterans Memorial "Faces of Freedom" in Atascadero, CA.  The Memorial was built to honor all veterans and specifically the 231 Veterans from San Luis Obispo County who paid the ultimate price for our nation.  Their names are engraved on the heros wall at the Memorial.  It was truly a memorable sight.

"Faces of Freedom" Veterans Memorial - Atascadero, CA

Tim at "Faces of Freedom"

The back of "Faces of Freedom"

Next we decided to explore and see what winery's we could find for tastings.  We decided our first stop would be Pomar Junction Vineyard & Winery.  When we arrived, we were told they were one of the few Winery's open for tastings on Wednesdays.  Good luck was with us!  Greeting us & pouring our wine was Shelley, and what started as a quick tasting turned into an afternoon affair.  The tasting room was surrounded by the vineyards and great views were found in every direction.  The tasting was very laid back and we were encouraged to roam the grounds as we sipped their wines and return for another varietal when we were ready. Outside, there were gardens and even a boxcar and caboose that we roamed through. We spent a leisurely 3 hours tasting multiple offerings and enjoying the company of Shelley.  As we prepared to leave, one of their neighbors appeared in the garden - a large hawk!  It came to cool off in the fountain, have a drink and the go on to the bird bath.  We were all entertained by its antics.

Pomar Junction Vineyards

Barb enjoying her wine

Tim enjoys his wine while checking out the caboose

The Hawk

Enjoying a bath

While we were talking with Shelley, she mentioned that there was music in the park in Templeton on Wednesday evenings.  She said it was always fun and something we should check out.  We decided to go and she provided us with lawn chairs, wine and glasses.  We purchased sandwiches to go with our wine and proceeded to have a great evening enjoying the swing band in the park.

Tim at Templeton's Music in the Park

The Band

Can you tell we're enjoying ourselves?

Our final day here was spent riding the Super Glide to the Hearst Castle. Temperature swings were the order of the day.  When we left Santa Margarita, it was in the 90's but when we got to the coast we were glad to have our leather jackets on.  We arrived at the Hearst Castle visitors center to purchase our tickets for a tour and then took a break to have a picnic in the parking lot.  The first part of the tour was an IMAX film on the building of the Castle.  We then took the 5 mile bus ride to the Castle itself.  The tour took us from Neptune's Pool, the gardens,  through Casa del Sol and Casa Grande.  The views were beautiful and the houses and gardens were spectacular.  It's hard to believe that people really lived here at one time.

Tim enjoying our picnic 

Casa del Sol

Barb at Neptune's Pool

Hearst Castle sits on a hilltop overlooking the Pacific Ocean 5 miles away

Casa Grande

Indoor Pool with gold tiles

At the end of the Castle tour by the indoor pool

As we began our ride home, we stopped on the coast to join the rest of the tourists in watching the elephant seals sunning themselves.  It was definitely a sight to see!

Elephant Seal taking in the sun

Elephant Seals on the beach