Or, as some others might call it, running a half-marathon. That’s what we did yesterday up in the Solvang area for the inaugural Santa Barbara Wine Country Half Marathon. We stayed in Solvang, where the race finished (it started in Santa Ynez), which is one of the quaintest towns on earth. It fancies itself as a little Danish village, right down to the bust of Hans Christian Andersen in the twon square, and loads of wooden shoes for sale in most of the town’s gift shops.

The race was a lot of fun. It’s run by the same folks who put on the Napa to Sonoma Half that we did last year (and are doing again this year). The course was pretty hilly, with a nasty uphil at mile 11 that really took the stuffing out of me. But the scenery was outstanding, the support on the course was fabulous, and the finish, with several local wineries offering generous and free tastings, a treat.

After we showered and our friend Mary picked up her award for third in her age division, we headed out for an afternoon of limo wine tasting. Mary and Gerry had never done this before, and gerry pooh-poohed it, saying he could drive just fine while slightly drunk (I may be ever so slightly misquotiung him, but that WAS the gist of what he said). He actually looked a little sheepish when he realized what he had just said, and I pointed out that was exactly why we were going to do the limo. Mary seconded me, and Chuck (who had already discovered the joys of wine tasting by limo) was also on my side. By the time we arrived at the second winery, Gerry was completely won over. We all had a great time, and visited four wineries: Babcock (one of our favorites), Melville, Rusack, and Sunstone. If we went to more wineries, I’m afraid I don’t remember them at all. Brian, our driver from Zeus Transporation, was great, and knew the boutique wineries (he recommended Rusack, for instance). Aside from the comfort and relaxation the limos offer, the drivers are amazing resources for local wwinery info. We tasted some really good shit along the way, and bought quite a bit, too. We all crashed when we got back to the hotel, then headed out for a delicious dinner. All in all, a fabulous weekend that went by way too fast. Here are some photos of the run and the wine tasting.

I also shot a little movie of the end of the race. Once I figure out why YouTube keeps barfing on it, I’ll post the link. It may be due to excessive camera movement, and they really DID get sick.