(Half #9, 2015) Wine…read morecountry... Peaceful. Serene. Refreshingly scenic. Inescapably beautiful. Transcendent... While running along fields upon ever-growing fields, whether canopied with vineyards or blanketed with citrus orchards, you can't help but take your time, slow it down and soak it up, breathe deeply... The mustard flowers perched upon the roadside; an occasional, speckled cow minding more its breakfast than your intensions; and the horizon, blue and infinite... These runs require soul...yours. Enough music surrounding you, your earbuds will be fine this time left at home. Over 400 enthusiastic runners rallied in beautiful Paso Robles for its 12th Annual Half Marathon. They arrived not only from all over California, but from Nevada and Tennessee, Oregon and Colorado, Minnesota and Hawaii. They came from Arizona and Ohio and Utah and Washington, from Kansas and Virgina and Texas and Nebraska. Laced-up and eager, runners--ones also harboring deep appreciations for great-tasting California wines, I'm sure--embraced this event as not simply another run, but a vacation. Certainly, the fun wasn't ending upon the finish line. If you've ever been wine tasting around Paso, you'll understand. If you haven't, go. Besides the very cool medal--seriously, I cannot gather up enough!--wine glasses commemorating everyone's awesome achievements were awarded to all. Looks like, along with my medals, I'll be starting another collection! Great job, Paso! See you again next year!

The Wine Country Run in Paso Robles is a great race course! It winds through Central California's…read morebeautiful vineyards. I did my first half marathon ever here in 2009 and loved it (er...I loved finishing)! PROs: 1. Plenty of parking 2. Well organized. They have those little electric chips that attach to your shoes for accurate timing. 3. TONS of water and energy drink stands throughout the race 4. Great scenery 5. Plenty of bathrooms for those who get there early enough (will explain in Cons) 6. Plenty of water at the end of race 7. No rules about head sets. 8. Tons of participants so you'll never be alone on the course. 9. Photographers throughout the race so you can purchase pics later on if they are good (mine weren't). 10. Everyone is supportive and friendly at the finish line! CONs: 1. Long lines for bathrooms MINUTES before the races starts. Get there early because you WILL have to go. 2. Extremely steep (but short) hill right before the finish line. 3. The course is on a road so, at times, there are cars that you need to move aside for (on the brighter side, they distract you from the pain in your legs =D) 4. Takes a bit of time to drive into the parking lot due to the skinny road.

This year was my second time participating in this race. Last year I participated in the half…read moremarathon and this year I chose to be a participant in the 5K. Last year was a little a hectic since it started and ended at a local park and those logistics made it a little difficult This year, however, they held it at the CaliPaso winery. The atmosphere was fantastic this year because there was more than enough parking and it was spread out enough so that I did not feel like I was cramped. The course for the 5K was beautiful and I loved how it went through some vineyards. I also liked how we weren't too far into the city or busy streets. It was also nice to see the medals were in better shape, since my medal for the half from last year was falling apart right when we got it. We will definitely be back next year for it and I will be doing the 5K since I loved the course and the environment of that race!

First time running it, a few thoughts: - swag is…read moreridiculously sparse, but oh well - while they announce a "bucolic course in the hills of SLO", get prepared for 2/3rds of the course to be on the road with other cars passing by (people in the area love their trucks, it smells every time a car passes by). A decent 2-3 miles is on an access road by Highway 1, with the noise etc. People with sensitive lungs/avoiding to work out where there's car pollution should be aware of this - hydration stations 2, 3 and 4 ran out of cups. Runners were offered the option to lift the giant water bottles and drink out of it - super hygienic. C'mon people, paper cups are cheap, you know how many runners have signed up, and hydration is too important to be fuddled with!! - they "ran out of beer" when I arrived at the finish line (runners were still arriving for another 30-40 min after me). Another false claim in the confirmation email "enjoy a beer at the finish line", and again, it's not that hard to know how many runners there will be that day. I don't think I'll do this race again. The scenery is more appealing to me than city races, but it's really poorly organized. There are waaay better organized races in similar settings - including Mexico by the way (valle de guadalupe).

Just ran the City to Sea Half Marathon yesterday and I thought the organizers and event staff did a…read morefantastic job. 2012 brought in a record number of runners with City to Sea clocking in at 2500+ participants. This is a point-to-point race that starts in downtown SLO and brings you through stretches of rural backroads, beautiful coastal roads with scenic ocean views. The course is relatively flat with a few gentle rolling hills starting at mile 5. There are numerous fuel and hydration stations and excellent course support throughout. The pace groups were very helpful (they run at 15 minute intervals) and really kept me on target with my finish time. Runners can enjoy live bands, wellness and nutritional information and a delicious full breakfast catered by Scotty's Bar & Grill (grubby breakfast burritos) at the finish. There is a convenient bag drop and pick up station and a shuttle service to bring you back to the start. The pre-race expo included a variety of top-name vendors, great specials (my Nike LunarGlide 4's and Mizuno Wave Precision's were 20% off) and featured a few of the latest brand new designs in running gear (liked the ear bud/sunglasses). The race packet included a very nice gender specific techincal fabric shirt, which I will get a lot more use out of than one of those big baggy unisex t-shirts. The registration fee is one of the lowest you'll find -- while most half-marathons are priced at $100 +, the City to Sea is very nicely offered at $65 - 75. If you haven't been to this race, I highly recommend adding this one to your race list. A 5K and a Kids Run are offered as well. There is something for everyone to enjoy at this beautiful event.

I've been attending this event since 1996, and I wouldn't miss it for the world! I started out…read morecamping but as I've gotten older, there is nothing like having a RV at Wildflower.

Happy 30th Birthday Avia Wildflower Triathlon!…read more It was my 3rd time returning to Wildflower and I was really looking forward to the challenge. I anticipated that this years event was going to be a little more over the top than previous years since they were celebrating their 30th year anniversary. Sure enough, the festivities and the race did not disappoint. The multiple races that take place over the weekend always run so smooth. Whether you're doing the Mountain Bike course, Long Course or the Olympic, it all runs so seamless and without error. Since it was a big anniversary, it seemed that lots of triathletes came to the area to compete and celebrate this milestone with TRI-California. The park was packed with people and the transition area was pretty full of bikes--more than I've ever seen. Plus, Long Course sold out a month or two before the event. Like previous years, I took part in the Olympic Distance Triathlon and this year and it was still the tough course it had always been. Just because I wanted to make it that much more difficult, I did it with the FLU! You got that right...a fever, headache, body aches, cough - it wasn't pretty. I still completed the race but I didn't get a PR, that's for sure. Loved the race, loved the course, loved the finishers medal, finishers towel...loved everything about the weekend (except that I got sick). I don't recommend ever, ever, ever, ever, EVER doing Wildflower when not feeling 100%. But, I got my finishers medal and I get bragging rights that I conquered the hills of Wildflower even with the flu holding me down. I'm looking forward to seeing you in 2013!

Running in Paso, especially around the many local vineyards, is beautiful. The air is refreshing,…read morethe countryside is picturesque, the locals are welcoming... The course itself sticks to the backroads, and that's a plus; however, the roads aren't as "closed" as I would have hoped. Many times coming up and around a bend, I was a bit wary of cars. I didn't fully trust the drivers' ability to spot runners. Every once in awhile, a police cruiser drove by, monitoring runners' progress and making sure all was well; but cars, left unchecked, still sped by. As I had said, the locals are great, and volunteers are always much appreciated. Since the run benefits the Paso Robles High School, many teenagers helped out. Sometimes without supervision, though, their attention began to stray (as mine would, too, if I was their age, I guess.) Staffing water stations for a few hours on an early Sunday morning--in the rain, no less!--isn't easy. So I applaud them. Overall, not a bad run. If I was again in the area during race time, and as long as my running it hadn't been preceded by wine tasting the day before, I'd lace up again. Hopefully next time, though, stronger safety measures will be in place.

Eberle was one of the first wineries I visited when first coming "home" to Paso Robles many years…read moreago. Recently, we came back for a mini reunion and made Eberle a place where our party of 8 could relax, unwind, and reminisce of yesteryears while enjoying the beautiful views from the covered vineyard deck, and needless to say we absolutely had a blast! The tasting experience was still complimentary thanks to the blessed heart of Mr. Gary Eberle (thank you kind Sir), who also happened to grill up some delicious meats and smoked sausage that day (Santa Maria style), which was the perfect pairing to his wines. Special mention to Stephanie, who did an phenomenal job guiding us through the last cave tour of the day...and Mr. Eberle, she truly did your story justice (and then some!). WOW! We left there with plenty of purchases as well...too good to pass up! Oh and ladies, give their Rosé and Muscat Canelli a try...so refreshing! CHEERS and happy eating till next time...

First impressions of Eberle were quite the opposite of where we'd just come from (Daou). There were…read morechildren running around, dogs roaming, misters spraying, and a ton of America 250 memorabilia everywhere. It was chaotic, messy, and we ended up loving every minute of it. Huge thanks to that goes to our host, Tamara. She was an absolute delight! Our glasses were never empty and she was just such a funny, quirky host. About halfway through our flight, she took us downstairs for the cave tour. Wow, what a stunner! Such a unique touch to this winery. The other incredible thing is that Eberle doesn't charge for tastings so you might as well pick up a bottle or two :)

My boyfriend and I came to Calipaso Winery for what was supposed to be a relaxing weekend getaway,…read moreand it has honestly been such a disappointing experience. When we checked in and got to our room, the property felt completely empty. We were the only guests we could see, which made the whole place feel eerie and uncomfortable. We walked around the entire property and saw no one. There were only three cars in the parking lot, including ours and the front desk employee's car, yet we were told they were "fully booked" when we asked about moving to a larger room. The room itself was not great. The bed is extremely hard and squeaks with every movement. On top of that, the AC does not work. We told the front desk before leaving for dinner about the AC and were told someone would come fix it. When we returned, the room was even hotter than before & it felt like walking into a sauna. The windows don't open, so the only way to get air in is by opening the doors, which obviously lets bugs in. The "free wine tasting" was also frustrating. At check-in, we were told that we would get complimentary tastings at the tasting room. When we went to the tasting room, we were told they were "too busy" for tastings and that we would need to buy glasses of wine instead. We didn't want to make a scene, so we ended up purchasing a bottle and a glass, which came out to $85 & we never received the tastings we were told were included with our stay. Overall, this has been a terrible experience. Between the uncomfortable room, broken AC, lack of guests/staff on the property, and being denied the complimentary tasting we were promised, I would not recommend staying here. Do not let the 4.6 rating fool you.

Great property it reminds me of Seinna Italy. They have , amazing service and great wine. Ruth and…read moreSienna were amazing.

After attending a wedding at the Home Sweet Home Cottage, I was actually disappointed. Everyone…read morefroze due to the wind and the heaters by the dinner tables did not work Everyone had blankets wrapped around them and they were not very sufficient. Even the barn was cold. Also, If you don't care about your expensive wedding dress, it won't be worth a penny after your wedding since you will be dragging it in the soil before you get to the preachers podium. The landscape is embarrassing and unkempt. Granted, there are a few kool old cars and antiques, but unless you want to walk around in a dusty environment, it is not worth it to me. Also, the caterer ran out of food before the tenth table and I think there were at least twelve. On the positive side, the staff was friendly to the guests.

What a great venue!! They were nothing but professional and friendly when attending a wedding at…read morethis venue! I've been here both professionally AND as a guest! I love it and would highly recommend this place!