This recent Fourth of July was projected by AAA to be a record-setting weekend of congested highways, so my wife and I were more than a bit reticent to hit the road for Los Angeles or the Bay Area to enjoy the holiday. Crawling along at a snail’s pace usually saps the fun out of a road trip.
So we opted for a “staycation,” which is when you explore your local area as if it were a vacation. It’s easy to forget that much of the Central Coast is a year-round tourist destination, so there’s plenty to do.
We wanted to make it out to Santa Ynez by the afternoon, but do you think we took Highway 101? Hell no! We weren’t about to dodge Winnebagos, ATV-stuffed trailers, and other holiday travelers. We got on Betteravia Road and headed east, to the Foxen Canyon Wine Trail!
There are so many fantastic wineries up and down the Foxen Canyon trail, so it doesn’t feel right picking one or the other, but on this morning we stopped first at Kenneth Volk Vineyards. Technically, this one isn’t on the Foxen Canyon trail, but if you take Betteravia out to Sisquoc and bear left, you will find it tucked at the foot of the Santa Maria Valley’s famous rolling hills.
Kenneth Volk Vineyards—Ken Volk for short—is a perfect place to start a trip along the wine trail. You get a glass (not me, I was driving!) and relax on the shady deck perched on the hillside. My wife Candice and I sat there, talking over a leisurely game of chess when we spied a doe and two fawns casually strolling by. You don’t see that every day.
We hit the pavement again after not too long and connected with Foxen Canyon Road, powering through some beautiful hills and oak savannahs on our way to Santa Ynez. There are so many world-class wineries to choose between on the trail, from the impressive estate at Fess Parker Winery and Vineyard to the pastoral beauty at Zaca Mesa Winery. It’s really hard to go wrong out there, unless you forgot to bring a designated driver!
But Candice and I had snacking on the mind, and so our immediate goal was Los Olivos. If you continue straight down Grand Avenue in Los Olivos, past the iconic flagpole, and keep going until you hit the stop sign, you can take a right and come to a wonderful place called Global Gardens. Candice and I have been members here for years, getting regular packages of olive oil and infused vinegars. The owner of Global Gardens, Theo, is usually on hand to pour some olive oil and vinegar tastings. She always explains how she likes to use her oils, vinegars, and spice blends in dressing salads or cooking up delicious, healthy meals.
Further down Alamo Pintado Road, where Los Olivos becomes Ballard, you can find Buttonwood Farm Winery and Vineyard. The tasting room there opens up onto a patio and picturesque yard, surrounded by a peach orchard and the farm stand. We bought a box of the juiciest, sweetest peaches, enjoying them in a shaded picnic area with wine and other snacks we brought. Buttonwood had live music going on that weekend, so we were happy picnickers that day.
This back road adventure was a lot of fun. The roads weren’t traffic heavy, and the locations weren’t too crowded, either, for a holiday weekend. We did go to Solvang after Buttonwood, and I think Solvang is always packed on the weekends, but it was especially so that day. No matter how many tourists are there though, it can’t really detract from Solvang’s charm and attractions.
As evening fell in Solvang our thoughts turned to dinner. We hopped Highway 246 to Highway 1 via Lompoc, and then took the winding San Antonio Road out to Casmalia for dinner at The Hitching Post. We got a seat right next to the grill, which we watched excitedly through the glass. We left satisfied—and I with a smoky beard—traveling out of the hills back into the valley we left that morning, as the sun set over Guadalupe.
Arts Editor Joe Payne is an expert staycationer. Reach him at [email protected].
