The day was heavy with humidity as we gathered to begin our ride to California.  Oh no, RAIN...but as with any day in Arizona we began driving and soon left the raindrops behind.  A long ride to get to the Angeles Crest highway, but well worth the wait.  We pulled over and dropped the tops on the cars as the light clouds overhead let the sun shine down on us.  We found a beautiful pull out for a photo op and were soon on our way enjoying the twisy ride to find NewComb's Ranch Inn for lunch.  Soon we had finished our lunch and were once again on our way toward Lompoc to hook up with friends we had not seen since last summer.  An exciting ride through Los Angeles during rush hour could not dampen our spirits as we finally found our way to the hotel.  We checked in and headed right over to La Botte (a delightful Italian restaurant) to have supper.  Dinner was filled with laughter, good conversation, and friendly faces.  Before we knew it, the day was over and we were back at the hotel saying our good nights and getting ready for the next day.  Hmmmmmm  will I go to the beach or to Solvang and the wineries???  

Friday morning came in with a light fog and gentle breeze.  Slightly cool for the Arizonans on the trip, but the San Diego group indicated that this is the norm for the coast.  The Beach group met at 9:00 AM for their drivers meeting, and were on their way to beaches and Santa Barbara.  What a great day they had at the Beaches on the California coast.  7 Skys left Lompoc in the direction of Santa Barbara.  Beach #1 was Gaviota State Park.  Our group got their feet wet in the cold Pacific.  It was a small beach with a pier and camping.  Beach #2 was Refugio State Beach.  It was a nice sandy Beach and had many more people than the first beach.  We had a chance to take a picture of our cars at this beach.  The third beach we went to was El Capitan.  It was another beautiful beach with lots of people, beautiful sand and our cars.  Finally it was time for lunch.  We went to the Boathouse for good food and a table of 12 in Santa Barbara.  The group continued into the heart of Santa Barbara and drove in line on the pier at Stearns Wharf in a procession.  Rich took us up and around the city where we saw great views and expensive homes.  We headed to meet up with the Solvang group at Stearn's Wharf for dinner. 

The Solvang group met at 9:30  and were off in a flash to hit as many twisty back roads as they could find.  We went off toward Route 1 and found Santa Rosa avenue that took us through the back country.  Soon we were wending our way down through vinyards and rolling hills.  We toured down the 101 until we found Nojoqui County park and drove across an oak tree lined road where the scenery was gorgeous and the twisy road perfect.  We were in Solvang before we had finished breathing in the lavendar scented air,  enjoyed all that the flowers, rolling hills, nut groves and country had in store for us.  We explored the town for about an hour before meeting at Bit O'Denmark for lunch.  Everything served, was delightful.  I heard the words "The Best Monte Cristo sandwich I have ever tasted", and ummmmm this is delicious from different people around the table.  Soon we were headed off to the wineries.  First we found Rusack winery with a lovely patio to enjoy the rolling hills, cool gentle breeze and fresh air.  Our favorite winery was Firestone which we found next!  It had oils and mustards to taste as well as reasonably priced wines and delightful ambiance.  Located at the top of the hill the winery stood out as a beautiful place for a wedding reception.  Then down to Fess Parker Winery, just a mile up the road.  It was an absolutely beautiful place with sculptured lawns and shade trees set in the rolling hills of California.  A very busy place, and practically impossible to get to the wine tasting area.  We decided to forgo the tasting and head back to the hotel to change and head south to Santa Barbara.  We met the beach group on Stearns Wharf and went to dinner at Moby Dick Restaurant.  Everyone had another wonderful dinner.  We welcomed Alan and Pam into our group and tales of the day filled the air.  I can not wait to see what tomorrow brings.  We are headed for Monterey, and each day is filled with joy, laughter, friendship and good times.  What more could one ask for....

What a day!  We all met to head north on the CA 1 toward Pismo Beach.  The cars drove down onto the beach for a picture in front of the sand and surf - Julius and Sheena stayed up top to video the group as we returned from the beach. From Pismo, we went tops down and headed to Hearst Castle to join up with members of the West Coast Kappa Club.  We left Alan and Pam at the Castle while the rest of us went to stretch our legs and check out Seal Beach.  Soon, we wound our way up the coast to Ragged Point for lunch out on the patio.  With the fog rolling in, we hit the road again with 15 cars.  The cars broke up into smaller groups as we headed north and delighted in the beautiful ocean views, cooler temperatures and the twisty, winding road.  It was extremely relaxing as there was a lot of traffic on the road and the driving was not too challanging.  Most everyone was together as we reached the Big Sur area and spotted our dinner place out on a point near the ocean.  Our goal was to reach Asilomar/hotels, check in, and drive the 45 minutes back to Rocky Point for dinner.  Arriving at Asilomar we discovered Brad and Julie from Boise, ID waiting to join us.  They drove with us to dinner and we took pictures of the view and cars.  We all had a beautiful ocean view and the sun set behind a fog bank...I can just imagine its beauty if we had had clear skies.  Road weary after the long day, we headed back to our rooms to rest up and find out what tommow will bring. 

Sunday dawned cool and foggy as we found our way to the breakfast room.  After a hot breakfast and lively conversation, we left Brad and Jullie to head south and we went off to River Road.  Our first group went into Monterey to visit the aquarium and walk along Cannery Row.  They had a GREAT time.  Our second group started with 11 cars, then Fred and Jane (from the Napa area) joined us for the great Twisted ride.  John and Lynn took the lead as we made turn after turn.  We happened upon Sycamore Winery half way through the run and decided to stop for a break.  As the line of cars turned into the winery, the sign said "closed".  The group just circled the buildings to leave when the owners stopped us and said they would open early for us!  After a free tasting (that turned out not to be so free as we loved their wine and everyone spent money), we were on our way with blue skies and warm sun above the trees overhanging the road.  The road was small, often one lane, and full of challenges all the way to Carmel Valley.  Carlos and Sheila - new members to GM Roadster - joined us in Carmel Valley and we all had lunch at a Mexican restaurant before heading to Chateau Julien for one more tasting.   Several group members headed out on their own to explore different areas after lunch.  All arrived at Asilomar in time to drive toward the beach area via Cannery Row and then the 17 mile drive around the Carmel penninsula.  Rich led the ride and Kathy was our "tour guide" throughout the drive citing information on interesting points as we drove.  The group took time to stop by a Market for sandwiches and sodas to take down to Carmel City beach.  We enjoyed the beautiful evening breeze, our sandwiches, the sand, surf, fire and excellent comraderie.  Right after the sun set, we headed back to Asilomar.  I'll bet you think that was the end of the day right???   But not really... We spent the last few hours relaxing and revisiting what happened during the day in front of a fire.  Tomorrow some are going home while others are heading off to Napa.  Happy Trails every one....  Till we meet again...