Farewell, San Luis Obispo

I had one last thing I had to do before leaving San Luis Obispo.  I was determined to climb Bishop's Peak, the hardest hike in the area.  Only a tad less than three miles round trip, it is a steady climb up a steep peak, climaxed by a bit of rock climbing to reach the large boulder at the very top.  We've done it twice before on previous visits, but we're not getting either younger or stronger.  Could we still manage it?

Still able to conquer Bishop's Peak

On our last full day in SLO, we wanted to get in one more good hike, so we headed for Ontario Ridge, a trail high above the ocean between Avila Beach and Shell Beach.  Getting to the ridge was a grueling climb straight up the steep side of the ridge.  What we accomplished in over an hour of demanding switchbacks on Bishop's Peak, we did in fifteen minutes of the steepest climb I can remember ever tackling.

Avila Beach seen from Ontario Ridge

The 101 to San Francisco, from atop Ontario Ridge

 East Cuesta Ridge before sunrise

Sunrise on East Cuesta Ridge

Our last week in SLO was not all rugged challenges.  Through our friend, Mike Huck, we met Sarah Kraft, a Cal Poly student majoring in agribusiness and preparing to be certified as a Level Two sommelier.  Sarah and her photographer friend, Paul, met us for lunch and wine tasting in the hills outside Paso Robles.  We learned a few things about wine tasting and had a great afternoon with two friendly and talented young people.

Sarah and Carol sampling a Malbec and taking in the view at Calcareous Vineyard

We managed also to fit in dinner at Ciopinot, a restaurant noted for its fish stew and wine list that includes several dozen pinot noirs.  There were tens of thousands of butterflies at Pismo Beach, a winter haven for migrating Monarchs.  And there was more live music, the highlight being an evening of extraordinary entertainment by the Ballet Theater San Luis Obispo in collaboration with the Tipsy Gypsies, a lively local band.  After watching and listening, the audience joined the pros on the dance floor.  A great evening.  (The link is to the newspaper article about the event we attended.  At the beginning of the article is another link to the Tipsy Gypsies; click on it to see and hear them perform one of their numbers.)

One of San Luis Obispo's many excellent restaurants

Butterfly Cove, Pismo Beach

Old Barn, Paso Robles

Tiny Beauty

And finally, a vision.  I was entering my adolescent years when my dream car first rolled off the Ford assembly line.  All these years later, it is still The One for me. 

Marco Magnifico's '57 hard-top convertible T-bird

Now it's on to the Mediterranean climes of Santa Barbara.