Whenever we have a few days in a place we like to explore outer areas. When we were last here in 2008, we re-visited San Diego, San Juan Capistrano, Anza Borrego Desert and Joshua Tree National Monument. This year, though, our visit is much shorter so Sue thought a daytrip to Old Town Temecula and the Temecula wine country might be the best shot for our rural exploration.
Temecula is on the inland route from Yorba Linda to San Diego. Sue took her parents there in the 1990s, from which visit they still display a favourite photo in their home. She also remembers a terrible road accident, from the same period, in which police chasing “illegal” Mexican immigrants mowed down a father and his children outside the local school. Such is our western society’s determination – not just America’s as we all know – to keep others out.
Old Town Temecula
According to our printed brochure, there were three Temeculas:
- the first was occupied by the Native Americans, who ended up growing grain for the nearby Mission San Luis Rey. Temecula is their word, apparently, for “place of the sun”.
- the second dates from when these people moved closer to the mission.The path through here eventually became a road that was used by the Mormon Battalion employed by the government in the Mexican-American War, gold-seekers and homesteaders, and the Butterfield Stage.
- the third occurred with the arrival of the Californian Southern Railroad around 1882, with Temecula being along the “shipping” line between San Diego and San Frqncisco. Materials shipped included Temecula granite. Several old town buildings date to these railway years, and are identified by plaques. As you often find in old towns, there are also plaques on sites where buildings once existed.
We enjoyed pottering around the town, seeing such buildings as the old Welty Hotel (built, burnt down and rebuilt all in 1891, but now a private residence), the Welty Building (1890s, now partly an Olive Tasting business), the Knott House (1913), the First National Bank of Temecula (1914), and the Palomar Hotel (1927). You have to watch hard to spy out these buildings as the streets are now also lined with more recent structures built in “sympathetic” or “faux” styles. Sue and Carolyn, in particular, enjoyed browsing the antique/bric-a-brac shops. Sue managed to replace a favourite piece of depression glass that broke a couple of Christmases ago – though not in her original preferred colour. It’s a divided condiments dish in a poinsettia design.
We lunched in the peaceful courtyard of Baily’s which is on the site of the Art Shack, an art studio occupied in 1957 by popular southwestern artist, Frank Love. Sue had her first margarita of the trip – can’t come to the southwest and not have a margarita – and a very tasty Asian chicken salad. Carolyn had an Angus beef burger with sweet potato chips that we all shared, and Len had a Salmon Salad. We decided to save coffee and dessert for a winery restaurant later on.
At Leoness Winery
It was, technically, Good Friday, but that is not generally a public holiday in the USA so the town was busy but not unbearably so. It was, though, a different story in the tasting room of the winery we chose to visit, Leoness Cellars.
The Temecula Valley wine region started around 1968, but Leoness Cellars is relatively new, having been established in 2003. In 2006, they became, they say, the first Temecula winery to score, from wine magazines, 90 or more in four consecutive years for their wines. They apparently practise sustainable farming. We know this sounds silly, but in the end we didn’t taste wines. At $15 per head to taste 6 wines, and with a longish drive home, we went straight for coffee and dessert in the winery’s gorgeous patio restaurant. The desserts were creative, tasty and very, one might say almost too, generously proportioned. Carolyn discovered why we so much enjoy visiting and dining in wine regions. The view was so pretty, and the food prepared and presented with such care and enthusiasm, that we couldn’t help but enjoy a leisurely afternoon.
Back home
It was quite late by the time we got home … around 6pm … so we all had a little rest before having a (supposedly) light meal of mainly leftovers from the previous night. Len was exhausted, having had a jet lag-influenced broken night the previous night and done all the driving, so he went to bed while Carolyn and Sue sat up to watch a 2011 movie about the 2007/8 GFC, Margin Call. It stars Kevin Spacey, Jeremy Irons, Paul Bettany, Simon Baker and Demi Moore, among others. We both enjoyed it, even if the financial complexities were a bit blurry at times! It is set in a fictional investment bank, but draws heavily on what happened at several banking institutions, particularly, we understand, Goldman Sachs.
The slideshow …
Another lovely day! Again, as always, I love the pictures. The desserts were certainly tasty looking works of art. My goodness, ya’ll find interesting food every where you go. What fun for you! I particularly think the picture of Carolyn and Sue and their beautiful smiles is a wonderful one. Friendship is gift to treasure. I also love the one of Len and Sue in front of the winery garden. You both look happy and content.
The video is fun and very well done. I am guessing there is much more but the editing made a smooth and pleasant transition from place to place. I like the audio and laughed at Len’s comment about being in “the men’s antique section” when Carolyn found the saw. The decorated miniature dress form was really pretty in the video. Loved the artful view of the winery and the well balanced ending shot of the building and the landscape with those great rolling hills. AND the lighting is perfect for a lovely pastoral finale!
Wishing all of you have another great day in sunny southern CA!
Thank you for sharing.
Wow, Trudy, you always have such eye for detail with images! I wasn’t sure everyone would pick up on the old saw but you did! Yes there was more video …
That winery was so pretty, though the landscape was not so gorgeous if you looked in a slightly different direction.