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The Weekly Driver PodcastThe Weekly Driver Podcast, Established 2004 Author: Michael Kahn
Hosted by James Raia and Bruce Aldrich, The Weekly Driver Podcast dives deep into the highways and byways of the automotive world. Each week, we put you in the drivers seat, exploring unique, unusual, and often untold stories from across the industrys spectrum. Language: en Genres: Automotive, Leisure, News, News Commentary Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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The 2025 Hemmings Motor Club Rally: Paso Robles Returns for an Encore Drive Through California’s Wine Country
Thursday, 23 October, 2025
The Hemmings Motor Club Rally: Paso Robles returns for its second edition October 24-26, 2025, bringing enthusiasts from both ends of California together for three days of back road driving, poolside gatherings, and the kind of automotive camaraderie that makes the hobby worthwhile. The car collector car community has a fresh opportunity to celebrate what these machines were built for: driving. It seemed like the perfect opportunity for The Weekly Driver to grab one of its own collector cars and join in on the rally to Paso. The timing of the rally coincides with Paso Robles' most energetic season. Harvest typically runs from late September through November, with October designated as official Harvest Wine Month. October traditionally delivers exceptional weather in this region. Warm days cooling into comfortable evenings perfect for outdoor dining and fireside conversations. More than 100 events occur throughout the month, including specialty tours, winemaker dinners, grape stomps, and live music performances. The harvest atmosphere creates an electric environment throughout wine country. Many California wineries harvest between midnight and early morning because cooler nighttime temperatures help concentrate and preserve fresh fruit aromas and flavors while stabilizing sugar levels. This 24/7 activity gives the region a unique energy during October. Rally participants benefit from this timing. The region's 300-plus days of annual sunshine typically deliver daytime temperatures in the 70s and 80s with comfortable evenings, ideal conditions for outdoor dining and sunset vineyard views. This event converges in Paso Robles during harvest season, when the wine country radiates with golden vineyards and the energy of winemakers working around the clock to bring in the year's crop. Rally participants have a choice: depart from either the San Francisco Bay Area or northern Los Angeles County. Both routes cover roughly 220 miles of California's most scenic backroads before arriving at Rally headquarters, the River Lodge Paso Robles. The Northern Route: Bay Area to Paso Robles Bay Area participants gather at Alice's Restaurant in Woodside at 8:30 AM on Friday, October 24. This starting point holds significant weight in California car culture. Built in the early 1900s as a general store for the logging industry, Alice's became a restaurant in the 1950s and was purchased by Alice Taylor in the 1960s. The location sits at the intersection of Skyline Boulevard (Route 35) and Route 84, surrounded by towering redwood trees. Alice's has earned its reputation as the Bay Area's ultimate car hang-out. The wooden building, which remains family-owned, serves as a world-famous stop for motorcyclists, sports car enthusiasts, and Silicon Valley entrepreneurs alike. Kawasaki chose this location to release its landmark Ninja in 1991, and Tesla held test drives here in 2008 with on-site electric charging stations. The drive to Alice's through the Santa Cruz mountains on any given weekend rewards visitors with an impromptu car show. Vintage Porsches parked beside modern EVs, custom choppers next to pristine BMW motorcycles. From Alice's, the northern contingent travels 136 miles through the Santa Cruz mountains, past Moss Landing, and into Monterey before stopping for lunch at Baja Cantina & Grill in Carmel. The restaurant was founded by Patrick and Gina Phinny, whose love for racing and automobiles directly shaped the venue’s distinctive character. Patrick Phinny, a longtime car enthusiast, recognized an opportunity after spending time vacationing on the peninsula. Despite the area hosting the world-class Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, he noticed a lack of gathering places specifically catering to car enthusiasts. When he discovered a location that reminded him of a Route 66 gas station, he decided to share his extensive personal automotive memorabilia collection with the public. Vintage car memorabilia covers the walls, creating an atmosphere that appeals to both casual diners and serious collectors. The collection reflects Phinny’s decades of passion for automotive culture and racing. The route then continues 123 miles through Carmel Valley, Lockwood, and around Lake Nacimiento. Carmel Valley offers a striking contrast to the coastal environment. As drivers leave the deep blue Pacific behind, the landscape transforms into rolling hills, open meadows, and vineyards. The winding road climbs to 2,000 feet, providing sweeping views of the Salinas Valley before descending again. Cattle graze on hillsides shaded by overhanging oaks, creating a pastoral scene that defines California's inland beauty. The Southern Route: Los Angeles County to Paso Robles Southern California participants start at The Stonehaus in Westlake Village at 8 AM. The 136-mile first leg takes drivers through Ojai and the Casitas Valley before reaching Los Olivos for lunch at Plenty on Bell in Los Alamos. The Stonehaus was conceived by Westlake Village Inn owner John L. Notter and Chief Operating Officer Chris Cuilty as a European-inspired enoteca that would transform throughout the day, from gourmet coffeehouse to wine bar. The concept originated when Notter, inspired by his travels to Saint-Tropez, envisioned creating a vibrant gathering place on hotel grounds that had previously housed a gas station at the corner of Lakeview Canyon and Agoura Road. Notter’s vision extended beyond simply adding another amenity. He planted a vineyard on the hotel property, which sparked the entire project. “That’s how the whole concept started,” Cuilty explained. “You can come and visit the property and feel like you’re in Tuscany”. The one-acre vineyard grows Cabernet, Cabernet Franc, Grenache, and Syrah grapes, producing approximately 200 cases annually through a partnership with Pacific Ridge Vineyards. Ojai deserves its reputation as one of Southern California's most beautiful drives. The small valley town sits surrounded by hills and mountains that frame every view. Highway 150, which connects Ojai to Santa Barbara, ranks among the region's most scenic roads, offering elevation changes and sweeping vistas. The route through Foxen Canyon Road between Los Olivos and Los Alamos provides another highlight. This 30-mile stretch of rural Santa Barbara County backroad combines natural beauty with agricultural heritage. The road winds through varied terrain, from flat agricultural fields to rolling hills dotted with vineyards. Foxen Canyon Wine Trail wineries line the route, with Rhône varietals dominating the southern portion and Burgundy wines in the cooler northern section. Plenty on Bell, the lunch stop in Los Alamos, occupies a charming downtown location at 508 Bell Street. The restaurant emphasizes locally sourced ingredients and offers both an indoor dining space and a romantic tree-lined patio. The restaurant operates under the leadership of Chef Jesper Johansson and co-owner Christine Gallagher. Johansson holds a distinguished place in Los Alamos history as the first chef to establish the town as a serious culinary destination. For 16 years, he served as head chef and partner at the legendary Café Quackenbush, where he cooked for clients throughout the Central Coast region, including Julia Child. After lunch, the southern route covers 98 miles through Casmalia, the Woodlands, and along the coast past Morro Bay. Morro Bay presents one of California's most recognizable landmarks, Morro Rock, a 576-foot volcanic plug rising from the harbor. The town sits directly on Highway 1, the Pacific Coast Highway, making it a natural stopping point for road trips along the Central Coast. Saturday's Loop Into the High Desert Both groups reunite Friday evening at River Lodge Paso Robles for a welcome reception featuring cocktails and Italian-inspired fare from Ciao Papi Restaurant + Bar. Northern and Southern California participants finally meet, able to share stories from their respective journeys. Saturday delivers the rally's centerpiece: a 230-mile loop that ventures into California's high desert and back. The morning departure at 9:30 AM takes participants on a 125-mile route through Central California's backroads to New Cuyama, where lunch awaits at The Buckhorn Restaurant. This drive through the Los Padres National Forest on Highway 33 and surrounding roads offers dramatic scenery. The Jacinto Reyes Scenic Byway, which includes portions of Highway 33, travels through some of Southern California's most picturesque and diverse terrain. The route passes through Wheeler Gorge, where the road squeezes through narrow canyons alongside boulder-strewn creeks. Water seeping from cliff faces sustains maidenhair ferns, mosses, and orchids. Further along, the dramatic white sandstone outcroppings of Piedra Blanca come into view. The Buckhorn in New Cuyama represents a piece of mid-century California history. Originally constructed in 1952 during the region's oil boom, the roadside resort served workers and travelers in the remote high desert. The property sat dormant for years before being revitalized by new owners in 2018. The restoration preserved the building's mid-century bones while updating amenities. Today, The Buckhorn serves as both a roadside oasis and a destination, featuring locally sourced ingredients and partnerships with small Cuyama Valley farms. New Cuyama itself sits at the intersection of four California counties. San Luis Obispo, Kern, Santa Barbara, and Ventura. The town's name comes from the Chumash word "kuyam," meaning clam. The landscape here blends dusty plains, grasslands, and rolling hills, all yielding to pines and mountain slopes under the shadow of the Sierra Madre. The afternoon leg returns to Paso Robles via a 105-mile drive through Los Padres National Forest, arriving back at 2:40 PM.
