Our Trip Home

A West Coast Voyage

After four months in Arizona this winter and spring, we chose to drive home via the West Coast. Our itinerary included stops in two wine regions, Paso Robles and Napa Valley and a drive along the Pacific Coast of Oregon. We re-entered Canada in British Columbia where we visited Jonathan, Nadja, Charlie and Maggie in Castlegar before completing the last leg home to Canmore.

My first two pictures are from the Daou Winery, near Paso Robles, California. We enjoyed a beautiful, afternoon visit, sitting outdoors in the warm sun, sampling some of their fine wines. Both photographs are views from the winery’s hilltop location, overlooking the vast vineyards on the hills and in the valleys below.

I couldn’t resist the multiple plantings of lavender, complementing the broad swathes of green. We enjoyed a very relaxing afternoon (by comparison to travel on the busy California highways) before returning to our hotel and a good night’s rest in preparation for the next leg of our trip.

Our second stop was another wine region, the Napa Valley and to no one’s surprise, a visit to the Caymus Winery in Rutherford, CA. Following a friendly reception upon arrival, we were escorted to a “tasting room”, actually a beautiful garden configured for the purpose of tasting.

This garden area is nicely shaded and we were able to enjoy another leisurely afternoon, enjoying a taste of some of Caymus’s finest wines.

As part of our tour, I visited a glass enclosed, storage area located in the centre of the winery’s commercial area. I wasn’t having much success taking a picture through the glass. As I moved around, attempting to find a patch of reflection-free class, an employee passing by said, “You may go in there if you wish”. Problem solved. My photograph from inside the storage room is today’s feature image, inserted at the top of the post. The barrels you see in this photograph were filled and moved into this room for aging, in March of this year . The content of the barrels is Rolande’s favourite, Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon. It is the “Fifty” vintage, so designated for the fiftieth year of its production. It is scheduled for release in 2025.

The following day we traveled up Interstate 5 to our next destination, Newport, Oregon. We exited the highway a little south of Portland to complete our day’s travel on the coastal highway, US 101. Our purpose was to enjoy the oceanside sights and hopefully get a few pictures.

We didn’t spend a lot of time seeking out great photo spots. That can be very time consuming. Rather, we simply enjoyed the views and stopped for a photo when we spotted a nice scene.

My first one was taken from a roadside pullout looking along the coastline. I was pleased to have some fog to complement this beach seascape.

As the road meandered down to sea level, we came across several more beaches. This one is quite scenic and again, the foggy conditions were very welcome.

We somewhat regret our hasty tour through the area; we were keeping to a schedule. I could be persuaded to return to the Oregon Coast in particular to search out a greater variety of ocean scenes.