SoCal Boots

As Nic circled around the San Diego airport terminal, he was getting ready to pick up his pro surfer friend Bryan who was born and raised in San Diego also. Bryan lived in Figi, but traveled the world following the perfect wave. As the true Grom grew older, he evolved into competitions and big wave surfing. He grew up surfing in Pacific Beach and up and down the California coast. Bryan was all about it when it came to a trip to Paso Robles with Nic and two other childhood friends. Once Nic picked up Bryan, they were off to pick up Kelly, the Orange County Real Estate agent living in Newport Beach. She was a tomboy who loved to party. She went to San Diego St. and made a lot of connections up and down California while attending. After picking up Kelly they were going to the Hollywood Hills to pick up Angela, the A-list actress. She was just coming off of a role that shot her to the moon when it came to her acting and modeling career. She had plans to dress in disguise since she was all over anything entertainment. They have not been on a trip together for years, so they were excited to create some new memories together. Nic who was a Cal Poly alumni, was an engineer who built high rises and innovatively designed buildings in downtown San Diego. He had not been to Paso since the late 90s, so he had not seen what has changed in the last twenty some years. He was in for a surprise. From back in college, Nic knew of a secret gem in San Luis Obispo that he felt everyone needs to try in their life. Before you reach Paso, it was a must stop on the way, so Nic was excited to share the restaurant and the Central Coast with his friends that have never been before. They were about to embark on a journey that would change their lives forever.

Nic saw Bryan tan as ever with his long blonde hair tucked in a Volcom hat and a surfboard backpack on. He had gleaming blue eyes that you could see from afar. The women and surfer girls died for them. He was sponsored by Volcom, so he was head to toe in the surf brand. Nic pulled up to the curb, put it in park and strapped Bryan’s board on to his snowboard rack. While getting honked at, they skidded out and flew off to the 5 freeway. Bryan was one of the best surfers in the world. He beat out Kelly Slater and Andy Irons twice in the Vans Triple Crown and received third place under both of the champions at J-Bay. When those two surf gods were not competing, Bryan was the one getting carried off by his friends covered in Champagne. He partied like a rockstar and had the hottest girls always on his arm. He loved wine and was usually drinking it unless the booze and beers were out. He surfed on wine and mythically won the Quicksilver Jaws Big Wave Challenge on three bottles. He had a sponsor from Robert Mondavi, the only surfer sponsored by a winery ever. Who knew the two went hand in hand.

Their next pick up was Kelly in Newport Beach. She lived in Bayshores, one of the most expensive neighborhoods in Newport. It was right on the harbor water with two yacht marinas and two private beaches. She was Orange County’s leading closer of multi-million dollar homes for the last three years straight. Her good looks and savvy got her an abnormal amount of listings, closing buyers their first meeting almost every time. She would close million dollar plus homes all day long and then leave on vacation for a few weeks at a time. Then rinse and repeat. She once sold a 32 million dollar home and went on a vacation in the Caribbean for eight months. She loved beer, tequila, wine and almost anything a full bar had to offer. She could drink like a sailor and fish put together. She once did 7 keg stands in a row at a fraternity party and walked off like nothing happened. That was after five shots of tequila back to back. She was a real beast when it came to putting them back. Bryan and Kelly used to hook up, so that was going to be a little awkward. Kelly would go watch Bryan surf in these beautiful places and he would take her out to dinner which always lead to you know what. Kelly was dating another OC real estate agent named Save. That was his real name and he sure knew how to do it. He owned three homes in Newport Coast and was one of the county’s top producers year after year. Kelly only dated real estate agents because they were the only ones who could keep up with her. She was humble and down to earth, but you would never know it with her blonde hair, perfect body, expensive jewelry and fast cars. She walked around like she owned every room she entered with rich men gazing and dreaming about taking her on a date. As Nic and Bryan drove up to the almost mansion, Nic called Kelly. “Are you ready? We are here.”

“Be right there!” Kelly said in her natural sensual and sexy voice. Kelly walked out decked in Gucci from face to toe. Glasses, top, belt, jewelry, skirt, shoes, handbag and suitcases were all included. Nic and Bryan met her in the driveway and grabbed her three suitcases. “Hey Fellas!” “What’s up girl, looking hotter than ever! ”They hugged, packed the SUV and hopped on the road. While heading up the 405, Kelly pulled out her phone that was covered in real diamonds. “Let’s find a podcast.” She opened up Spotify and started looking at her home page. They planned on going wine tasting Saturday so when she saw, Where Wine Takes You, A Paso Wine Podcast she clicked. With Nic driving and Bryan in shotgun, Kelly looked at the podcast list, leaned forward and asked, “So which wineries are we going to?” Nic turned around and said, “Austin Hope and Eberle. Type in Paso Robles wine and see what comes up.” She looked down and typed it in and the first thing that came up was Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance so she clicked again. As the website popped up and the slide show was moving, there was a picture that said listen to wine country. Where Wine Takes You the podcast popped up again. “This is the site.” Kelly said confidently. She goes back to Spotify and starts scrolling the episodes. She saw the word party so she went with Harvest 2023 Wrap-Up and the podcast began. The foursome were coming to Paso to taste but also to party. All four were next level when it came to drinking and extracurricular activities. They were staying at the Paso Robles Inn so they planned on walking across the street where the park and downtown are. They heard Pappy McGregor’s was a good place to go for drinks Saturday night. They were all very excited for their first drink and other than Nic, their first Paso Robles experience. As the podcast started rolling, “We are going to make a stop and have dinner tonight.” “Where?” Bryan asked. “It’s in San Luis Obispo, Firestone Grill.”

“We are going to stop before Paso?” said Kelly. “Yes, it’s worth it, trust me. You have to get the tri-tip sandwich. It’s world class.” confidently said Nic. “Ok, sounds good.” and Kelly excepted the stop. Kelly has not seen Angela for a couple years so there was quite a bit of anticipation to see her after her recent success. The Hollywood whirlwind swept her up, so it was hard to keep up with her. Angela was on top of the world after her last film. She was close friends with Jennifer Lawrence and Kate Hudson and the three of them starred in Upside Down, a movie about three friends that love wine and take a trip to Sonoma Wine Country. In the movie, Angela’s character gets in a fight with what she thought was a snobby guest at the winery and dumps her wine on the ladies head. The lady ended up being the owner and they were kicked out and banned for good. It was a legendary scene that skyrocketed Angela’s career and took wine mainstream over night. The wine industry was so happy with the writing and directing since they accurately nailed the movie. Angela was now famous in Hollywood but now also the wine industry. She was hoping her disguise would work but we’ll see.

As they drove up to the breathtaking driveway and lavish home, Bryan called Angela on his phone. “Let’s go girl!” “Be right there stud.” Bryan used to hook up with Angela too, so he knew both girls beyond really well. Angela came out in a brown wig, hat, big sunglasses and a tan trench coat. You really could not tell it was her because her close friends even were fooled. She hopped in, hugged everyone and off they went to the 101N. “What’s up guys?” Angela genuinely asked. You could tell she needed her friends around to ground her. Bryan, hoping to get laid looked in her bright blue eyes and said, “So how’s it going super star?” Angela took off her hat and glasses and shook her beautiful blonde hair down but kept the trench coat on. Her face was symmetrically perfect. She had a Hollywood look and dressed in all of the latest fashions. She was median height, fit with to die for curves. She looked so immaculate on screen that men were falling in love with her across the world, especially wine industry men. “It’s been crazy. These wineries keep sending me wine. We have a wine room filled with cases, bottles and wood crates. We don’t have enough room for all of them. I love the Paso stuff so I’m so excited for our trip.” The wine movie was a super smash, so she was riding high tasting the finest wines in the world all of the sudden. She would stay at these famous Châteaus when she traveled to France and met the who’s who in every wine region she went to. Angela grew to be quite fond of wine, but her real love was tequila.

Now that the crew was back together, it felt like no time had passed. “Hey Kelly, open the cooler in the back and hand me a bud light. Grab two for you guys.” The cooler was filled to the brim with ice and beer. Nic brought stealth road soda cups so his friends could enjoy themselves a little more while he was putting miles on his SUV. They were laughing and joking around roasting each other as the freeway finally opened up in Ventura. It is a beautiful drive along the coast and then through the country from Ventura to San Luis Obispo. Green hills and sunshine showered the foursome while driving along the water. After a couple more hours of driving and drinking, they finally arrived to the Osos St. exit. There is an excitement like no other driving downtown getting ready for Firestone Grill. Parking which is not the best these days, can get a little frustrating when trying to just hang out downtown during the day or night. When walking down Osos St. in SLO you begin smelling and dreaming about a tritip sandwich and fries. The seasoning is to die for. They walked up to a line around the block so they got a little nervous about finding a seat. Back in the 90s the hovering vulture game was intense and just part of the whole experience. When you got a seat it was like striking gold. Now days, it’s much easier to find a spot inside or outside of the restaurant. Don’t get intimidated by the line and just head back to the sports bar with amazing memorabilia and gigantic TVs filling up the tall walls. Sitting at the bar was the best. After class Nic and his buddies would slide in for sometimes a burger and onion rings when they had too much triptip during the week. There is gigantic salads that are always refreshing when eating their BBQ as much as they did. The pink tender tritip bite is like no other. It almost seems fake it is so perfect.

Before waiting in line, Nic told them to follow him as he past the line and went straight back to the bar. It was a Friday night at 8pm so the place was packed. The timing was magic when they slid into the four top that seemed meant just for them. Right as they sat down, a handsome man with short hair greeted them. “Hello, my name is Neon, welcome to Firestone Grill. Can I get you some drinks?” Everyone but Nic was drunk, so he was quick to ask for a Cadillac Margarita. “On the rocks with salt?” Neon happily asked Nic. “Yes, and can I get a basket of half fries, half onion rings with ranch please?” “Yes Sir, and what can I get for you ladies?” Angela had her sunglasses, hat and trench coat on and wanted Kelly to order for them. “Can we get four shots of Don Julio Blanco and two margaritas please?” “Great, and for you?” He looked at Bryan and had to do a double take. He knew it was the world renowned surfer so he was pumped that Bryan was in the building. “I’ll have a Buffalo Trace on the rocks please.” he kindly responded. “Sweet, I’ll get those right up!” Neon went straight over to tell the owner that Bryan was there. Angela’s disguise was working. Everyone knew her face but you could not see it. The reason people were looking at her was because of her outfit, not her celebrity. She was happy to see everyone looking and whispering about Bryan and not her for once.

The fries, onion rings and drinks came out lightning fast. They all grabbed their drinks, raised them and clanked a big cheers. The fries and onion rings were hot and crisp. They all put their hands in the basket, dipped the fries in ranch and took their first Firestone bites. They all lost it. Even Nic who has had those fries many times before. While enjoying their drinks, a big group of giants walked in receiving a lot of praise from a big win that night. Cal Poly Men’s Basketball wins at Firestone are the best. While drinking her margarita still in disbelief about not being recognized, Angela looked over at the bar and saw this good-looking gentlemen with a glass of red wine, glowing with people around him waiting to talk to him. “Who is that?” Angela asked Nic. “Remember the Paso wine podcast we listened to on the way here? That’s him, Adam Montiel. With her disguise still working she walked up to Adam and said, “I like the podcast, nice work.” Adam didn’t know what to think because she was dressed so odd. Angela pulled down her glasses and winked at him. Adam instantly knew once he saw her eyes. As she put her glasses back on she put her finger on her lips and shushed him, telepathically telling him to not say anything. After mentally going there with her, he automatically knew he could not tell the town that she was visiting. Angela walked back to the table and sat back down.

Can we have another round?” said Nic to Neon. “Of course, would you like to order some food also?” Nic and Kelly got the Tri-tip, Bryan the ABC Burger and Angela got a large Steak Salad with tri-tip. “Ok, let me go grab the drinks and put in the order.” “So Angela, how’s fame?” asked Bryan who knew what it was all about. Before she could even answer, the food and drinks were sitting right in from them. “Wow, that was fast!” said Kelly shocked by the speed that the food came out. “Yes, that is what they are all about. High quality, good prices and quick food delivery.” Nic voiced. They all took a drink and then a bite into their food simultaneously. The eyebrows on all of them shot up in disbelief about how good it was. “This steak is so tender and the barbecue sauce, wow!” shared Kelly, shocked at the taste of tri-tip since she has never had it before. Bryan loved his big burger and Angela loved the salad covered in tri-tip. By the end of the meal, everyone but Nic was hammered from the all day drinking that the three of them did. They all had leftovers from the big portions, so they got their food wrapped up and bagged before they left the table. Nic who was completely full got up and said, “Alright, let’s go! It’s off to Paso!”

Full as can be, the San Diego crew was now driving up the 101N and Bryan asked Nic, “Can you pull over.” He was twelve beers deep with a bunch of shots and whiskey so Nic pulled over quickly to avoid a smelly disaster. Bryan got out of shotgun and ralphed his Firestone all over the dry brush on the side of the road. As the cars were flying by, Bryan hopped back in, asked for a beer and off they went to the Paso Robles Inn. As they pulled up, the parking lot was packed. You could see downtown Paso popping off with music and locals dancing around in the grass. As they got out of the car, everyone but Nic was wobbly and holding on to each other drunk and laughing histerically trying to pull it together before they walked in. “Hello, we are here to check in.” Nic nicely smiled as the other three could not stop giggling in the pleasant lobby. “Kelly and Angela you will be in room 105 and Nic and Bryan you will be in room 115.” warmly said Alli welcoming the four into Paso Robles. As they walked through the beautiful garden with their Firestone leftovers, they spotted the two rooms that were not right next to each other but just a few rooms down. They split up and Bryan belligerently yelled to the ladies, “We will be right over!”

After partying hard in the girls room, the boys went back to their room, ate the rest of their Firestone and passed out hard. Nic was going to be fine, but the rest of them were in deep trouble when it came to the morning. Other than Nic, the other three slept in and woke up in really bad shape. They slowly got up, got dressed and went right for the beers. After finishing one each, they headed over to the restaurant in the hotel to grab breakfast. Angela was back in her trench coat, hat and glasses hoping to begin their Saturday without being noticed. While eating they discussed their first wine tasting of the day at Hope Family Wines. As they were eating, people were looking over at them, mostly at Angela because of her outfit. It was unheard of for someone to be dressed like that in this special wine country town. After drinking their mimosas and eating their breakfast, they went back to their rooms where they called the limousine they ordered for the day. Once the call was made, the beer cans were open and the crew was ready for some wine. As they arrived, the scenery was geougous with vines and three cool barn-looking buildings. They were in awe. Never being to Paso and coming from the city can be quite refreshing and soul enhancing. When they walked in the tasting room, it was spacious and unique with areas blending eclectic décor, lounges and outdoor cabanas overlooking the estate vines. The tasting room was as impressive as the perfectly manicured vineyards outside. Astounded by the feeling the property was giving them, a stylish and handsome gentlemen greeted them. “Hello, welcome, I am Austin.” The girls were instantly touching their hair and smiling. “Nice outfit.” Austin said to Angela having no idea it was her. He walked them in and sat them down outside. He had a vibe about him that was glowing when he poured the first wine into the glasses. They all realized that the person that greeted them was the Austin Hope. He took care of the group the whole tasting and after a bunch of outstanding wines, Austin pulled out a bottle of his 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon ready to pour into the bowls of the glasses. He did and that did it. The wine exploded with complexity and flavor and blew all four of them into another wine dimension.

After the tasting they were on wine cloud nine back in the limo and off to Eberle Winery on the East Side of Paso Robles. They wanted go see Gary Eberle and try the pinoneer’s Syrah and Cab in the caves. When they were rolling down the road, Bryan pulled out a fat doobie for the friends to share and move on to their next adventure. After each one took a few hits they were all ripped beyond belief and realized they were not capable of keeping it together, exposing Angela’s disguise. “Turn around, back to the hotel!” said Nic making the final call for the group. Next thing you know they were buzzing hard again and were on their way headed to Boot Barn to get their all of a sudden interest in cowboy/girl gear. Nic knew Kye who worked there, so they knew they were going to get taken care of. They all over did it and bought boots, Stetson hats, Wranglers and everything else to match with their classic outfits. They got back to the hotel and partied downtown the rest of the night. They had another day of fun and left that afternoon feeling that they got to live the Paso Lifestyle. They were now off to San Diego to rock their new western outfits in SoCal. Angela escaped being noticed and was back on the red carpet with one of her new cowgirl outfits. “Angela, what are you wearing?” asked a reporter from Vanity Fair. Angela smiled and happily said, “Paso Robles!”

The End