San Luis Obispo/Paso Robles Wine Tour; a NorCal-SoCal Meet in the Middle event. Sept 27-29, 2020

[R.Murphy]

***EVENT NOTE - AUGUST 30, 2020***

Covid-19 and the danger of infection or death is still with us and the risk is still far too high for us to be able to have this event at this time. It is with a very heavy heart that I note here that we are canceling this event. The good news is we can easily use all of the same info and do this event next year!


***EVENT NOTE - JULY 29, 2020***

Covid-19 continues to be a problem for anyone organizing a group event this year and in the foreseeable future. The San Luis Obispo/Paso Robles Wine Tour; a NorCal-SoCal Meet in the Middle event, will be cancelled if the conditions are not safe for everyone to gather and enjoy the group activities. While we want to remain positive about the event, the reality is that conditions are not likely to improve to a level where this event can safely take place. We do not want to be responsible for putting any of our club members at unnecessary risk.

A final decision will be announced no later than August 27, 2020. This will allow everyone with hotel reservations ample time to cancel their stay with no penalty.


Wine, winding roads, fast cars... what could go wrong? (sadly... apparently a pandemic)

Sept 27-29, 2020. We are doing the SLO / Paso Robles Wine Tour right before crush time on the Central Coast of California. Details to follow but Mike Mclaughlin (whose last name I probably just butchered) says he can offer great advice on wineries so I'm looking forward to a a really good time. Mark your calendars. Hotel info and route info to follow within the next month or so as we do our research on the best options. This will be epic, right up there with the SoCal-NorCal Kings Canyon Rally of 2019.

SO SAVE THE DATE!!!

[R.Murphy]

We will likely follow a similar pattern of the winter wine tours of years gone by (thanks for the info, Greg Adams!):

• Breakfast
• Drive for one to two hours
• One wine stop
• Drive some more
• Lunch
• Work our way back to the starting point with three or four wine stops
• Break, then dinner

[R.Murphy]

4U2NV Can you please update the dates listed in the title of this thread? Thanks!



Due to high hotel rates on the weekend, we moved the event to Monday-Tuesday. More information on that below.

Hotel Info
We found that all Friday & Saturday hotel rates in September and October run about $100 more than Sunday through Tuesday. To keep the hotel cost down, we changed the start of the event to Sunday, September 27th. SpringHill Suites by Marriott Paso Robles Atascadero for $131/night.

Proposed Itinerary
Everyone travels to Paso Robles on Sunday, September 27th and we will gather as a group for an evening dinner. The first wine tour drive will be on Monday September 28th with stops at three wineries. A second drive will be held on Tuesday with three more wineries. We have planned both tours to have the primary drive portion in the morning followed with stops at vineyards in the afternoon.


Day One - Monday, September 28th
This is a full day of driving, winery stops, and a group dinner. Expect a start time around 9:00 am, lunch at about 11:30 am, and dinner around 7:00 pm.

Start - SpringHill Suites
Lunch - Whale Watchers Cafe
Wine 1 - Turley Wine Cellers
Wine 2 - Opolo Vineyards
Wine 3 - Calcareous Vineyard
Dinner - Habaneros Mexican or Santa Maria Brewing Co.
Return - SpringHill Suites

Day One Map Link:
https://www.google.com/maps/dir/SpringHill+Suites+by+Marriott+Paso+Robles+Atascade ro/Whale+Watchers+Cafe/Turley+Wine+Cellars/Opolo+Vineyards/Calcareous+Vineyard/Habaneros+Mexican+Restaurant/Santa+Maria+Brewing+Co.+Paso+Robles+Taproom/SpringHill+Suites+by+Marriott+Paso+Robles+Atascade ro/@35.5516207,-120.7840272,15.08z/data=!4m65!4m64!1m15!1m1!1s0x80ecc330f903072d:0xaa b3bf47bc368c0a!2m2!1d-120.7034517!2d35.5276954!3m4!1m2!1d-120.9476899!2d35.788289!3s0x8092d43390e54785:0x315 475986ab47b48!3m4!1m2!1d-121.3811966!2d35.9975458!3s0x8092914ca7cd7cb5:0x41 1b01ad88f7023!1m10!1m1!1s0x8092a2b53042a771:0x3f86 a97a4e353708!2m2!1d-121.4460441!2d35.8764652!3m4!1m2!1d-120.9646677!2d35.5641311!3s0x80ed28a23c32a0b1:0x6b e10d538455874a!1m5!1m1!1s0x80ecdb713a770481:0xc9bd a9a444dd88ef!2m2!1d-120.7513933!2d35.5534981!1m5!1m1!1s0x80ecd9e5fd4b1 68b:0xe26c3f35208f2811!2m2!1d-120.8191541!2d35.5912441!1m5!1m1!1s0x80ecd07b759bc faf:0x97c0bc3ceacf717e!2m2!1d-120.7521032!2d35.6266248!1m5!1m1!1s0x80ecc55ccfe20 189:0xa1855018c54ee684!2m2!1d-120.6926433!2d35.626725!1m5!1m1!1s0x80ecc55d0b5734 e9:0xedcc1a4436140284!2m2!1d-120.6905194!2d35.6289556!1m5!1m1!1s0x80ecc330f9030 72d:0xaab3bf47bc368c0a!2m2!1d-120.7034517!2d35.5276954!3e0


Day Two - Tuesday, September 29th
Our second day will be shorter. We can start at 9:30 am, get ot our lunch stop at noon, and have dinner at around 5:00 pm. This will allow us to have a happy hour and share some of our new wine purchases back at the hotel later that evening.

Start - SpringHill Suites
Lunch - Custom House
Wine 1 - Stanger
Wine 2 - Cass Winery
Wine 3 - Sculpterra Winery (has a sculpture garden to explore)
Wine 4 - Eberly Winery
Dinner - AJ Spurs Steakhouse
Return - SpringHill Suites

Day Two Map Link:
https://www.google.com/maps/dir/SpringHill+Suites+by+Marriott+Paso+Robles+Atascade ro/Custom+House/STANGER,+California+41,+Paso+Robles,+CA/Cass+Winery/Sculpterra+Winery/Eberle+Winery/AJ+Spurs/SpringHill+Suites+by+Marriott+Paso+Robles+Atascade ro/@35.4142937,-120.9370345,11z/am=t/data=!4m70!4m69!1m20!1m1!1s0x80ecc330f903072d:0xaa b3bf47bc368c0a!2m2!1d-120.7034517!2d35.5276954!3m4!1m2!1d-121.0596865!2d35.5711185!3s0x80ed2fcb59866e63:0xc6 eee94b59127285!3m4!1m2!1d-120.8532466!2d35.4833408!3s0x80ecdf1d2220bd3b:0x54 a1702371f5c58!3m4!1m2!1d-120.7767404!2d35.2489555!3s0x80ecfba30a1b24ab:0x97 c6667bbac4d924!1m10!1m1!1s0x80ecf837c6f61adb:0x459 3be6cc1a500cb!2m2!1d-120.7338332!2d35.1790527!3m4!1m2!1d-120.5428275!2d35.4741964!3s0x80eceb2431045fbf:0x82 280458342848dc!1m5!1m1!1s0x80ecbffb4608d919:0xd0b2 98c16ad6dea7!2m2!1d-120.5177959!2d35.5329064!1m5!1m1!1s0x80ecc72e78d8f 72b:0xd93e94edb48758f2!2m2!1d-120.5649533!2d35.5977089!1m5!1m1!1s0x80ecc690bc76f 37b:0xe22a512a2ee9c34e!2m2!1d-120.6057121!2d35.60399!1m5!1m1!1s0x80ecc5f97a6f357 9:0x35a7624154c4c015!2m2!1d-120.6281877!2d35.6498338!1m5!1m1!1s0x80ecc356a739e cc3:0x9c09a7e60c8b809e!2m2!1d-120.706126!2d35.548748!1m5!1m1!1s0x80ecc330f903072 d:0xaab3bf47bc368c0a!2m2!1d-120.7034517!2d35.5276954!3e0

[R.Murphy]

TLDR: SW Tour and Wine Tour are both still being planned, but Covid-19 could cause the cancellation of either or both. We will keep you posted.


The Elephant in the Room: Covid-19 and Upcoming Group Events

We find ourselves in difficult times. As a pandemic of epic proportions wreaks havoc on our health care system and has claimed more lives in the US than the total American lives lost in World War I, we have to make some rather unpleasant acknowledgements. If this virus plays out anything like the 1918 flu pandemic (aka Spanish Flu -- an unusually deadly influenza pandemic caused by the H1N1 influenza A virus) which lasted from February 1918 to April 1920, we need to make some realistic observations and plans. Until a vaccine is created --and even that won't be perfect if/when the virus mutates-- we will be at the mercy of this disease and cannot honestly make any plans with any expectation of permanence to those goals. We can plan, but we also have to know those plans may be for naught.

As we run our countdowns to the 2020 Southwest Tour or the Meet in the Middle Wine Tour, make hotel reservations, or plan out drive routes with stops for great food and wonderful scenery, and create unique opportunities for new memories with our friends, we still have to acknowledge that the year of the great pandemic may force us to have to cancel the plans so that we may live to enjoy future years instead.

So yes, we are still *planning* this event, but with an asterisk. We have made our reservations, but we have chosen refundable reservations… just in case. Realistically, the Covid-19 infection rates and trajectory are such that no one can reasonably say that things will be “safe enough” to expect people to travel, congregate, share meals, get a little rowdy, and do anything in-person social in September or October. This thing isn’t going to just disappear in a few weeks. The Wine Tour is scheduled to take place in a mere 12.5 weeks. And the Southwest Tour is slated for 3.5 weeks after that. Pandemics don’t just go away overnight and neither one of the organizers of these events wants to be responsible for putting people’s lives or their family’s lives at risk for the sake of a good drive… even a really amazing one.

This isn't forever, but it will be for a longer time than any of us will like.

[rpaluck]

Thanks for update, our drives as well are subject to existing conditions. I was in Paso Sat June 27 and found wine tasting closed. We made it to Carmel, fortunate to have restaurants and beach open, but Point Lobos closed.

[4U2NV]

Everyone that is planning to attend should reserve their rooms. The hotel reservation can be cancelled with no penalty up to 24 hours before arrival.

SpringHill Suites by Marriott Paso Robles Atascadero
Check In: September 27
Check Out: September 30
Current Rate: $143/night

We do not want to put anyone at risk, so we will continue to monitor the COVID-19 conditions to determine if it will be safe to proceed. This is more than just making sure the wineries or restaurants are open. If it is not safe to proceed, then we will postpone the event to a later date.

[R.Murphy]

Thanks for update, our drives as well are subject to existing conditions. I was in Paso Sat June 27 and found wine tasting closed. We made it to Carmel, fortunate to have restaurants and beach open, but Point Lobos closed.

I'm sure it was still a lovely drive even with the various places closed.

Like Jason said, we are still planning, making reservations, keeping abreast of the status of wineries, etc. But yeah, we don't want anyone to be at risk, so it's possible that even if things are open, if it's a dangerous proposition, we are fully prepared to err on the side of caution and do this at another time.

If it was just a day drive, that's different. For day trips, adjustments can be made for picnic-style lunches in your own camping chairs, and physical distancing along with facemasks, etc. But traveling and hotels adds another level of complexity and potential exposure.

[4U2NV]

Covid-19 continues to be a problem for anyone organizing a group event this year and in the foreseeable future. The San Luis Obispo/Paso Robles Wine Tour; a NorCal-SoCal Meet in the Middle event, will be cancelled if the conditions are not safe for everyone to gather and enjoy the group activities. While we want to remain positive about the event, the reality is that conditions are not likely to improve to a level where this event can safely take place. We do not want to be responsible for putting any of our club members at unnecessary risk.

A final decision will be announced no later than August 27, 2020. This will allow everyone with hotel reservations ample time to cancel their stay with no penalty.

[rpaluck]

Thanks for the update Jason

[R.Murphy]

>>>UPDATE<<<

As much as we dislike having to do this, the reality is that it's still not safe to have people traveling right now. Jason and I have discussed it, and we both agree that it's wisest to cancel this event.

If this was just a day trip where we could all pack lunches, bring our own chairs and tables, sit far apart, and all be back home safely in our own beds overnight, it wouldn't be a big deal. But that is not what this event is. And there is no way for us to truly make it safe and still have the event be what it is. There is nowhere in the country right now where numbers are that low which make it "safe." There is nowhere in this country where new cases aren't happening. And they are happening in social gatherings.

Labor Day weekend is coming and, if our country's collective performances on Memorial Day and Fourth of July weekends are of any indication of the results of holidays this year, you can expect the infection numbers to continue to climb.

I sincerely wish this was not the case, but it is. So we are canceling this, and plan to do the same itinerary next year instead.

[rpaluck]

Thanks for update, can't argue with that. Looking forward to a redo next year What a year....

[R.Murphy]

Yeah. It sucks. But we have to be honest about the risk and reality.

Really miss you guys! Maybe we all need to do a video happy hour. We did one for the EOQ group and it was fun!

[LouieV]

Looking forward to it next year.

[s2kx2]

Any chance this could happen this year?

[4U2NV]

Any chance this could happen this year?

I would like to schedule this event for later in the year, but it is too early to set a firm date. Once we get to a point where most people have access to (and have received) a COVID vaccine shot, I will be able to work with the area hotels and settle on a date.

The Black Hills Rally is set for September, so I think this event will happen after we return for South Dakota. With any luck, we will have a wine tour late this year.

[R.Murphy]

Any chance this could happen this year?

Likely we will have to turn it into a winter wine tour. October is looking pretty good.

For me, I'm not going anywhere in a group until after the appropriate waiting time after my second vaccination shot for Covid-19. This is going to take awhile as I'm not in any special category. Trying to plan an event while taking proper precautions is really difficult. Plus, I don't want to be the person who co-hosts an event which results in the death of someone or their loved ones. We have already lost one club member to this disease.