Reliving pastimes in Paso Robles
One of the best parts about road tripping is the freedom that comes from putting our wheels to the pavement and driving into adventure. We discovered this years ago, when we took to the road to celebrate each of our 30th birthdays, traveling the East Coast in 2017 and West Coast in 2018.
Nicole Anderson
However, no drive day ignites our adventurous roadtripper spirit quite like July 8, 2018. We were in our rented Toyota Corolla, making our way from Los Angeles to San Francisco. We hoped for a scenic drive up the Pacific Coast Highway, but as often happens, a good chunk of it was closed due to a rockslide. We found ourselves stuck on I-5, wishing we could trade the freeway farmlands for the bright blue ocean. No alternative route options were coming up on Google Maps, but that didn't stop us. Navigator Nicole found a forest road that looked to possibly connect US101 to the PCH. If we correctly recall, Street View hadn't yet traversed this road, and so all we could do was head that way and find out. These are the types of choices that can only be made by brave youngins who are in a venture-mobile small enough to go anywhere.
The map above not only shows how twisty this road would be, but it also directs us on US1 South. This meant that, while it expected we could connect to the PCH from the road, we wouldn't be able to turn north, which is where we needed to go. What's not shown on the map is that we were warned of a restricted road. Turns out we'd be journeying straight through Fort Hunter Liggett, a military base. We didn't know this until we came to the entrance, so imagine our trepidation when we pulled up to a gate with signs posted everywhere that our vehicle is subject to inspection.
After the fort came the forest, which seemed to go on forever. We took that little Corolla places it never thought it would go, as we veered around dozens of mountain curves with steep drop-offs filled with trees hundreds of feet tall.
Did we successfully make it to the other side? Well, you'll just have to read our archived blog post to find out.
This post isn't about our attempts to find the PCH. It's about what happened right before. We needed to get from I-5 to US101, and so we looked for roads that connected the two. We made our decision based on food, because some things never change. Nicole had found a highly rated Sunday brunch buffet at a golf course in Paso Robles, a city just off of US101. We considered it kismet that we just happened to be in the area on a Sunday, and so we decided to stop for brunch and then take US101 up to the forest road.
The golf course is Hunter Ranch, a beautiful hillside retreat next to one of the many area vineyards. The views were great, but they were no match for the deliciousness we experienced that morning. To this day, our brunch remains one of, if not the best, restaurant brunch buffets we've ever experienced. The food was hot, fresh, and readily replenished. The desserts were fantastic. We stuffed ourselves until we could fit nothing more in our stomachs, and then we mooched off the pro shop's WIFI for a few minutes so Nicole could quickly draft a blog post. Again, some things never change. Except now we have our own WIFI, so yay for that.
We only spent a quick few hours in Paso Robles, but it made a lasting impression. The city is gorgeous, nestled in the rolling hills and dotted with vineyards and farms. Some of the wineries look like they are plucked straight out of Tuscany, and in these green hills, you almost feel like you're really there.
Little did we know that these road trip experiences would be a major impetus for us buying an RV and hitting the road. Little did we know that we'd return to Paso Robles someday, this time with our house in tow!
Paso Robles wasn't actually in our Season 4 travel plans, though. If you read our last post, you know that no plans were definitive once we got through our Utah Redemption Tour. This was more an "If we're going to keep traveling, where do we think we'll enjoy going?" kind of decision. We didn't book our campsite in Paso until April 20th, 3 days before finishing our Redemption Tour. Basically, Paso became our dangling carrot, a land of beauty and nostalgia to entice us to not use our post-Utah exit point.
Nothing screams burnout like shelling out over $100/night on a swanky Paso Robles resort in an attempt at an anti-adventure. It succeeded, though. We were able to decompress and enjoy the amenities. Sun Communities has pretty much taken over Paso, and so of our choices for Sun Outdoors and Sun RV Resorts, we chose Sun Outdoors Paso Robles. If we're going to go triple digits with our nightly rate, we want it to be at a resort like this.
We didn't plan very many outings during our week in Paso, but we had a couple non-negotiables. First, we needed to see Sensorio. This is an outdoor art installation that opened in 2019. Because Nicole had kept tabs on Paso Robles ever since our brief rendezvous, she watched its creation from afar, wondering if we would ever get a chance to see it. Back in 2019, it was just one exhibit, Field of Light by artist Bruce Munro, and no one had made a final decision on whether or not it would be permanent. Then, over the years, Munro added new installations, and Sensorio was here to stay. Now, visitors can pay for a ticket to all the Munro exhibits, or add on access to an exhibit by artist collective HYBYCOZO, which was added last year. We purchased the total access ticket to all exhibits.
The installations are an integration of light, sculptural materials, and the surrounding nature. Visitors view the art after dark and are invited to be leisurely in doing so. As everyone waits for the sun to set, food and drinks are served on the lawn alongside musical entertainment. There is a food stand and food truck. Throughout the various exhibits are Airstreams that sell wine and other beverages. A maze of walkways take people from one exhibit to the next, and there are plenty of benches and bistro chairs to sit and take a rest. The HYBYCOZO exhibit offers an exclusive patio for total access members with lots of cozy firepits. Field of Light also has a terrace that overlooks the installation. Access to this terrace can be purchased as an add-on.
We weren't sure if 6 years of building up Field of Light in our minds would ultimately disappoint us, but as soon as the fiberoptic bulbs began turning on, we had our answer. Field of Light is absolutely breathtaking. The photos we had seen over the years do not capture how vast this installation is. It seems to go on for miles, with its vibrant blanket of light draping over the hills. The visual experience is more than enough, but it's coupled with the cool California breeze and the chirping crickets. This is art and nature integration at its finest.
The 100,000 fiberoptic bulbs are powered by solar collectors.
Turning on at dusk
Early nighttime glow
Late nighttime glow
We could see why Field of Light attracted so many visitors during Sensorio's inception. This exhibit is the reason Sensorio still exists and continues to grow with new art. We found it sensory, dreamy, and romantic.
We then walked over to Light Towers, 69 pillars of wine bottles. Each pillar contains over 200 bottles of wine, to pay homage to the 200+ wineries in Paso Robles. Next, we passed through Gone Fishing and Fireflies, two of Munro's smaller exhibits showcasing unique shapes of fiberoptics. The fireflies interact with nature by swaying in the wind.
Munro's latest exhibit opened only a couple of weeks before we visited. FOSO, which stands for Fiberoptic Symphony Orchestra, integrates a musical score alongside large umbrellas of fiberoptic light. Walking through the installation is a surround sound experience. Each umbrella assumes a different instrument, and when that instrument plays, the lights flicker in time with the music's tempo.
Lastly, we made our way to Dimensions, the exhibit by HYBYCOZO, the collaborative studio of artists Serge Beaulieu and Yelena Filipchuk. They teamed up with composer Alen Hulsey to explore the relationship between the metal sculptures, the movement and shadows they create, and the music. Some of the exhibits were interactive, where we could walk inside them and spin some of the geometric prisms. The artists sought to transport visitors to another world, and they succeeded.
Sensorio is special. We are picky when it comes to these types of immersive art experiences. May we remind you about Arte Museum? We would say we found ourselves comparing the two, but truly, there is no comparison. It goes without saying that the art at Sensorio is thoughtful, unique, and beautiful, but the overall experience was wonderful, too. We loved how everything was laid out. To get from one exhibit to the next, we went along dark walkways and corridors, almost like a sensory deprivation to cleanse ourselves before the next immersion. We got to see each exhibit from multiple vantage points, on higher level walkways, outside the exhibit, and within the exhibit. The invitation to sit and stay a while was there, but it wasn't in our face. We felt comfortable to go at our own pace. The staff were attentive and knowledgeable, but unlike some museums, we didn't feel like they were hovering over us. In fact, the level of respect of the art was palpable. Even other spectators kept their voices down and gave space for everyone to enjoy the exhibits. We saw no one being raucous or rambunctious. Sensorio is continuing to add more exhibits, and we can't wait to see what comes next.
Our only other non-negotiable was that, before leaving Paso Robles, we just had to return to Hunter Ranch, the scene of the best buffet ever. Now, our expectations were checked before we went. We knew that the buffet was no longer offered, and instead the restaurant is open for breakfast and lunch daily, offering everything you'd expect from a golf course grill, plus some unique options like fish tacos and coconut shrimp. We also noticed that the restaurant includes a pet menu, so we knew we'd be joined by a companion for our luncheon.
That is the face of a dog who just realized that we woke him from his deep, deep slumber for good reason: dining al fresco! We may have imposed his love of trains on him, but this here is a real love.
Who would have thought on that adventurous July day that someday we'd be back, and our dog, now 13 years old, would be with us? We love full circle moments in our RV life.
Driving up the entrance road to the ranch, lots of memories came back, but we also noticed that a lot had changed in the past 7 years. Hello, solar carports!
But, for the most part, the ranch and its views remained the same: The golf course situated on the hills, the pro shop, and the restaurant with wrap-around deck.
What a beautiful day to sit overlooking the golf course and reminisce about our early road tripping days! And sharing the stories with our son, of course.
For nostalgia's sake, we were so happy to be back, but food-wise, that buffet was like lightning in a bottle. It won tons of awards, and it certainly got an award from us! This meal, though, was mostly standard. Lots of foods that come frozen but cooked on site, done well, but insanely overpriced for what we got. The service was slow and we had several moments of needing to alert and remind them of things we needed, like napkins and utensils. The staff were very nice, though, and were great about giving Tanner his space. And, considering the waitresses were responsible for bringing Tanner his tri tip doggy dish, they were alright in his book.
During our meal, Nicole theorized that back in the buffet days, they probably hired a catering company. Let's face it, Paso has tons of great catering companies that work with the wineries for events. The buffet was the high standard we'd expect from caterers in the area, and those desserts were undoubtedly the work of a pastry chef. We think we solved the mystery. Now if only we knew which catering company it was! Don't think we didn't try and research it, because we did.
And it was during that research that we discovered something very interesting about our two Paso Roble must-visit locations. Hunter Ranch was taken over by a new owner in 2019, which also seems to be the year the buffet brunch stopped. But wait a minute, 2019 was also the year Sensorio opened. Coincidence? Actually, no. Ken Hunter III took over Hunter Ranch after his dad passed away in 2000. In 2019, he sold the ranch to a real estate investor, but we found no information on a public-facing new owner. During this time, Ken conceptualized a vision for an outdoor art installation across the street from the ranch. He and his wife Bobbi had a passion for blending art, technology, and nature, and after many years of passion and innovation, brought their ideas to life. When Ken made the decision to list Hunter Ranch for sale just one month before Sensorio opened, his real estate agent went on record, assuring the community that this was not a financial move to fund Sensorio, but instead a change of focus.
As for the current state of Hunter Ranch, word is that a real estate development group has plans to revamp the golf course, but this seems to have been in talks for a few years and nothing has happened yet. Will we someday return to a totally new and fresh Hunter Ranch? Will they have a delicious buffet brunch again? Only time will tell.
With all the vineyards and farms in this part of California, we felt like we'd be doing RV life wrong if we didn't go to a Harvest Host before leaving Paso Robles. And so, after 6 nights at Sun Outdoors, we traded the resort life for the farm life. Since we don't drink, we wanted to see what options we'd have besides the vineyards, and we found 43 Ranch Olive Oil 30 minutes north, in the town of San Ardo. It was highly rated and raved about by some of our fellow RVers on Instagram.
43 Ranch offers a few different spots for RVs to park, and some have water and electric hookups. However, if you are able to be self-contained, the coveted "premium" spots are up the street, up a hill, and have their own cleared spots with firepits. The views on the Harvest Host listing looked amazing. That's where we wanted to go. Only, we couldn't quite make it. We got up the street just fine, navigating all the curves and definitely watching out for branches, but the final hill looked very steep, with a narrow road and a precarious curve.
We have a deceptively wide turning radius, thanks to our giant Clyde and the long span between our combined rig's front and rear axles. We did not want to risk needing to take that curve wide and track our back wheels off the edge of the hill. So we turned around and went back to the store, where we parked in a much more convenient, though much less scenic, spot in the parking lot. At least we had the olive groves off the back.
A secluded campsite with gorgeous views would have been great, but ultimately, we visited for the olive oil. We are huge fans of trying local oils and vinegars, and we know that California olives produce some delectable oils because Nicole's aunt harvests olive oil on her California ranch.
Love finding local oils, too? Read this!
Nicole Anderson
We did an oil tasting, where we got to sample 6 different kinds of olive oils from various origins. 43 Ranch has 6,000 olive trees, with olives from Greece, Italy, and Spain. Two of the oils we tried were co-milled with other ingredients, one with lemon and one with chili peppers, and another oil was a blend of all the oils cultivated from the last harvest. We purchased two flavors to take with us: Miller's Choice Greek olive oil, and the chili olive oil. Our heads are already spinning with ideas on what we can cook!
After our tasting, we decided to get our ebikes out and ride up the hill to check out the campsites that could have been ours. We met the resident cows along the way, before making the steep climb up the final hill that even gave our pedal-assisted bikes trouble!
We were right that the curve would have been tough. Probably doable if Nicole had gotten out and spotted. There was more shoulder than we could see from the bottom of the hill. However, something else we couldn't see was the giant rut running all the way up the steepest portion of the hill. This would have meant us keeping our tires as far to the outer edge of the road as possible, and this would have been a bit panic-inducing.
Once we got to the top, we saw exactly why these spots are considered premium. They were level, spacious, and had views to boot!
With a smaller rig, we absolutely would have made the trek, but we were glad we played it safe. Looking at the photos on the Harvest Host listing, we saw no large travel trailers at the top of the hill. The larger rigs that did make it were motorhomes and fifth wheels, whose front-to-rear axle span is a lot shorter than ours. This is something we learned very early on about our rig, at our first Harvest Host. This is why we don't usually push the bounds when it comes to our maneuverability around turns.
We still felt our Harvest Host experience was a great way to end our time in Paso Robles and surrounding towns. We love this part of California, and getting to take our RV to this region reminded us of how far we've come in the past 7 years. But, as we always say, our love of road tripping remains. That's what keeps us moving forward as we figure out our transition out of full-time RV life. We might be ready to close this chapter soon, but we will find new ways to incorporate our love of road trips into our lives. Until then, though, we keep on driving.