[94SilverCab]

That's a terrible ending to a great weekend. Best regards to your winemaker. You definately have the tools to make great wine, this will give you a chance to step up and put your mark on the label.



Regards,



Jay

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[tamathumper]

Best wishes for a fast and full recovery.

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[flash]

wow - we were just talking about that scenario - did you jinx it? i hope that all works out without too much complication - who knew winemaking was so dangerous?

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[ds968]

Chris, sorry to hear - hoping for a quick recovery !

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[tom968]

What are the odds. I've never heard of that happening.

I hope he recovers.



Also, I've never seen my car this dirty after a Paso trip.

I'm going to spend this weekend cleaning it inside and out.

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[flash]

the weekend was a ton of fun, as always - a big "thanks" to everybody for coming and making this such a great event



we started off at the hotel, and had a chance for everybody to gather and chat a bit, as most of us arrived early

we had so much time that porscheG96 got a chance to drive bva's supercharged car - he said he was quite impressed with the cleanliness of the design as well as how transparent the running of it was - he expected weird idling, odd noises, and all that, but there was none - he said it was like it wasn't there - that is exactly the kind of comment i love to hear, and precisely why i did what i did in setting it up - these events are so much more fun when the car does what you want it to



then we were off to lunch at tobin james - i had planned on being inside, but the weather warmed up, so we all sat outside in the bbq area and had lunch and some nice sauvignon blanc - after chowing down, we then went in for the tasting - i picked up a really nice varietal blend they just started making - i'm really looking forward to drinking that



in talking with pauli about the supercharger, he told me he was in the wine business - i was really looking forward to seeing him, and he hooked us up with tours of 2 of the wineries this year - this was a huge help, and i'm really glad we got a chance to do this, and it worked out so well



we left tobin james a bit after 2 to make our 2:30 at J Lohr - my GPS was on drugs and took us a confusing and circuitous route, but we were on time nonetheless - pauli arranged for us to have a barrel tour conducted by the winemaker himself - this was a great opportunity for people to learn about winemaking - we were told about the process from the growing of the grapes and planting orientation, to the crushing process, to the fermentation, with explanations about the oak, the fruit, and everything that goes into making wine



after leaving J Lohr, we were off to our third winery, Niner, a bit late, but the staff at Niner was most gracious and accommodating - the building was amazing - it is an immense crasftsman style building with huge timbers and stone walls - truly stunning - as it turns out, due to zoning laws, they actually had to build a "prop" winery up front of the property, so as to have the tasting room close to the road - the real winery is much farther back on the property - they were all set up for us, and we pretty much had the place to ourselves - we got a chance to enjoy some of their wines, and talk more amongst ourselves



then we were off to the hotel to check in, clean up a bit, and off to AJ Spurs for dinner - as always, they were great, and we again had the back room - the food was as huge and tasty as always, and nobody went away hungry - chris vais brought some wine from the winery in livermore where he works, and we got a chance to see what he has been up to - i'm looking forward to tasting more of that



after dinner, we went back to the hotel, where a number of the people got together for scotch tasting in the conference room of the hotel - bva had brought 7 scotches to taste, complete with maps of scotland and explanations of the different brands and compositions and such - i bailed, exhausted from the day, but these nuts stayed up for hours, and some of them even longer, enjoying the cigars that ds968 brought along with him







on the drive to breakfast sunday morning, i got a chance to smoke dan's car, though i wish it wasn't quite so literally - i am still chasing an oil consumption issue and will have to look into that further - the car ran otherwise quite well, and i really enjoyed the power of the supercharger - we again went to hoover's for a monstrous country breakfast - i love that place, though my diet went straight to hell



after breakfast, we were ready for the fun run - i had been a wimp up until this point, leaving my top up, but now it was time to take it down and enjoy the sun - after sorting out the route, we were off and running - the route had come recommended by the owner of tobin james - he used to drive a porsche, and said this one would be beautiful and we would likely not see anybody - he was right about that - there is a reason too - the road is treacherous, extremely narrow and windy, and not well kept - the potholes on the fun run sure showed the limits of the cars, as did the sudden and unexpected dips - i scraped the splitter a few times - fortunately mine is a wrap-around design, and not just an edge, or it would have been destroyed - i don't know how long ago he drove the road, or just how big and made of brass his balls are, but that road really tested you - still, the run was challenging and a good test of the car's capabilities - the scenery was amazing, as everything was in full spring bloom, lush and green - the weather couldn't have been better - the end of the run was a great section of road, and i got a chance to open it up and get some speed going



at the end, my car too was dirtier than any other year - driving across the "creek" didn't help, and i definitely used more brake than i ever have - i'm glad we did it, but i'll be cleaning up for a while



here are some shots i snapped - i didn't take that many this year, and left it up to others, but i grabbed a few just for the heck of it



the requisite group car shot - note the "bookends"

   





steve the winemaker for J Lohr giving us a talk on their philosophy on winemaking

   



   





a brief stop at one of their vineyards

   





one of the stops on the barrel tour

   





tasting at niner

   





a moment at dinner

   

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[banditsc]

The fun run road...





The road featured a lot of beautiful scenery, and will be a really fun road if they ever repave it. It would make a nice rally course as is with it's drops off and water features.



I too had a great time and much thanks to Flash for organizing and his hospitality of lending his home and car to me. It was my first trip to CA and was really surprised how beautiful the scenery is up in the wine country. It was also great to meet some of the CA forum members and put some faces to the names.

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[ds968]

Yup, great time...as always, thanks to Bob for taking care of sooo many details to make sure everything works well when we get there.

As time goes on, at some point when none of us will have running 968s <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/ohmy.gif" class="smilie" alt="" /> ( I fear "NLA" parts will eventually turn all of our cars into collector paperweights <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/dry.gif" class="smilie" alt="" /> ) the friendship of this great group of folks will be the only thing which survives. The Paso wine tasting meets and probably other 968 gtgs might include a bunch of other cars, just as was the case this time. I suppose as we get older we're more tolerant of non-968s ? After all, once we have already let Vettes amongst us, how much lower can we go ? <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/rolleyes.gif" class="smilie" alt="" /> <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/tongue.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />

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[Pauli]

This was my first Paso wine rally, and I just wanted to thank Bob in particular for organizing the event - It was a great experience, and I had a blast, I have never done a rally before, and i have to tell you that when your are driving our cars in a pack and you see people give you thumbs up, and honk their horns in appreciation - it's a pretty cool feeling. I'd also like to thank the east coast contingent for making the trek all the way accross country to join in. It was nice to finally put a face to the user names of everyone - just a great group of folks without question. I'll share my jackass of the day story with you all. Unfortunately, I had to head back home before the morning fun run on Sunday. So I'm heading north on 101 - I'm in the right hand lane of 2 lanes going about 75 - cars in front of me, and some cars passing on the left - I notice in my rear view mirror a truck flying towards me and I don't know where the hell he thinks he's going to go - he was going well over 100 mph - There was no place for me to go, so I just start waving my arm since the top was down hoping to get his attention - just when I think he's going to ram right into the back of me, he swerves onto the shoulder at the last second fish-tailing around all of us, then speeds away well over 100 mph again. I made eye contact w/ some of the other drivers after this psycho passed us - everybody had that WTF look on. About 20 mins later, he is on the side of the road w/ 2 police cars in front, 2 police cars behind, and one boxing him in from the side. I have no idea what the hell this guy was running from, but he is awarded the jackass of the day.



Chris, so sorry to hear about your winemaker - I hope he is recovering well -





Paul

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[lbpesq]

As another Paso rookie, I also had a blast and want to thank Flash for organizing a wonderful weekend. Paul, you missed quite a spirited drive on Sunday. At least it's good to know the cops are hard at work rounding up potential clients. lol To everyone who wasn't there, I can't recommend this event highly enough.



Chris: I'm sending good vibes to your friend for a speedy and full recovery. I saw my Alameda/winery friend Michael at the A's game last night. The two of you have met a couple of times at your winery. He works at Thomas Coyne and had already heard about your friend's accident.



Paul: Love that Wimbledon Green!



Bill

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[ebarone968]

I want to thank Bob also for the great event as well. It was nice to meet the West Coast group. I thoroughly enjoyed everyones company along with all the great wines and scenery. I will be leaving today from San Francisco and hope to get some pictures posted when I am home. As Arnold Swartzennegger says " I'll be back " <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/wink.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />

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[Chris Vais]

Winemaker Update. The barrel that hit Phil was empty, had it been full it would have killed him. He was very lucky, no broken bones, no concussion, no permanent damage to the spinal cord. He did get a bad head laceration, compressed neck vertebrae, and trauma to the spinal cord, mostly in the form of swelling that has impeded the motor functions in his hands, fingers, and arms. He should regain these functions as the swelling goes down and with the help of some physical therapy. In the mean time there is much to do at the winery. First order of business is to get things shipshape.



Bob, the Paso run was a treat as always and it is always very good to meet other members of the group. After the group split up in Cambria, we drove back up Hwy 46 to Vineyard and then out vineyard to the Tablas Creek Winery for some tasting. Came back north on Hwy 25, pretty ride, everything nice and green from the rain. You know I never get tired of taking road trips in California especially the less travelled road. I do need to work on handling upgrades on the car.



We'll have to figure out a way to do a Nor Cal wine run, maybe in November after the harvest is done in mid November before Thanksgiving.

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[ds968]

Chris, good to hear.



Paul, I am typically among the first to complain about, be revolted by, and object to excessive use of force / police brutality, but I would also be among the first to step out of my car and join the the cops kicking this a-hole's head in and add a few baton jabs to his kidneys and ribs while at it.. and that's after he's been tasered and while he's being handcuffed <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/dry.gif" class="smilie" alt="" /> , just to let him know what may happen again, next time he pulls a stunt like that. <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/ohmy.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />

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[ebarone968]

a few more pics



    J Lohr

   

    Flash giving directions

    some wine sampling at J Lohr

    Niner Winery

    Tobin James

   

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[94SilverCab]

Reviving an old topic for a good reason.



Rico and I rented Corvettes while we were in Paso Robles and had the audacity to photograph them with our beloved 968s.



Fair is fair (There was a Corvette Show in Newtown, PA yesterday).



Jay

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[ds968]

Showoff ! :-) :-). Lol.

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[flash]

lol - ok jay - now tell them how karma bit you in the butt

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[tamathumper]

Front and center, just like it ought to be!

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[94SilverCab]

Karma is indeed a bitch, I was showing a couple how the headlights flip up...low and behold, the drivers side will not go up...probably just needs a bit of lube (the passenger side stuck up, but resolved itself by manually flipping down and then flipping it up and down a couple of times), but it was a bit embarrassing to be less than perfect.



Thanks for outing me Flash,



Jay

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[flash]

lol - no problem - always there for ya - it's rather like you gave the corvettes a knowing "wink" to say "ha - you think you're cool?" and then you got a muscle spasm tick in your eye and looked like a total spaz.

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