Paso Robles was not exactly what I expected. Downtown was pretty sleepy. I think I expected more of a "Main Street" shopping area like in Sonoma. I tracked down a cozy down-home breakfast restaurant called Joe's Place with great breakfast burritos. It was a good thing I had a big meal because it just so happened that the highway from Paso Robles to Sequoia National Park was lined with quite a few good wineries, including one of my faves, J. Lohr, which was my first stop. I tasted all 6 (or was it 8?) of the reds they had available, including a couple you can't get outside California. I ordered a 1/2 case of wine shipped to Virginia, then headed out to the next winery, Robert Hall. I'd never heard of this place, but it's very pretty -- kind of a modern, angular building set in the middle of a vineyard. Their wines were pretty good, but I resisted buying any, as I knew I'd be spending a couple of days in the desert during my road trip. I stopped at a third winery, Tobin James. I only tasted a couple of wines here because I desperately needed to eat something more substantial than crackers before I got back on the road.

None of the wineries had restaurants, but fortunately, the Jack Ranch Cafe was just up the road. I don't know if I was that hungry or if the food was that good, but I seriously had the most amazing bacon cheeseburger here. In one corner, I noticed a whole lot of James Dean memorabilia. Apparently, he died just up the road, so I drove an extra 15 minutes out of my way to get a pic of the sign that said "James Dean Memorial Highway." I continued another 3 hours or so to a little town called Three Rivers on the western edge of Sequoia NP. The drive in was beautiful - past a huge lake and straight towards the High Sierras - despite the light rain shower. I checked into my hotel, the rustic Sierra Lodge, then proceeded to nap until dinnertime.

I was so sleepy and it was raining, so I opted to forgo my plans to hike in Kings Canyon NP (adjacent to Sequoia). I really wanted to see Mt. Whitney (the tallest peak in the continental US, ~14,500 ft. elev.), however, the visibility was so bad, I wouldn't have been able to see it anyway. I woke up and had dinner at a yummy pizza place down the road. By this point it has stopped raining and I was able to enjoy a beautiful sunset over the mountains while I ate. I wasn't able to get online, so I just watched some TV before going to bed.