| | About 7 or 8 years ago, my friends & I discovered BEER CAMP... | |
| | | ... but since we found ourselves in Calif. wine country, we adjusted our focus. | |
|
| | Let me briefly introduce them, and tell & show you of our recent adventure. | |
| | | First, this is the "Beer Ambulence" --- our trusty transport for the week. | |
|
| | THE TEAM: My good friend, Paul Hartley. I went to school with Paul back in 1974. | |
| | Paul is an excellent and successful
photographer & beer enthusiast. | |
|
| My old friend Edmund Maier now hails
from South Carolina... | |
| | ... Ed is an entrepreneural spirit,
and fellow bourbon enthusiast. | |
|
| | I met Wes Micket back in 1968, and he always makes a great team member... | |
| | | ... here Wes demonstrates his ability to balance... even after consuming freely. | |
|
| | Paul O'Conner, affectionately known as 'Paulalso'... to avoid confusion... | |
| | | And is well entrenched in the UK wine trade, he makes an ideal wine aficionado. | |
|
| | So let's get started in Los Angeles as we begin... | |
| | | We made a quick visit to the La Brea tar pits... including the smell of asphalt. | |
|
| Finally, before we left LA, we stopped
in Hollywood for a brew... | |
| | Then we headed north to our first stop...
the Santa Ynez Valley. | |
|
| | As odd as it sounds, we make a visit to the Pea Soup nirvana in Buelton, CA. | |
| | | "HEY! Sitzen Sie zurück dort hin!" | |
|
| | We stop at the Zeca Mesa winery --- and discover an oversized Chess Board. | |
| | | Time for a beer at the Firestone brewery. | |
|
| | In the Edna Valley, we visit the Domaine Alfred winery --- one of our favorites. | |
| | | The rocks we saw well inland showed an interesting fossil heritage. | |
|
| | Several of us visit San Simeon, the Hearst Mansion on the California coast. | |
| | | It's an eclectic place full of odd collections of art, in a beautiful setting. | |
|
| Speaking of eclectic --- the Madonna Inn
in San Luis Obispo is just that... | |
| | ... including an interesting Men's Room,
as Edmund points out. | |
|
| | We typically enjoyed a picnic lunch daily, as this one in Paso Robles. | |
| | | ... or simply visited the well decked out tasting rooms like this one at Talley. | |
|
| | Finally returning to LA, we spend the afternoon at the Getty Center... | |
| | ...which includes both interesting collections
amidst outstanding grounds. | |
|
| | The week went by incredibly fast, we conclude at a restaurant in Venice Beach... | |
| | Did I mention we came across
a bit more than just beer & wine? | |
|
| | So... from this group of adventurers... | |
| | | ... THANKS for visiting! --- Bob Seitz 10/2004 | |
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