wintermute.com.au

10September2015 20:23

stopped into Eugene for lunch at this vegan comfort food joint, and had one of the best ‘fish’ burgers ever (@ Cornbread Cafe - Organic Vegan Comfort Food)

10September2015 00:26

the photos of trees might be getting boring, but they keep changing as I’ve headed north; this from the very top of California, having crossed into (gorgeous) Oregon this afternoon the little trees in front and to the right here are ‘normal’ sized; the giant in back is centuries old (there are even thousand-year-old trees in the parks through here!) (@ Lady Bird Johnson Grove Nature Trail)

06September2015 21:09

hiking up a perilous trail, looking down into some prehistoric wilds (@ Russ Park)

02September2015 22:37

wild ocean at the end of the road

02September2015 22:36

can’t complain

02September2015 00:27

so Muir Woods was pretty cool, but on the road further north, Avenue of the Giants is just magical; massive old redwoods, lots fallen, lots of young growth, and so many spots you can just pull the car over and wander alone into the woods (@ Avenue of the Giants)

31August2015 00:46

wine tasting, Sonoma beating Napa; had a great hangout and drink and chat at Westwood, and love their wine-geek labels (@ Westwood Winery)

31August2015 00:44

another friendly pup at an AirBnB; this guy’s an eight year old lab who drags his heels and just wants to play or eat or anything really

27August2015 03:49

went non-veg tonight, for possibly the best food experience I’ve ever done; one which is so impressively seasonal and produce-obsessed, so filling across a range of small dishes, and so rich while being relatively light on the meat, that it reaffirms my mostly-vegetarianism great food, service, environment, ideals (@ Sons & Daughters)

26August2015 00:46

<3 this space, @sightglass — working roastery, cafe, and de facto office space (@ Sightglass Coffee)

25August2015 22:51

met another aussie in the bar (@ Fireside Bar SF)

25August2015 00:49

classic star wars and wine on the house; this hotel’s happy hour is a winner (@ Hotel Rex)

24August2015 22:29

this guy; ‘old crusty’; so good (@ Rogue Ales Public House San Francisco)

24August2015 20:24

made it to @saintfrankcoffee — this bar! (@ Saint Frank Coffee)

23August2015 23:12

from my hotel window, San Francisco (@ Hotel Rex)

23August2015 21:20

Palo Alto been doing its best to charm me; gorgeous weather, great uni town vibe, and a bunch of tech giants and their crazy money thrown in, somewhat confusingly (@ Stanford University)

22August2015 23:08

stopped in at Sta Cruz, which was kinda grey and gloomy, but did have this wonderful, colourful vegan macro bowl to brighten up my day; after too much fatty food this was amazing (@ Cafe Gratitude Santa Cruz)

20August2015 23:52

spending a few days in the Carmel Valley, where I’m writing about bush spirits and hiking some amazing bushland; it’s pretty magical (@ Carmel Valley River)

20August2015 00:55

this yellow brick road leads to beer; a neat find in the Carmel Valley (@ Valley Greens Gallery)

19August2015 00:33

California, man! (@ Big Sur Coast)

19August2015 00:30

This road taught me an important lesson today. I’m always inclined to just get to the next place. Driving Highway 1 forced me to take my time, always throwing up delays or (incredible) distractions. Remember, life is about the journey. (@ Big Sur Coast)

17August2015 02:49

this pup’s moving into the AirBnB I’m staying at

16August2015 02:42

this rabbit is so well camouflaged against the California dirt that the phone’s compression algorithm wants to disappear it

15August2015 18:46

brunch / wine tasting; the civilised way to drink before noon (@ Artisan)

14August2015 01:43

the local police. really. (@ Paso Robles Park)

14August2015 01:15

Paso, making a case for small towns (@ Music in the Park)

13August2015 00:13

home for the next week

12August2015 00:24

these shields like Hogwarts house banners (@ Firestone Walker Brewery Taproom Restaurant)

11August2015 20:40

a little bit of not vegetarian; house-cured bacon steak, a specialty at the very nice Sides in Los Olivos (@ Sides Hardware And Shoes - A Brothers Restaurant)

10August2015 02:38

somewhat strange that I’ve had to come to a brewery to get decent vego food; so it’s a pizza, but it’s super fresh and nice and light so leaves room to taste more beers! (@ Firestone Walker Brewery Taproom Restaurant)

09August2015 22:05

bier-o-matic (@ Figueroa Mountain Brewing)

09August2015 20:47

finding it hard to block hours at a time, so the writing is going in fits at cafes, bars, wineries, and breweries! (@ Figueroa Mountain Brewing)

09August2015 01:57

lots of wine tasting in Lompoc today; some great stuff but the first probably the best — Scott Cellars is all about the grape, whether singles or well chosen blends; I particularly loved a cuvée blanc of pinot blanc & chardonnay, and a couple of vintages of sangiovese the leaves in the branding represent the specific varietals used, so vary across bottle labels (@ Scott Cellars)

06August2015 20:17

next stop is just down the road from Sta Barbara, so I’ve parked by the beach and am working my way through the city’s many wine tasting centres; this beautiful artwork from The Valley Project, who are doing fascinating small batch terroir-obsessed wine (@ The Valley Project)

05August2015 20:17

getting too much sun to not wear a hat, and I’m exploring mission towns, so this is me now (@ Ventura Beach)

05August2015 01:40

the ocean is a great draw too (@ Ventura Beach)

05August2015 01:39

first stop is Ventura; a trashy old mission town that’s somehow buzzy and completely charming; I was nervous starting this trip but this gorgeous first stop has me convinced it was a good idea (@ Ventura City Hall)

04August2015 23:03

on the left, the model I had reserved; on the right, the beast I’m actually driving (on the wrong side of the road, to Seattle)! (@ Malibu Lagoon Malibu Ca)