Travelling between Buellton and Paso Robles involves weaving in and around hills and valleys of the coastal ranges before opening up into the San Luis Obispo Valley at the base of the San Lucia Mountains.
The town of San Luis Obispo, like most college towns (home to CAL Poly-San Luis Obispo), features a downtown area vibrant and alive with a great mix of retail and restaurants in restored buildings. Mission San Luis Obispo is near the center of town across a creek from the main street and only a block away (which makes it easy for a walking visit!) It also has the classiest “Ross Dress for Less” that I have ever seen…
Just down the street from Ross I do one of my “look both ways” picture sets of the main downtown area.
Back at the mission the original grounds have long been swallowed up by the surrounding urban area as the mission is surrounded by a creek-side park, historic residential buildings and a school. Yet, it is still a striking setting. The picture below is taken from the sidewalk in front of the mission.
This is obviously a healthy, modern parish that has been in constant use throughout the years and seen many modifications. The traditional quadrangle design is loosely interpreted here, with the central plaza mostly a parking lot surrounded by a youth center, senior center, and housing for the fathers. Yet the ghost of the original mission remains. The interior of the church is beautifully restored with painted frescoes instead of expensive wood carvings forming the primary means of decoration. An addition to the main church was added over the years so now, in order to accommodate the large numbers of worshipers, the church has two perpendicular wings with the altar at the center. The addition blends seamlessly into the main church and really the only indication that it is an addition is that the altar and pulpit are focused in the direction of the original church rather than the side addition and the choir loft sits above the original main door.
Note again the evolving simplicity of the decorations in the missions as we move farther north along the El Camino Real. Extensive frescoes are painted on the walls rather than featuring carved wood panels and oil paintings, both of which would have been very expensive to transport into the interior of California from Mexico and/or Spain.
Because the mission is actively used and evolved over time as needs required, it really does not have the all-encompassing historical feel that many of the other missions have. A small museum houses some relics of by-gone eras but it’s clear that the function is of a modern church reaching the needs of current people while still respecting the heritage of its past. Different feel but still very interesting. Back on the road a quick thirty miles takes us through the Templeton Gap in the Santa Lucia Mountains and down into the Paso Robles Valley.
Paso Robles
The Paso Robles Valley has been inhabited for hundreds of years by natives drawn to the area by numerous hot springs. Spanish missionaries arrived in the 1700s and established Mission San Miguel just north of present day Paso Robles. They planted the first vineyards in the area and an extensive agricultural heritage began. The arrival of the railroad in the area in late 1880s lead to the founding of the city of Paso Robles in 1889. The Hotel El Paso de Robles, now the Paso Robles Inn, was built in 1889 to house visitors to the hot springs and across the street a two block city park quickly became the center of town.
I visit town on a balmy Saturday and the park and surrounding streets are alive with activity. The park is anchored by the 1908 Carnegie Library, now a museum.
Paso Robles is not a large city, population is around 26,000, and most of the growth in the area has occurred since the 1940’s. The streets framing the downtown park are lined with restored buildings that are home to the elegantly understated businesses serving the wine tourists.
The town is not the draw to the crowds of visitors who come to the area each year, it’s all about the wine. The Templeton Gap in the Santa Lucia Mountains that we passed through on our way here from San Luis Obispo allows cool ocean air to penetrate the hot interior and creates microclimates perfect for growing grapes. Over two hundred wineries dot the countryside around Paso Robles in two general areas, the more mountainous west and the rolling hills east.
The Vineyards
To the west rugged hills rise above the narrow valley that is home to Paso Robles.
It’s a week day so I am able to take the Lunch Box on the narrow roads that thread through these hills without encountering much traffic. Join me on a short drive (about twenty miles) as I circle through the western vineyards.
It was a beautiful day for a drive.
A couple of days later I head out to tour wine country east of Paso Robles. The rolling hills and shallow valleys offer specialize microclimates that allow for the cultivation of different types of grapes.
Given the literally hundreds of vineyards and tasting rooms in the immediate area, I can’t visit them all so I pick one of the more renowned, Sculpterra. The Sculpterra wine estate lies in the Linne Valley southeast of Paso Robles. The valley provides a slightly cooler microclimate but still with plenty of sunshine. The vineyard consists of 135 acres planted with ten different varieties of grapes. One enters the estate through a majestic set of sculptured metal gates.
Ahead lies the main building complex, sheltered in the grand oaks of Central California.
A manicured garden lays out in front of the tasting room, studded with spectacular metal sculptures.
Once in the main building one enters a large reception area along with a smaller tasting room to the side.
Out back is another green space with a small bar for wine tasting, several event venues and a small demonstration vineyard that has a row of each type of grape grown on the estate.
Sprawling across a hillside to the west is a collection of metal animal sculptures.
A large mastodon and an elegant staircase guard the entrance to the estate vineyards.
Once up the stairs vineyards flow over the surrounding hills.
Standing at the edge of the vineyards I turn around and look back at the estate buildings.
Circling back to the front I pass through the east side gardens and return to the front parking lot.
Two large sculptures guard the front.
Really a fascinating stop on my trip! Climbing out of the Linne Valley I circle back towards Paso Robles through acres and acres of vineyards.
The Paso Robles wine country straddles the historic Spanish Camino Real and just ten miles north of the city along the Spanish road (now the highway) is Mission San Miguel.
Mission San Miguel
The contrast between Mission San Luis Obispo and Mission San Miguel couldn’t be more striking. Just ten miles north of Paso Robles over a small ridge emerges a part of the valley that is clearly not prosperous. San Miguel is a little, bedraggled collection of run down houses and businesses strung out along the old highway with a couple of modern residential subdivisions whose residents must be commuting to nearby Paso Robles because I can’t see anything much that would have jobs around here.
Mission San Miguel reflects the community in that it appears that it is being lovingly maintained with minimal attempt at restoration, thus giving the visitor one of the more realistic atmospheres for exploring the history of a mission. A simple mission built in the traditional quadrangle shape around a central plaza, visitors only have access to the front wing and the church, the rest of the buildings surrounding the quadrangle are not open to tourists and, looking from the covered corridor on the side that you get to walk through, they do not seem to have been restored in anyway. Again, the dry climate has undoubtedly helped with the preservation of the original buildings. From across the old highway you see the front wing of the quadrangle and the church, which forms the right wing.
The tourist entrance is to the left of the large tree and sets the feeling of the visit right away. The central interior plaza is large but clearly not “professionally” landscaped like some of the others I have seen, again contributing to the “real” feeling.
The church displays the familiar long, narrow design and is richly decorated with colorful frescoes. It’s amazing that the frescoes have survived in such great condition with the colors still vibrant. Interesting fact, the paints used in the frescoes were made from cactus juice and ground-up local minerals.
The large triangle of land immediately south of the mission quadrangle was originally enclosed with a mud brick wall, most of which is still very much around. I know I’ve said this before, but it’s amazing how the dry climate has contributed to the natural preservation of these remains. The triangle comes to a point with a small bell tower anchoring the corner. I’m leaning over the wall as I take the picture looking southwest.
Leaving the Paso Robles area our path now takes us across California’s Central Valley to the town of Lodi.
Next up: Heading to the Central Valley and Lodi
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