I hope everyone’s Cinco de Mayo was tasty, fun, memorable, safe…and SPONTANEOUS! Like mine. Mine was glorious.
After breakfast, starting off the day with a road trip and still staying in Orange County
Friends and I went out the night before in the Costa Mesa/Newport area. A few of them had plans for Wine Tasting in the more natural part of Orange County the next morning. I had a few Cinco de Mayo parties I wanted to go to scattered throughout the OC, but I woke up that morning and figured, “Sure! Why not join in on Wine Tasting?” My morning was free, anyway, and the Newport Cinco de Mayo parties wouldn’t start until later in the afternoon with one more at night…so I had time to explore!
They were going at noon to Hamilton Oaks Vineyard in Trabuco Canyon (a technically unincorporated area that many associate with RSM), so I figured that I could go enjoy the scenic hills of natural Orange County and still be back that same afternoon for when the beach parties would kick off…and then have some time to relax in between parties to grab some authentic Mexican grub (that we are so well-known for in So. Cal) and head over to more shenanigans.
Yes, this is a view from Orange County, believe it or not!
Trabuco Canyon
Driving down the 241 Toll Road and seeing all of the greenery was a gorgeous way to start the day!
Pulling up to Hamilton Oaks Vineyard
In scenic Trabuco Canyon, we passed by tons of hikers, bicyclists, runners, horseback riders, etc. and then tons of bikers who stopped to grab a bite at this legendary bar/grill/hang-out at a fork-in-the-road, called Cook’s Corner.
Popular little stop at the fork-in-the-road
A lot of people don’t realize that Orange County has a huge natural scenery, apart from the beaches. We used to be known for our orange groves (hence, Orange County) and plenty of undeveloped land. Now that we DO have a plethora of developed real estate and commercial land, we really do have the best of both. And that’s exactly what I realized that made me want to take this chance to explore it all in the same day…so I was like, “Yes! Carpe Diem for sure!”
Yes, when we could go from this to the beach in the same afternoon…it’s another day to remember how blessed we are to live in the OC!
From the natural hills to the beach and everything structurally-beautiful in between, there was so much good about the entire day that anything that didn’t quite work out as planned didn’t really matter. I seized the day, let go, and had fun. It was a Cinco de Mayo to remember in the OC, for sure!
Walking in to the wine tasting…
It’s nice to see the medals that Hamilton Oaks Vineyard has won
Some delicious port in a little boot? Yes, please!
The seating gives a very, nice, intimate feeling to the wine tasting; you have options to sit on the main patio or to take the stairs down to the stretched-out deck that overlooks more greenery.
Some of the vines in the vineyard!
The view in front of me, from where I was sitting…
…and the special view behind me, from where I was sitting. You can even see some more vines tucked away in the back there!
One of the bottles we tasted. This one has the fruit of Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, and a hint of Merlot in it. Naturally, it was delicious, of course!
Cheers to gorgeous and fun Orange County!
Santé! Cheers to your health!
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OC Lifestyle 
A couple of friends and I have been wanting to go here for a while!
Beautiful. And so is OC. Nice write-up.