Quiet Places Near Paso Robles

Quiet Places Help Me Stay Sane in the Midst of Stress

One thing I really appreciate about living in Paso Robles and Templeton is the number of quiet places one can find close to home when one needs a short retreat from stress or noise. If neighborhood power machinery gets to me, I can hop in the car and be somewhere quiet in five or ten minutes. That was not the case when I lived in southern California. Here are some of my quiet places to destress near my homes in Templeton and Paso Robles.

Quiet Meadow Across from Industrial Park on Linne Road in February before Rain, © B. Radisavljevic

Paso Robles Quiet Escapes

The River Walk

I have written extensively about the Salinas River Trail and Larry Moore Park elsewhere on this blog and on HubPages. Check out My Search for the River and How It Found Me and Short Walk to the River to get a feel for how secluded the park and riverbed can be on weekdays. The park is busier on weekends, and our peace may not last too much longer after the city builds new ballfields and parking lots there. For now, though, it's a short walk from home when the gardener comes with his power machinery.

Tree Hanging over bed of Salinas River, Larry Moore Park, © B. Radisavljevic

Oak Lane

I can also take a ten-minute walk to Oak Lane, a road with small farms just outside the city limits. There I can see a variety of farm animals and huge oak trees on this quiet country back road that ends beside the river.

A Large Oak Tree on Oak Lane in Paso Robles, © B. Radisavljevic

Vineyards

When I'm in Templeton, there are too many quiet country roads to even list here. My favorite quiet places when I walk in the late afternoon or early evening just at dusk are the vineyards. I prefer those that don't have gates to lock me out when the tasting rooms close.  One of my favorites is Peachy Canyon Tasting Room. The grounds are beautiful and also quiet after the tourist have left for the day.

This is one of my favorite spots there. I love the oaks, in which the squirrels often play.

Peachy Canyon Gazebo Behind Tasting Room,  © B. Radisavljevic

After finishing a visit to the grounds of Peachy Canyon's Tasting Room, it's often about time for the sun to set. If there are a lot of clouds to make that sunset interesting, I usually head a bit farther south on Bethel Road and park by the windmill at Castoro Cellars. The entrance gate is usually closed by then, but Bethel Road is peaceful and sunsets are beautiful there. Here is one of them.

Golden Sunset with Castoro Cellars Windmill, © B. Radisavljevic

Another peaceful place to walk is actually quite close to the 101 Freeway, just west of South Vine -- Twelve Oaks Drive. The first thing you see there is Doce Robles Winery. It has one of the best views of the sky from any direction. The vineyards are quiet and the views are scenic. Sometimes I get no farther than the vineyards, but sometimes I walk quite a way south on Twelve Oaks Drive, which is a dirt road that leads past other vineyards and small farms.

Oak Tree Beside Doce Robles Vineyard, © B. Radisavljevic

I put one of my favorite shots of the Castoro Cellars Windmill on these two Zazzle products.

 Windmill at Castoro Cellars Vineyard Wine Bag Windmill in Castoro Vineyard at Sunset Throw Pillow

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This is my seventeenth post for the 2016 AtoZchallenge, a Blogging Challenge for the month of April, 2016. My theme is Things You Can See or Experience in North San Luis Obispo County. Here are links to the other posts if you missed them.

A is for Acorn
B is for Barney Schwartz Park
C is for Cattle in Wine Country
D is for Dark Star Cellars
E is for Electric Wires
F is for Family Farms
G is for Graveyard Vineyards
H is for Horses
Insects in My Neighborhood in April
J's Burgers in Paso Robles: A Review
Kosta is God's Gift to Me from Across the Ocean
Laguna Lake is Full Again
Mission San Miguel Photos
Niner Estates Decorated Heart Hill with Vineyards
Ocean Photos from the California Central Coast

Paso Robles Police Vehicles

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Did You Look Up at the Sky Tonight?

I went out to take the trash to the can tonight, and I could not help noticing that the sky was amazing. Did you see it right as the sun had gone down? I live on a corner. As I looked up across my street to the left of the oak tree, this was my view of the sky. The colored clouds seemed to go on forever as they moved toward me.

Photo © B. Radisavljevic

Then I turned and looked up at the sky view across the street to my right. Here the sky was layered in colors. I called Hubby out to see it, but he had a call from nature in a different direction. When he came out three minutes later, all the colors were gone from the clouds.

Some of the most beautiful things are transitory and gone minutes after they appear. Rainbows and sunsets are two of them. Can you think of others?

Photo © B. Radisavljevic

This is another beautiful sunset I saw, and I put it on a pillow and some other Zazzle products so  it couldn't completely disappear. I took the picture on Bethel Road in front of the Castoro Cellars Vineyard on a late afternoon.

Windmill in Castoro Vineyard at Sunset Pillows

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Colorful Flowers Brighten Castoro Cellars in Autumn

Autumn Flowers at Castoro Cellars

Castoro Cellars has a lovely garden near its tasting room. The flowers aren't rare -- just colorful. I especially like these near the arbor walkway that connects the tasting room and the parking lot.

Unique Containers For Flowers

Many of the flowers grow in containers. Some of those containers are conventional pots, such as the ones these fuschias  are growing in.

Fuschias in Pot at Castoro Cellars in November

But it's pretty common to grow flowers in pots. At Castoro Cellars, they also use older grape vines as containers. Here is one of them, next to the pumpkin display by the door. I like the idea of a living planter. How appropriate this is for a tasting room. This particular example is actually a planter in a planter since the vine planter is growing in a wine barrel.

If you visit Castoro Cellars, there is also a row of these planters growing in the ground near the patio covered by the arbor. Some are planted right next to vines still bearing. It's easier to see this in summer and before harvest.  Look for them next time you go wine tasting at Castoro Cellars.

Puzzle, Flowers in Castoro Cellars Garden in Fall Jigsaw Puzzle

What other unique planters have you seen made from natural materials?

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Remembering Veris Cellars in Photos

Blocked Driveway to What Was Veris Cellars, 

I've been living in Paso Robles / Templeton wine country for over twenty years now, and in that time I've seen many wineries change hands. Some just keep going with a name change and a remodel. Only two that I am aware of in Highway 46 West wine country have stayed closed and empty for very long. One  that languished for quite a while was Eagle Castle, which finally reopened as Tooth and Nail Winery. The other is Veris Cellars. The driveway that leads to the old Veris Cellars Tasting Room is now blocked while the property is in the process of being transformed.

Veris Cellars Tasting Room, September, 2011, ©B. Radisavljevic

Veris Cellars, which had beautiful vineyards and scenic gardens, has been closed to the public for several months now. I have taken a look around every now and then and I feel sad that so much of the beauty of the grounds is gone. I hope when the new business moves in and opens to the public, the gardens will once again be blooming.

The following photos show some of the views of Veris Cellars tasting room and grounds I liked best.

Veris Cellars Tasting Room, June, 2013, ©B. Radisavljevic

Veris Cellars Rose Garden, June, 2013, ©B. Radisavljevic

Sign on Arbor: " Wine is Cheaper than Therapy"

Veris Cellars Tasting Room Dressed Up for Holidays, December, 2011

Here are the photos since the tasting room has been vacant.

Tasting Room, February, 2015, ©B. Radisavljevic

Rose Garden, February, 2015, ©B. Radisavljevic

Vacant Tasting Room ,September 27, 2015, ©B. Radisavljevic

I have just spoken to someone at Castoro Cellars, the new owners of this property, as to when it might reopen again and what they plan to do with it. Due to unexpected repairs they have to make to the property, they do not have a definite reopening date, but it isn't likely to be open in time for the holidays this year. I'm also told the gardens will be even better than they were. The tasting room will be more or a hang-out place than just a tasting room, and food will also be available. I can hardly wait for the reopening.

Wine Is Cheaper Than Therapy Coaster

Autumn Grape Leaves at Castoro Cellars

This is the time of year when wine country is most beautiful. The grapes are almost ready to  harvest in most vineyards. Some have already been harvested. The purple grapes hang heavy from the vines. The leaves are turning various shades of red and gold to complement them. The netting attempts to keep hungry birds from getting the first fruits. You can see the netting if you click to enlarge the photos.

Wineries are preparing to make merry in their harvest and first crush events. The colorful leaves are like banners inviting people to come and taste when all is accomplished. Soon we will be smelling grapes as we drive by at night on 46 West. Let the festivities begin!





While you wait for the harvest festivals, why not work a puzzle like this one?

Puzzle: Autumn Grape Foliage Puzzles

A Hazy Early Evening Sun with Clouds at Castoro Cellars Vineyard

Sunday night I started my search for the Super Blood Moon early. One web site said the eclipse might start before 6 PM, and I was still in 46 West Wine Country at that time. I planned to stop at my favorite sky viewing vineyards to see if the moon  was up yet. It wasn't. My first stop was on Bethel Road beside the Castoro Cellars windmill. I couldn't find the moon in the east, but I did see this to the west. You will see more detail if you click any of these photos to enlarge them.

I wandered across the street to where the Veris Tasting Room used to be. I should have known then, when I took this photo, that it would be hard to see the moon. It should have already risen and been visible here. The clouds were already covering it. This was taken withing minutes of the other photos on this page.

Since I knew the moon was invisible, I walked back across the street to Castoro's vineyard. If you enlarge the photo and look closely, you can read part of the Castoro Cellars name on the closed gate. I'm  hoping you will notice the low layer of clouds on the horizon on the right.

You can see that layer even better in this shot. I used a zoom here, so everything looks a bit bigger than in the photo above on the left. I hope you will click  this to see the full size shot.

Although I was disappointed not to  see the super moon, the clouds that covered it made for magnificent sunset photos. See those sunsets here if you missed last night's post.

If you don't want to miss any special events in the sky, you might consider purchasing the book below -- one of the best for sky watchers. Just click below.

N is for Neglected and Abandoned Buildings

As I walk around the North County, it's hard not to notice the many vacant buildings. Many are in out of the way places, but not all. As I wrote in a previous post, the old Hometown Nursery site occupies almost a full  block of Spring Street. Wilson's Restaurant is also vacant, but it is at least cared for rather than being neglected. One of the more visible abandoned buildings I see often is right in the middle of 46 West Wine Country. It appears to be part of the Castoro Cellars property, and I've always wondered what it used to be. A home? An old winery? I have pictured it here.

Another rather interesting neglected and abandoned building is a house between Main Street and the railroad tracks in Templeton. I have several shots of it, including one with an old chimney and a pair of shoes rotting away on the ground. There is more than one abandoned building on the property. I chose this shot because of the fallen tree in front of it. The whole scene portrays the neglect. It's sad, as all abandoned buildings are. I know there must be some stories behind these buildings, but I haven't been able to find them yet.

This last home is also abandoned. In fact, at the end of October it's even haunted. It, too, is in Templeton, on the east side of Main Street. This first shot is an overview taken from across the street.

Although it's abandoned, it's not totally neglected. On Halloween it officially becomes a haunted house. I suspected that when I looked closely at these boarded up windows. Then  I confirmed my suspicions with a bit of online research. Unfortunately I couldn't find anything online about the other abandoned buildings.

If you want a closer look at any photo, just click to enlarge it.

 Poster of Abandoned Building on 46 West

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