Hauling The Wine Grape Harvest

A friend of mine whom shall remain unnamed whom works for a local and regional produce transport company which shall remain unnamed invited me to join her for a partial day's run during this year's wine grape harvest. Unfortunately for me today involved moving trailers around that were empty so I did not get in on that but I hope to do it again in the next week or two so I can experience an actual wine grape run. Below is my day in photographs.

This morning my friend picked me up at Lowe's in Paso Robles in "bobtail" configuration, to wit, sans a trailer.

My friend hooking trailers for our first run of the day.

Our rig now fully hooked up at Continental Vineyards on the East Side.

Morning Glory at Continental Vineyards

Morning Glory

Morning Glory

Morning Glory next to the truck.

Having delivered the first trailers to headquarters in King City where we picked up a flatbed trailer here we are stopped for a bathroom break at the Camp Roberts Roadside Rest Area.

Here we are dropping the flatbed trailer at Steinbeck Vineyards on the East Side.

View out the back of the flatbed looking north towards Highway 46.

We drove through Meridian's processing facility over on the East Side off Highway 46 East.

The grapes in these bins are being tested by the probe looming at the end of the boom above.

A truck about to deposit grapes in a crusher.

Meridian is now called Cellar 360.

Grape waste product awaiting hauling to the Central Valley to be used as fertilizer.

The Meridian processing facility is capable of a significant flow of traffic at peak periods this time of year.

Lining up the truck for pickup of these trailers at Meridian's processing facility.

My friend doing the finishing touches on the hook-up.

My friend cranking up the legs of the trailer.

Santa Maria-Mesa Road heading out to the Meridian-owned vineyards east of Santa Maria.

We stopped at this spot to check out the unusual geology. This view is from the Rock Monster's Maw.

Dumping the empty trailers we brought in.

Hooking up the loaded trailers to be taken north.

We had to check out with the Meridian office at this particular property, one of many they own.

This canyon through which the Cuyama River drains out of Twitchell Reservoir contains many vineyards.

View south where the Cuyama River merges with the Sisquoc River to form the Santa Maria River.

An independent hauler driving too fast dumped $80,000 worth of grapes in this trailer.

The ruined trailer now serves as both speed warning and speed limit sign.

A grape cluster not taken in the harvest of this vineyard.

A photographic stare-down.

Headed for the barn for the day. Tomorrow my friend will drive this load of grapes to Napa Valley.

More Santa Maria Valley vineyards out off Foxen Canyon Road.

My friend and I stopped at the Betteravia Road truck stop and got caffeinated en route home.

All photos by Kim Patrick Noyes (all rights reserved)