Highway 1 Road Trip to Paso Robles

Now that Highway 1 is completely open after the landslide, travelers can go from San Francisco to Los Angeles all along the coast if they wish. Pack snacks for the road, the dog if you have one like I do and prepare for oohs and aww moments at every turn.

Have to represent my Los Lonely Boys

The plan was for my roommate and I to have our Roommate Day with my dog, Bevo. I planned it out and we were going to go to a dog beach, come back up to Carmel Valley for a hike -  and either dine in Carmel by the Sea or Monterey. Well, none of that didn't happen.

Listening to oldies, the moon roof open on a gorgeous day and spotty cell coverage, we missed the dog park by an hour or so. Oops! However, on the way, we stopped at what we thought was the Bixby Bridge and took photos. Little did we know, it just a bit further down. I did think it was smaller than I remembered.

My 26-pound Puppy Love
Los Lonely Boys hat
Reigning Fury
Victoria's Secret

Moon roof fun

Instead of turning around, we just kept on going. We ended up stopping at the Hearst Castle. Unfortunately, with Bevo, we couldn't take the tour but we managed for some photos with the castle in the background and we all took a potty break.

Sittin' on top of the world

With Hearst Castle in the background

Yoga pose

Next, we crossed the highway and looked for parking in the lot to try to get Bevo on the beach. Nope, no parking. We continued on the street and decided to stop at the tasting room. The line was long for their paper boat food offerings so I went with two glasses of wine and a pre-packaged cheese and charcuterie. Bevo had water.

Hearst Ranch Winery tasting room

Haha, love this photo. All smiles!
Stella & Dot

We contemplated what to do next. Paso Robles or follow the signs to San Luis Obispo. I spent my birthday there two years ago. It was a good time and I remember us visiting a winery with this amazing mac and cheese and banh mi sandwich. So we headed that direction and discovered it relocated to it's own spot downtown Paso Robles and it was called Jerry's Wine Country BBQ. We had to sit outside because of Bevo and it was scorching hot. It was so hot that it effected my mood and I was getting tired after a long day of driving. Plus, sadly the food wasn't as good as I remembered it. It was soo good that trip that we ordered a second of each to take back to the hotel not remembering whether or not we had a microwave. It was so good, we'd eat it cold. We had the Paso Mac & CheeseSteak with tri-tip, sauteed peppers and onions and the Smoked Pork Banh Mi. It wasn't the same. What a shame.

We left and Kim wanted a beer. We made another stop and went to Firestone Walker. I have done several events with this brand and have gear! We sat outside because of Bevo and Kim ordered a lambic. Pretty good! I was pretty quiet and didn't partake with my own beer but wish I wasn't so tired. But I also had to drive. Yay for being responsible! We were ready to head home. We considered getting a hotel room but it was more than what we were willing to pay for.

Tired Bevo
@bevotheboston

We listened to comedy on the way up and it kept me awake, thank goodness. It was a 12-hour day of traveling and we rewarded ourselves with some poke from Hawaiian Poke in San Leandro and relaxed the rest of the evening.

An extended day trip to the coast was complete, filled with great photos, laughs and memories. 

Where did you end up unexpectedly on a road trip?