C is for Croad Vineyards and Tasting Room

The View from Croad

It seems the wineries and vineyards I love most are very close to where I live. Croad happens to be the very closest to me. Martin Croad's vineyards are on the other side of my back  fence,  and I've been  watching those grapes grow since they were planted. I enjoy the harvest season every year, and I've watched it in progress. I've also seen what happens to the grapes after harvest.

I have visited many other tasting rooms in Paso Robles and Templeton, and Croad's definitely has one of the best views in this area . One can sit on the patio outside the tasting room by the fountain and see all the neighboring vineyards near highway 46 West and Vineyard Drive. I see Kristi Trimmer, who stayed in the Inn at Croad for two days, agrees with me about the view. (To see my photo better, just click to enlarge it.0

Unlike Kristi, although I watched the Inn being built from across my fence, I've never been in it. But I have walked most of the property taking pictures during harvest season. You can find the rest of my photos and the video tour of both the harvest and the wine making process here: Croad Wines from Vineyard to Bottle, A Photo Essay.

 Patio of Croad Tasting Room, Paso Robles Beverage Coaster

A Castle on a Hill At Dusk

On my way home from Templeton to Paso Robles tonight, the sky was so beautiful and the field around the vineyards so green, I found a way to park and get some photos of those fields before they turn brown again.  I love the rural areas when they are so green. That only lasts as long as we get rain. This is usually the last month we get rain until fall or winter.

After I took the pictures here, I crossed the street to get some photos of the wineries. I want to share this one of Tooth and Nail Castle from a distance at dusk. When I'm at the castle or too close to it, I don't get the full effect of it being on top of the hill.

Tooth and Nail Winery used to be Eagle Castle, and although I have heard from some people that the wine wasn't much to rave about, the castle itself was something worth seeing. Not so much now. All the lovely antiques are gone, but you can still see them as they were in North San Luis Obispo County's Other Castle: A Pictorial Album. 

Exploring the Spanish Camp Area of Paso Robles

I Discover Spanish Camp in Paso Robles

Although the Spanish Camp area is only five minutes from where I live, I've never explored it  before. I had heard there were some very large homes there on acreage, but until today I never saw them. I found the development quite by accident.

It's a Private Home - Not a Park

I was coming home from physical therapy and decided to stop somewhere for my photo walk on the way home. Instead of turning toward home, I just kept going south on Creston road until I saw what appeared to be part of a park -- the oasis you see in the photo above. It was on a corner, so I turned right and parked. Then I discovered this was in the yard of a private home. Each home had lots of land, and mature oak trees were scattered everywhere.

Up the Hill

 I decided to walk up the hill in front of me, and on the way I noticed some   goats at the very back of this lot. I had to catch them with my zoom lens, since they were far from the road. You can see the large oak right behind them.

Do You See the Goats Between the Fences?

I could see the crest of the hill only a couple of blocks away (if there had been blocks) so I decided to check out the view. Once at the top I could see a long way to the west and  south. This is the shot I will share with you. What appear to be large flat stones as you look down the hill are really rooftops of other homes.

Those are Rooftops -- Not Flat Rocks -- Below the Trees

This experience and the discovery of the Snead/Rambouillet Trail last week shows me that even when you live in an area a long time there are still discoveries to be made and much left to explore that you haven't seen.

Have you come across any surprises in your own town lately?

A Visit to the Tooth and Nail Winery Castle

Ever since Eagle Castle Winery Closed over a year ago, I had been waiting to see what it was destined to become. I finally found out on November 29, 2014, shortly after the Castle had reopened as Tooth and Nail Winery. Although the parking area and the entrance have been redesigned and changed a bit, it's still recognizable as the same old castle from the outside. To compare, see San Luis Obispo County's Other Castle, a Pictorial Album. It shows you what Eagle Castle was like inside and out. It includes a video tour of the castle interior as it was then.

The castle still has its moat. Here is a better view of it. You can click any photo to enlarge it.

When I was there last week , the clouds were putting on quite a sky show. So I was trying to get as many pictures of it as I could. That's one reason I wanted to go to the castle. It has great views from the second story veranda. I took this next shot from there. The view extends across Highway 46 West and all the way to the mountains.

Most visitors to the castle are more interested in the tasting room inside than the scenery outside. Since I don't drink wine, I'm an exception. That's why I don't attempt to review the wines themselves. But I can show you the tasting room. Since the castle changed hands, it looks a bit bare to me, since I remember how it used to be when it was filled with treasures to look at and to buy. Now there is only what most people come for -- the wine and a place to enjoy it, inside the tasting room or out on the veranda. Here is a group enjoying their wine in the tasting room.

There was also a group by the fireplace on the other end of the room and a few people at the counter. It was too cold for anyone to be outside on that late November day. I took the outside pictures on March 2, but it was still pretty cold. Below is how this corner looked when it was still Eagle Castle.