CONTINUED FROM PAGE 31 ROCK ’N’ ROLL
Kayaking in
carpets, pink walls, pink lampshades, plus pink cakes and pink sugar in the dining room... it’s like being drowned in blancmange.
The room we were shown, with its eye-searing sofas and stone walls, looked like Mae West had been let loose on refurbishing the Flintstones’ house.
After all that you might need a drink to calm your senses and, with SLO CAL being wine country, you are spoilt for choice. More than 250 wineries are dotted around the county, and thousands of acres of hillsides are covered with vines producing worldclass cabernets in the warm, arid areas near Paso Robles and smooth pinot noirs nearer the Pacific-cooled coast.
Breweries, distilleries and cider houses are also booming and we made several visits to taste the local wares. From the dozens of craft beers at Firestone Walker in Paso Robles to the bourbon and whisky produced by the funky SLO Brew company, there’s no shortage of young entrepreneurs creating success stories as they blend traditional fare with new flavours.
As far as eating is concerned, our two most memorable culinary excursions were, coincidentally, both at restaurants masterminded by food fanatic Robin Covey and his ex-wife and business partner Shanny. At Robin’s – a cosy, restored adobe home in Cambria – I opted for a succulent lamb shank falling off the bone with a velvety 2015 pinot noir from the local Cutruzzola vineyard.
Back in San Luis, we dined at Novo, which has a sun-dappled terrace cantilevered over the local creek. The highlight was juicy seared scallops with braised pork belly and a bottle of fruity Aequorea pinot gris.
In an attempt to redress the calorie intake we took to the water for an hour’s kayaking at Morro Bay, a state-protected marine area in the shadow of Morro Rock, with an estuary
enclosed by a spit of land created by the military in the Second World War to practise landing exercises. It teems with wildlife and we got up close to otters floating on their backs but kept a safe distance from the intimidating sea lions.
For many Californians, life revolves around beach culture and
one evening we joined them at Grover Beach, a long stretch of sand where locals can drive their monster 4x4 trucks down to the water, light fires and shoot the breeze over a few beers.
We huddled around our blazing logs in the chill of a February night fortified by a tub of warming clam chowder from the nearby Splash Cafe. The off-roaders’ searchlights cutting through the sea mist was an atmospheric sign-off to the day.
Next morning, we headed north along Highway 1, stopping to marvel at the “town” of Harmony (population 18) and the Piedras Blancas elephant seal rookery, a beach crowded with bus-sized monsters and their offspring.
We then checked into the Cavalier Oceanfront Resort in San Simeon with its sweeping views over the Pacific. It’s ideally situated for a visit to the top attraction in these parts, the magnificent and opulent, yet eccentric Hearst Castle. Built on a
1,600ft hilltop between 1919 and
1947 by publishing billionaire William Randolph Hearst, it is a staggering monument to unlimited spending power and unrestrained ambition (see below left).
Back in the Roaring Twenties and 1930s, Hearst would fly in Hollywood stars and political heavyweights to his private airstrip, then ferry them by car up the steep road he’d had constructed to his own personal Eden. There, guests such as Charlie Chaplin, Clark Gable, the Marx Brothers, Churchill and President Coolidge would dine, watch the latest movies in a private cinema, play tennis, swim in the dazzling pools and admire Hearst’s private zoo.
Now owned by the state, it is one of California’s must-see sights, but San Luis Obispo County has so much more to offer – just don’t expect anything to happen in a hurry. As the local motto says, life is too beautiful to rush.