In search of frolicking mammals

I was lucky enough, to be liked enough, to be asked to go on a super quick California adventure by my buddies Tish and Andy.  Wine tasting in Paso Robles and camping under massive Redwoods in Big Sur.
After making sure I could borrow camping gear from my buddies at work, the answer was a question "when do we leave?"

Our first watering hole in Paso Robles was Daou Winery where Tish and Andy are members.
It's quite a different and better experience being with members of a winery.  The VIP rooms and extra tastings you get really keep their loyal costumers coming back time after time to taste whats new.When you're the owners of an awesome vanagon, it's your duty to cruise The States in it and bring your friends along.
​It's the perfect mode of transportation and has plenty of room for shenanigans in the back during those long hours of getting from A to B.

Our first watering hole in Paso Robles was Daou Winery where Tish and Andy are members.
It's quite a different and better experience being with members of a winery.  The VIP rooms and extra tastings you get really keep their loyal costumers coming back time after time to taste whats new.

After being treated so well at Daou, below you can see the behavior changes in people after many tasting on an empty stomach.  The next two wineries, Halter Ranch Winery and......... some other winery that I can't remember and didn't get any photographic documentation on my part due to,
oh,
​I don't remember why.

The purpose of this trip started with a wine gala invitation to Tish and Andy for the grand reopening of Justin Winery.  
We were stoked that we could be part of this event. There were hundreds of members clogging the barrel lined cellars to get repeat tastings of whats probably known as one of the better wineries in Paso Robles.
It's one of my favorites at least.

Our first stop once we hit Big Sur was the very popular and quite touristy Nepenthe Restaurant.
Bought as a lovers getaway cabin by Orson Welles and Rita Hayworth back in the day it's now a must-do stop for lunch and a cocktail.  Going for dinner would be a waste of a good view.

Our campground was at Fernwood Resort in Big Sur.  Pitching a tent under Redwoods and getting our feet dirty while sitting around a campfire brought me back to the days when my dad would take my sister and I camping.
The check-in office is an old school house that I can't imagine holding more than 8 children at once.  Now it makes for the perfect place to be welcomed from and buy firewood that you may have forgotten.
You can't make s'mores without a good fire!

We contemplated splurging and attempted to get a room at The Post Ranch Inn.  This resort has been on my list of places to stay for years.  It's a sanctuary that's situated 1200 feet up on the cliffs in Big Sur.  Unfortunately, it will remain on that list.  Reservations need to be made well in advance and you'll need to save up for the opportunity to sleep in these luxury houses with floor to ceiling glass windows. We did decide to have lunch on their spectacular patio though.  This ended up being one of the highlights of the trip.  Being able to watch condors soar above your head while you sip champagne is a combination I had yet to experience.

Our leisurely drive home to San Diego was spent with our necks craned to the right as we searched for frolicking mammals in the ocean and pulling into turnouts for quick photo opportunities. Even though it took us 12 hours to get home, it just wasn't enough time.  This is a trip I could do again and again.