Santa Barbara Life & Style Magazine September/October 2020

LOCAL ESCAPES SB LIFE & STYLE

Meadow Lake t’s day 120 of lockdown and the walls of my apartment—once reserved for sleeping and packing suitcases—are getting a little too familiar. I’m craving open space and nature. A change of scenery. A road trip sounds like just the thing. So my coworker Silas and I plan a two week California road trip, spanning Ifrom Lake Tahoe to Santa Monica, from safe haven to safe haven. We handpick luxurious properties where nature is at the forefront of activities and social distancing is innate. On a Monday morning, we check out an Audi S6 Prestige sedan for an extended test drive, pack enough for a month into the trunk (mostly his camera gear and my shoes) and are off. First stop: Wylder Hope Valley.

Seven hours later, we near South Lake Tahoe and towering pine trees jutt up from the landscape. The Audi glides along the winding mountain roads with ease, throwbacks pumping through the Bang & Olufsen speakers. The S6’s user-friendly tech, red leather interior, and 444 horsepower ensure that getting there is half the fun. We pull over by a river and shuffle down the slope to the crystal clear water rushing through the forest. I hop along the rocks before grabbing my bikini to go for a swim. With no people around and just the sound of the rapids, it’s only day one and I’m already getting the recharge and uplift I needed.

We pull up to Wylder Hope Valley and are greeted with a friendly, “Hey I’m Rick, I’ll show you to your yurt.” We pass The General Store OPEN and Rick notes, “They have baked goods, beer and wine. There’s WiFi at the store but once you go down the hill to the campground the WiFi drops out, sometimes I think that’s a good thing.” He points out a swimming hole in the river as we approach seven brand new yurts. The historic Sierra Nevada property has been around since 1926 and was renovated this year. Nestled in aspens, the yurts are the most luxurious version of tents I’ve ever seen.

Written by Ottocina Ryan My yurt has all the desirable aspects of glamping—woodsy Photographed by Silas Fallstich surroundings, a fire pit, a skylight to see the brilliant stars, yet doesn’t look out of place with a new Audi parked next to it. The interior decor is clean with almost a Japanese influence, and the freestanding tub is A socially-distanced California road a giveaway that this is not roughing it. trip from Tahoe to Santa Monica ROAD We head back to the cabin area of Wylder to the property’s restaurant, Sorensen’s Cafe, for dinner. We sit at a picnic table on the deck, wool blankets cover the benches. Nearby a campfire crackles. A friendly server in a mask and boots takes our order for a Skinny Margarita, Old Fashioned, Chicken Marsala, Eggplant Parmesan, and their famous Beef Burgundy Stew.

The drinks arrive from behind a bar made from a 100 year old tree, followed shortly by our meal. We watch a couple energetic girls in PJs with their grandparents by the campfire. They're jumping around, roasting jumbo marshmallows, and enjoying their fifth marshmallow as much as the first.

After a wholesome dinner, we return to the campground. A neon pink sunset swiped across the sky casts a blush glow on the yurts. We make the most of the lack of cell service and play backgammon Wylder Hope Valley by the campfire. As the temperature drops, I settle into the cloud-like 2020 Audi S6 Prestige ROAM suitcase, roamluggage.com bed under a gray linen duvet. It’s so comfortable it could be in a 5-star Popo’s Trail, Wylder Hope Valley . The skylight illuminated with stars makes it even better.

64 | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 @SBLIFEANDSTYLE | 65 settling into our redwood lodge. The freestanding one bedroom suite has as much outdoor living space as indoor. The front deck has a jacuzzi, seating area, and fireplace that connects to the indoor living room. The back deck has my favorite aspect: an outdoor shower. Surrounding oak trees afford the utmost privacy.

After unpacking, we head straight for the pool. Various greenery ensconces the pool area with voluminous white flowers. Each pair of chaise lounges has its own secluded area, separated by planters. I unwind and take in the views of pine tree covered hills. The music wafting through the atmosphere sounds as if they are playing our playlists. The only thing that could make it better? Fish tacos. The three mini Baja Fish Tacos are the perfect amount of spicy, and as I finish the server comes by with skewers of frozen grapes, a refreshing palate cleanser. When we’ve had enough lounging, Silas hits the open-air gym while I rinse off in the outdoor shower, the sun a natural towel warmer.

Now, you can’t go to Napa and not sip wine in a vineyard. Luckily, no need to leave the for the quintessential wine country experience. We grab the welcome bottle of Calistoga Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon from the room, pick a table in on-property Sotero’s Wylder Hope Valley Vineyard, and play backgammon until it’s time for dinner.

We walk up to The Lakehouse restaurant and are seated on the I wake up to the dome filled with light. We return to Sorensen’s Cafe balcony. The lake and surrounding forested hills span the spectrum for breakfast. The french toast is Silas’ favorite meal of the entire trip. of green. The atmosphere is rustic, there is nothing glossy in sight. My hearty omelet is the perfect start to a day spent outside. The antique silverware, wood tables, and ceramics are all matte— bread plates depicting a sliced tree trunk. After cleaning our plates, we hike up Popo’s Trail. The trailhead is past the cabins and behind a wooden swing set. We wind up the I scan a QR code with my phone to access the farm-sourced menu. mountain, passing through meadows of wildflowers with swallowtail We start with the Shaved Summer Squash & Zucchini Salad and the butterflies dancing around. The summit overlooks all of Hope Valley. Grilled Cucumber & Peach Salad. The peaches are so good that I I carefully climb out to the point of the cliff to take in the view. On the insist they make an appearance in everything I order. I add vodka to way down a couple mountain bikers dart by, other than that I don’t the seasonal mocktail of K & J peaches, lemon, rosemary, and Fever see a single person. The rest of the day we have no plans but to find Tree soda. Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta with pecan crumble and peach a lake to jump into. cremeux is the finale of a meal brimming with local produce.

A fifth generation local directs us to Meadow Lake. After hiking The Specialty Popcorn section of the room service menu caught my several miles we are rewarded with a sapphire blue lake. A couple eye earlier, so I make a call on the walk back to our lodge and arrive trees breach out from the water, there’s a rock island in the middle, at the same time as a bucket of fresh popcorn. Movie night has a new just big enough to tan on if you’re up for a short swim. It’s scenic and standard that will never be met. deserted. Nothing like an expansive view of a lake to swallow your memory of the latest headlines. Calistoga Ranch A thunderstorm prompts us to return to Wylder. We stop at the property’s sauna before swinging by The General Store for beer and freshly baked banana bread. I would have happily stayed another week at this secluded alternative to Tahoe. The next afternoon, we leave for Napa, winding past roads with quaint names like Dew Drop and Sugar Pine.

Vineyards signal our imminent arrival to Calistoga Ranch, An Auberge Resort. Initial impression: it’s more woodsy than Napa’s wine focus would lead you to expect, making you feel like you could be 100 miles from the nearest store, not 15 minutes from world renowned wineries. Calistoga Ranch Check-in is a breeze and within minutes I am TEDDYS The Butterfly Sunglasses, teddyseyewear.com

66 | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 @SBLIFEANDSTYLE | 67 Carmel Valley Ranch picnic Carmel Valley Ranch Picking with exceptional restaurants was key, to keep I wake up early to birds chirping. Deer play peek-a-boo behind the our “social distance.” Yet as I'd already ordered every menu item agave outside the window as I make tea in the room. The morning with peaches at Calistoga Ranch, the next night we make the light streaming through trees onto the deck is an invitation to stay seven minute drive to Solage, An Auberge Resort for dinner at for room service. Solbar. The atmosphere is modern and bright. Sitting outside amongst trees draped in lights, next to a fountain with fire in the I’m giddy as I remove the silver lids to reveal breakfast. Silas middle, I sip on a Green Flash—a neon concoction with tequila, pours syrup on his stack of three buttermilk pancakes bursting housemade jalapeño herb syrup, and lime. with blueberries. He jokes that if he took a drone shot you’d still be able to see the pancakes. They’re that big and fluffy. I slice into My eyes go straight to the peaches on the menu: juicy chunks of K my Huevos Rancheros and egg yolk seeps out from the center & J peaches, with prosciutto woven between, served over dollops of the stack—farm fresh from the chickens housed on property. of parmesan mousse and sweet caramelized onions, sprinkled The fresh fruit plate presentation is a work of modern art with with arugula and honey-lavender. The variety of textures and varying elevations and accents of fruit puree. For "dessert," I salty-sweet juxtaposition with a touch of lavender is heavenly. unfurl the Cinnamon Roll, my fingers dripping in gooey frosting This appetizer turns out to be my favorite dish of the trip and our with vanilla bean specks. Come time to pack up and check out, it entrees aren't far behind. We’re thoroughly impressed by the New takes all the willpower I have to pull myself away from the spread. York Steak with Jerusalem artichokes, local porcini mushrooms, sunflower persillade, and black truffle fondue, and Half Moon Windy roads lined with olive trees, wildflowers, and vineyards Bay Petrel Sole with confit of summer squash, toasted pepita lead us out of Napa. Further south, we pass through cities and seed pesto, and squash blossoms. We conclude with the K & J agricultural land, until reaching Carmel Valley Ranch. Upon Orchards Stone Fruit dessert—apricots and nectarines mingle arrival, I meander to the garden to join the daily tour. It is with toasted pistachios and whipped ricotta. The fruit is so good exploding with flowers from dahlias to pastel yellow roses. The I look up the farm towards the end of dinner. blooms are so fragrant I can smell them through my mask. Fruit trees teeming with apples and plums fill the orchard, yet the main On a trip where adventure and isolation are our primary attraction is a pile of baby white Swiss goats, born two weeks motivations, a midnight soak in Calistoga Ranch’s hot tub (open earlier. Adorable would be an understatement. 24 hours) to watch the stars is the perfect nightcap. Walking back from the garden I wander around to get a lay of the land. The grounds feel like a camp with so many outdoor activities, from tennis and golf to hiking trails. Lavender flourishes throughout and turkeys and deer roam the pathways like fellow guests.

Past a swing hanging from a giant oak I find a gated lawn surrounded by vineyards. We pick up a picnic and a bottle of wine at Valley Kitchen and bring it back for a picturesque lunch. I savor Mary’s Free-Range Chicken Sandwich—a baguette loaded thick with avocado, roasted chicken, bacon, tomato, and parmesan pesto. Silas saves the brownies and chocolate chip cookies to enhance tonight’s s’mores.

During dinner at Valley Kitchen looking across the table at Silas’ Braised Beet Salad, I laugh at the realization that it’s the first time I’ve seen lettuce in a while; Carmel Valley Ranch has the healthiest menu options we’ve encountered on the trip. Silas gets the Green Garden Curry, a rainbow of fresh veggies over jasmine rice and a slightly spicy aromatic curry. I order the Day Boat Scallops placed on a bed of corn and grape tomato succotash. The intense sweet corn flavor and bursting tomatoes taste like summer on a plate. Our health kick lasts all of 30 minutes, until it’s time to put the brownies to use.

From 6 to 10 nightly, guests breeze through the lobby to pick up complimentary s’more kits and take to the outdoor fire pits. Silas layers a brownie into a s’more, melted chocolate oozing over the marshmallows. He says the french toast was the best meal of Buttermilk Pancakes with blueberries, Calistoga Ranch the trip but his reaction implies this s’more is the best thing he’s tasted in his life. Audi S6 Prestige, Carmel Valley Ranch

68 | SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020 @SBLIFEANDSTYLE | 69 “I swing open the door to The next morning I wake up to a view of the valley, the fireplace Venice to the Santa Monica Pier and beyond. Books, from antique my one bedroom beachfront flickering in my spacious one-bedroom suite. We spend the Plato's The Republic to cheeky novels like I’m Having So Much Fun morning poolside, reading beneath orange umbrellas, before Here Without You, fill the living area, alongside candles, coral, corner suite and am looking continuing south on Highway 1. and plush seating. I’m assuming the binoculars are provided to directly at the ocean. The views watch boats, but I quickly put them to use to get a closer look at Approaching Big Sur, I roll down the windows to let the smell of photoshoots, people riding tandem bikes alone, and rollerbladers. from the wrap around windows redwoods and salty air float through the car. The full campgrounds and closures of main attractions like McWay Falls encourage us to Preferring the entertainment of the boardwalk from six floors span from Venice to the Santa find beauty in new spots. We stop at a pullout to stretch. Waves above the action, I consult the room service menu and settle on Monica Pier and beyond.” foam over offshore rocks and I scan the kelp beds for otters. I Roasted Mushroom Pizza, topped with sauteed wild mushrooms, could stand there mesmerized by the ocean all day, but we want to burrata, and sage. The dessert menu is titled ‘never forget After allowing the waves to act as my alarm clock the make it to Santa Monica by sunset. something sweet’ and, not one to disagree, add the Ricotta next morning, we walk next door to Casa Del Mar’s Cheesecake topped with berries. It pairs perfectly with the palm sister property Shutters on the Beach for Lemon Ricotta We drive down PCH, admiring the homes. Only to arrive at Hotel tree framed view of a pastel sunset. Pancakes at Coast restaurant. Post breakfast, we rent Casa Del Mar, which surpasses all dream beach house fantasies I’d bikes right outside, mini Shutters license plates swing conjured passing though Malibu. The brick facade of the hotel and About to hop in the marble shower, the rubber duckie wearing behind the seats as we ride along the boardwalk to the staff greeting me by name sets the tone for the sophisticated a snorkel perched on the edge of the bathtub reminds me that a Venice. When the pavement ends, we return to Casa Del yet comfortable experience to come. I swing open the door to my bath is always the better choice. The bath bomb from the toiletries Mar for an afternoon at the pool—the perfect perch to one bedroom beachfront corner suite and am looking directly at mini bar, tea lights, and Malin+Goetz rum bubble bath affirm it enjoy both the beach and safety of the hotel. the ocean. The views from the wrap around windows span from was the right decision. Just down the dramatic double staircases is dinner at Terrazza. I savor the ultimate oceanfront meal: Seared Chilean Sea Bass surrounded by Manila clams and leeks bathing in a green parsley sauce. The Santa Monica Pier ferris wheel lights spin in the background as we cheers

Hotel Casa Del Mar The Better Gin & Tonic and a Tequila Honeysuckle (St Germain, tequila, grapefruit, and honey) to the last night of our trip.

When check-out time looms, we play tetris with our suitcases and the valet offers to help. I explain that we are at the tail end of a two week road trip and there’s a method to our organization. “Two week road trip in the Audi?!” He seems surprised. “You must get everywhere really fast.” I laugh, if he only knew. “It was a smooth ride just coming around the corner but that’s got some power,” the valet observes. I concur, the S6 is not ostentatious but drives like it could be.

We make one last stop before home; I can’t leave LA without lunch at one of my favorite places, The Roof Garden at Peninsula Beverly Hills. The yellow and white striped umbrellas and pool views make you feel like you’re on vacation. The Santa Barbara Salmon with asparagus, radish, salmon roe and dill is the perfect segue between an indulgent getaway and home.

I return to Santa Barbara refreshed and safe, with a heightened appreciation for properties that offer rooms so spacious I would happily shelter in place for any extent of time. Distancing regulations encouraged me to see a typical road trip route from a different perspective, to stop at places that aren’t the most geotagged, and spend more time in California’s beautiful nature. I’m wholeheartedly adopting this new way of traveling that

Hotel Casa Del Mar Roasted Mushroom Pizza encourages you to discover less populated places, slow down, and order more room service. *

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