If you came by on Monday, May 18. You'll remember I talked about my upcoming road trip. If you didn't, here is a short recap.
"I'll be going to SLO Beer Fest. I'll also be going on a wine tasting tour of four wineries, and dining at Jocko's steak house. I'm going to be doing alot of Vintage hunting and visit my Aunt on her Almond Orchard in Atascadero."
The trip was only four days, and we may have tried to squeeze to much in. We didn't get to do everything we planned. When you travel with five other people, concessions have to be made.
We did however do some really cool stuff.
We started off in Palm Springs, CA. and drove up the 101. Hands down, some of the best scenery in the whole country.
Day one:
It was a long drive and we didn't get into town until late. I was the driver, so I didn't get a chance to take to many pictures. After we checked into our hotel, we headed out to a few down town San Luis
Obispo bars. Nothing really exciting. Moving on...
Day two:
This is the view from our hotel we woke up to.
Then...
Beer Fest!
23rd Annual California Festival of Beers and Golf Tournament!
@
Avila Beach Golf Resort.
Live bands and about 100 beers to choose from. Here a just a few pics...
There were constant lines at the
Porta-
Pottys.
My Brother trying to get in one last beer before last call.
After beer fest, it was back to the hotel to chill out and hit the pool for a while before heading out to eat.
For dinner we went to Jocko's in
Nipomo, CA.
From the outside, this unassuming building has not a single sign that even mentions the food you can get inside. The Sign on the side of the building simply reads "Jocko's Cocktails".
Once inside you can sit in one of the dinning rooms, or go straight ahead to the bar. I love the bar. It's dark, full of locals, and the drinks will put hair on your chest.
We opted for the dining room. And I'm glad we did. Through a window in the dinning room, you can look back at the open pit coal grill. You could also go around the side of the building, and actually go back to the pit. Which of course I did.
I ended up deciding on the "
Small" Spencer Steak. When my steak came it didn't disappoint.
It was huge, at least 2" thick. Seasoned perfectly, rare and tender. I've been to
alot of steak houses, small and high end. And I can honestly say, this was the best steak I've ever had, period. Jocko's prices can't be beat. For $20.99, I had the aforementioned steak, salad, baked beans, a baked potato, garlic bread, coffee, and ice cream. If you know of a better deal anywhere, I want to know about it.
I wish I could post a
web page for for Jocko's. But alas, they don't have one. So, if you ever find yourself driving up the 101 in California. Be sure to check this place out.
125 N Thompson Ave (just off Highway 101)
Nipomo, CA 93444
805-929-3686
Day 3:
We were supposed to do a tour of four wineries. We ended up doing just one. But it was fun. I've never gone wine tasting before. I'm more of a beer and
Bourbon kind of guy.
We went to the Tobin James Winery. they don't mess around at this place. We must have sampled at least 14 different wines. They even let us taste the expensive top shelf labels. Most were pretty good, the reds were especially
tasty.
After all the wine, we kind of forgot to take pictures.
If you would like to check out Tobin James Winery, click the link below.
http://www.tobinjames.com/
8950 Union Road
Paso Robles, California 93446
(805) 239-2204
Here is one of the guys and I, just before we left.
After that we headed to my Aunt's house in Atascadero (20 minutes north of SLO). By the time we got there, we were losing daylight fast. But here are a couple of the pictures that came out.
My Aunt made us an awesome dinner. Which was good, because we were still full of wine at that point.
After dinner we headed back to Downtown
SLO to hit more bars. Once again, no pictures of that.
Day 4:
Last day of our trip. After hitting the bars the night before, we needed a good breakfast before we got on the road.
Every time we're in
SLO we hit
Splash Cafe & Artisan Bakery. They have some of the best Clam Chowder in California. If you ever make it to Splash, here is my suggestion. Clam Chowder in a Sourdough Bowl with Sea Food Topping. Amazing! and only about $9 with a small drink.
You can also purchase their soup through mail order. Follow the link below.
http://www.splashbakery.com/index.html
1491 Monterey St.
San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
805-544-7567
On the way home we stopped off in Santa Barbara for an art festival at Mission Santa Barbara.
All the artwork was chalk, and oil pastels on the ground. There were some incredible artists there. Some of these pieces looked like photographs.
From there we made one last stop in Ventura to check out the Ventura Pier.
I know I said I was going to post pics of all the vintage stuff I found while on my trip. But, I just ran out of time. I'll be back up in SLO in about three weeks. I'll deffinatley get in plenty of vintage hunting then.
All in all it was a great trip. There's nothing better than an early summer road trip....
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