Hi Everyone!
Before I get into the great trip we took to San Simeon State Park and a tour of Hearst Castle at twilight, I want to thank all of you who read our newsletter. I ran into Cristi Westerhouse, a former Gourmet Girl, at Trader Joe’s recently and she remarked how much she liked reading it every week. If you’re reading this one Cristi, we want you back! We are ever so grateful to our readers, PERIOD. And we like hearing from you, too, so feel free to leave a comment on any of our posts here.
In the past, our annual camping trips have been to Big Sur during the summer, and we’ve tent camped. This year, thanks to Gourmet Girl Yvonne Chin’s suggestion, we did the RV thing, mainly to honor Maury Treman’s rig she is planning to sell. It’s a lovely and amazing coach, and Maury drives it like a veteran.
We met in the Sears parking lot at 11 am on a Friday. I hold a special place in my heart for this particular parking lot (can there be such a thing?) because it’s where I rendezvoused with Peter Bodea who sold me my Roadtrek. Now, I love my Roadtrek for dozens of reasons, but it somehow seems to pale next to a rig like Maury’s. LOL!
Gourmet Girl Seyburn rode with me in the Roadtrek and off we went! She and I stopped in Los Alamos for Bob’s Well Bread while Maury and her crew blazed ahead. Bob’s Well Bread was named one of fifteen of the best bakeries in a small town by Travel + Leisure. The entire town of Los Alamos has become somewhat of a foodie destination. It’s definitely worth a drive any day of the week if you are in Southern or Central California and hankering for a road trip.
The Gourmettes met up again in Harmony, a town just south of Cambria that boasts a population of eighteen. Yes, you can rent the whole town if you want, and many do for weddings and private parties. From Harmony it was a twenty-minute drive to our final destination … San Simeon State Park.
We had a fun-filled two days inside and outside, including playing Boggle and Code Names in Maury’s spacious rig, building fires, picnicking on the beach, and hugging trees. And of course, we cooked! And we had way too much food, as always! But that’s just who we are and why we have such great camaraderie all these years. I think it’s twenty plus years!
Another fun part of our trip was the excursion to Hearst Castle and the Holiday Twilight Tour. It was decked out for Christmas just like Mr. Hearst had it in his day. Tour highlights included Casa del-Sol, the grand social rooms of Casa Grande, the kitchen, theater, Neptune pool, Roman pool, and the gardens. There were volunteers everywhere who dressed in period costumes, which lent a festive note.
The entire trip was truly an adventure for the Gourmet Girls. We’ll hold this escapade in our memories for a long time. In the meantime, we wish you the very best during this holiday season and beyond!
Happy, Happy Holidaze!
Gail, Denise, and Lindsey
#gourmetgirlsonfire