A Colorado State of Mind: Sideways in Santa Barbara County

It was time for a change of pace. And as my turbo prop landed in dreamy Santa Barbara the change was definitely noticeable. I had left a high and dry 90 degrees and landed into a humid mid 60's with a sea breeze carrying salt and tropical delights. As I cruised north on the 101 in my upgraded Mustang convertible, with crashing ocean waves and swinging palm trees in my view, my body in shock from the heady dose of abundant oxygen and moisture at sea level, I thought "We're not in Colorado anymore, Toto".

The plan was simple- retrace the steps of Miles and Jack in Sideways while avoiding any arrests or serious damage (I didn't spring for that extra car rental insurance, you know). We would stay at the Windmill Inn in Buellton, load up on a hearty Dutch breakfast in the morning, have picnics by day in the vineyard hills, walk (not drive!) to the Hitching Post at night, gorge ourselves at AJ Spurs another night and drink lots of good pinots and syrah (we were not going to be drinking any $%#%^$&* merlot!).

California is sensory overload. The smells are intoxicating and ever changing as we zip past vineyards, forests and coastline. The shrubs out here are rosemary- rosemary! If there is a more fragrant herb in this world I would be hard pressed to find it. Hints of eucalyptus, lavender, lilac, and pine also make regular appearances. The tastes are enchanting- a syrah with nuances of crushed violet, mineral, and rich berry, a chardonnay that hits your tongue like a vanilla teardrop from the sky, and multi-faceted pinots that transform in your mouth like an Everlasting Gobstopper. The sights are undeniably, well, California, and the sounds are mostly the quiet musings in my mind, minus a light breeze or call of a bird. This is why we come to California.

So, I suppose in the end our trip turned into what it was that Miles was hoping for on his trip with Jack- we drank a lot of good wine, ate some great food, played some golf (okay, we didn't really play golf), and enjoyed the scenery. Well done!