Wine Tasting @ MO | HI Winery in Morgan Hill, California

MOHI LOVE, at the corner of

Watsonville & Uvas Roads

greets Santa Clara Valley

 Wine Trail visitors.

MO | HI WINE

live+love+leal (loyal, true)

Open for Tastings on 

Saturday & Sunday

This nondescript building

 is used for Events &

 Wine Tasting.

The Bar

Eric snaps a selfie.

MO | HI Winery hosts

Weddings & Special Events.

Information on the Winery's

Event offerings.

Currently, this room is set

up to seat 160 people.

The Sound System is

discretely tucked into

a corner of the room.

The Merch...

Our Wine Tastings arrive

on Wine Towers.

Eric and I sampled five Wines.  The Sparkling Brut is dry, bright, and crisp.  Rose -GSM (Grenache, Syrah, Mouvedre) blend has notes of Strawberry, Cherry, and Berry.  The 2021 MOHI Pinot Noir has hints of Pepper and Spice with notes of vanilla and anise.  2016 Devotion is a blend of Bordeaux Wines producing a complex drink with Currants, Anise with a velvety finish.  The 2016 HOLT Meritage blends Noble Bourdeaux Varietals - Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Petit Verdot to create a Creamy Wine with Currants, Vanilla, and Toasted Oak.  

We are impressed by MO | HI's offerings.  Because space is limited in our motorhome, Eric and I must choose wisely.

Let's walk the grounds and discuss our options.  

Misters make the adjacent

outdoor area comfortable 

for all.

(It's in the low 90s today.)

Propane heaters are set up

for cool evenings.

We walk on wide paths 

between the Grape Vines.

Eric & the Grape Vines.

He points out a cluster

of immature Grapes.

This path leads to the

Ceremony Area.

The Wedding Party approaches

on this tree-shaded walkway.

There is room for over 100

guests on the lawn.

The simple Arch is the focal

point of the area & is

decorated for the Big Day.

MO | HI Winery provides a lovely venue for Weddings and Special Events.  They are probably booked for next year and maybe 2025.  

I almost forgot our Wine purchases...

2020 MOHI Pinot Noir

MOHI Sparkling Brut

2016 MOHI Devotion

The Pinot Noir is one of the best I've ever tasted!  The Sparkling Brut is bubbly & delicious.  Devotion is a beautifully balanced Bordeaux blend.  

Summer in California: Northwest to Morgan Hill

Leaving San Benito RV Campground

We spooked a Black Tailed

Deer

San Benito County

"I Heart Beef"

Cattlewomen & Cattlemen

North on California State 

Route 25

Turning onto US 101 North

Garlic World

Gourmet Foods

Established in 1986

Gilroy City Limit

Population: 55,928

Elevation 194 Feet

Tree City USA

Arbor Day Foundation

42 Years

Terror struck at the Garlic Festival here on July 29, 2019.  A gunman wearing tactical gear used a military-style rifle to kill three people and also injure 12 people.  

Next...

Leavesley Road for

California State Route 

152 West

Sheep graze between the

 railroad tracks & a street.

Eric drives slowly on this

winding two-lane road.

 We are driving the Santa

 Clara Valley Wine Trail.

Yeah!

Arriving at Thousand Trails

Morgan Hill RV Resort.

The first thing I notice is there's no Squirrel on the sign.  The Squirrel is featured on Thousand Trails Resort signs in Las Vegas, Lake Hills, Texas, Acton, California, and Cottonwood, Arizona, to name a few.

We are set up at Site 290.

All the campsites here have

water & electric service

(120 voltage is very good,)

Pumpout Service is available.  The prices have increased to $40.00, $50.00, and $75.00.  Everything costs more these days.  

Pinnacles National Park in Paicines, California

Pinnacles National Park is just 18 miles away from San Benito RV Campground.

Let's go!

Twenty-three million years ago volcanic activity at the juncture of the Pacific and North American Plates created a volcanic field.  As the Pacific Plate moved north, part of the field "went along for the ride."  The trip was 195 miles north to Paicines, just west of the San Andreas Fault.  Millions of years of wind and weather created the landscapes here.  

President Theodore Roosevelt created Pinnacles National Monument in 1908 to preserve the unique landscapes for Americans to enjoy.  President Obama upgraded Pinnacles to National Park status in 2013.  Visitors come here to camp, picnic, and hike.  

Eric & I hike Peaks View Trail.

There are few hikers on the

trails early on a weekday.

It's slow going...

This is a great trail for photos.

The views are beautiful!

Rock climbing, anyone...

Eric thinks this formation

was "transported" from

 Easter Island.

It reminds me of Sam the Eagle from The Muppet Show.  

I zoom in to see more

details.

Erosion continues to

"cut" new towers into

the terrain.

Some trees are growing

on an angle.

Rugged rocks grow out

of the Chapparel.

Animals who live in this rugged

environment includes Chipmunks, 

Squirrels, Raccoons, Badgers, 

Coyotes, Mountain Lions,

Bats...

The Condor Recovery Program is showing progress.  Three Baby Condors are thriving in Pinnacles National Park.

Wild Pigs have done a lot of damage here: eating, destroying plants, and causing erosion.  A Pig Proof Fence was built around the Park and hunting was allowed to remove the remaining Wild Pigs.  In 2006, Pinnacles was declared "Pig Free."

 

I can see why this Park is

popular with hikers &

rock climbers.

A rugged ridgeline

The close-up

Trees grow in the craggy

escarpment.

A different angle

Signs of civilization in this rugged country...

Bear Gulch Nature Center

Interpretation & Education

Conference Center

This area is probably very busy on the weekend and holidays.

I look forward to a

return visit without

my Walking Boot.

There are trails here that I

want to explore.