The Sideways Tour

Saturday in Santa Barbara was chock full of fun and adventure. We left the hotel and headed over to Will's place around 9:00 for breakfast. After a light breakfast (cereal) we took off on bikes furnished by Will's landlord. I had the girls' bike but the gears were crummy and John kindly offered to ride the crummy girls' bike allowing me to ride the better boys' bike; I protested because I thought he looked goofy riding the girls' bike but he didn't seem to mind a little embarrassment and discomfort. We met up with Marie's sister at the harbor and the four of us peddled about 8 miles from the Santa Barbara Harbor to Montecito and back(about 8 miles). It was a good little ride especially considering the sunshine and warm temperature. After the bike ride we made a quick lunch and hopped in the car for a drive through wine country. The drive was about an hour to the Melville Vinyard and Winery where we were able to enjoy our lunch outside before heading indoors to the tasting room.We each sampled six wines at a cost of $10/person. The grounds and main building were beautiful and the setting couldn't have been more perfect in the heart of the Santa Ynez Valley. After the wine tasting we drove to another mission this time to La Purisima Mission. After the mission we drove to the Hitching Post restaurant (featured in the movie Sideways) for a quick look inside and a quick photo under the sign we also drove by the Days Inn (the big fake windmill) where the characters in the movie stayed. Then a drive through the village of Solvang, a charming town founded by Americans of Danish heritage; it was a little strange seeing windmills next to palm trees in front of Dutch colonial homes. Then we made our way down some curvy twisty roads back to Santa Barbara just before sunset. For dinner we returned to Julia Child's favorite Mexican eatery, La Super Rica. John and I went to Chaucer's Bookstore to stock up on reading materials for our long flights. I bought the novel Push by Sapphire and The Kids Are All Right A Memoir by the Welch siblings. We left the hotel this morning at 9:00 and returned at 9:00 PM so it has been a long but fun day.