Alas, our jam-packed weekend along California’s Central Coast has come to an end. But while driving back down the 101 we stop very briefly at Laetitia Vineyard to get a taste of winery activities that are so popular in this region. In fact, Paso Robles is just 30 miles north of San Luis Obispo, so adding that destination to your Central Coast trip would give it a different spin.

But since we didn’t get to Paso Robles, these next best thing is a stop at Laetitia Vineyards in Arroyo Grande. (By the way, if you have time to walk around the main street in Arroyo Grande, it’s quite lovely — Jenny and I drive through without stopping but it reminds us of a smaller version of downtown San Luis Obispo.) I pick Laetitia Vineyard because it’s located just off the 101 on our way back towards Los Angeles. The only trick is that it’s a partial exit — not even marked with a number — that requires crossing north-bound traffic on the 101. It works out fine but we have to wait several minutes until there’s a break in freeway traffic before we can drive across to the main gate. Pro tip: while this exit is accessible from both sides of the 101, it’s best visited on your way up the coast. Or just be really careful to avoid oncoming cars going 70mph.

We’re not even here for a wine tasting as we have to drive back to LA, but there’s enough time to check out the grounds for 15 minutes. The prettiest part is this patio below the main building, accessed by the staircase on the left.

What an ideal spot to crack open a bottle of wine and enjoy the scenery.

Time to get back in the car. On the back down the coast we stop for gas near Andersen’s Inn, which is known for their famous pea soup (there are billboards for it along this stretch of highway):

And that brings us to sunset. Jenny and I time our trip so that we’ll be back along the coast just in time to see it; we pull over at this scenic viewpoint that looks out over the Arroyo Hondo Old Hwy 101 Bridge.

I feel lucky that we stumbled upon this because we didn’t plan for it and it turns out to be a beautiful spot.

The train track runs along this part of the coast so it’s in all of my sunset photos, but it’s pretty nonetheless.

There’s a few minutes before sunset so we walk out to the old bridge, which has views of the neighboring train track bridge:

And now we perch by the railroad track as the sun gets ready to drop below the horizon. The sky to the south turns pastel. That’s part of the Channel Islands in the distance.

With sunset behind us, we hop back in the car and continue south to Santa Barbara. I look on Yelp for a cheap and delicious Mexican place that I took my parents to years ago (shout-out to my Y&R co-worker Nancy for recommending it) called La Super-Rica Taqueria. Except I can’t remember the name of it, so when I look up restaurants on Yelp and see that a cheap Mexican place is #1, I assume that’s it. Until we get there and it’s a place I have never been to before. Turns out Santa Barbara has a different yummy and cheap Mexican place as the new top spot on Yelp — this one is called Los Agaves and it’s SO GOOD. I can’t rave about it enough. We wait awhile in line to order food, and then within 5 minutes they bring it out to us. For under $15 each — which includes splitting an app of guacamole — our meals are big enough that we both have leftovers for lunch tomorrow. Everything is delicious.

What a satisfying end to our weekend. If only all road trips ended with delicious burritos and guac.

And by staying in Santa Barbara through supper, we manage to avoid Presidents’ Day traffic back to Los Angeles; it’s smooth sailing all the way home after dinner.

Many thanks to Jenny for sharing this trip with me! And California, I’m reminded on a near daily basis just how beautiful you are; I am so lucky to spend chunks of time out here.