I used to walk the WAP every Sunday during my brief and complicated stay in the San Diego area many years ago. This was one of the many brief eras of my life that need further diagnosis under the heading of “What was I thinking?” The WAP is what I called the San Diego Wild Animal Park, and it used to be in Temecula — I know, right? I planned my driving route to squeeze in another WAP walk and zoo visit. But gone girl! That day, I discovered that all the animals had packed up their trunks and moved to an Escondido stay-in-your-car safari park. Can’t blame them, I guess. The grass is greener there, and the tourists are less likely to mistake them for amusement park rides.
So, instead of my usual WAP stroll, I dry camped (that’s a thing I’ll explain another time) at the Falkner Winery (besides a beautiful winery, it’s a well loved wedding venue), which was, in its own way, even better. I took the slow roads south out of Hemet and Green Acres, inhaling the scents of the fields and savoring the curves of the rolling hills. The vineyard weddings of the weekend were over, and I imagined brides everywhere were waking up to the realization that married life didn’t come with a complimentary glass of wine or everyone doing the dishes for you when the party was over. It was Monday, and I was alone in the Falkner Winery parking lot, perched on what felt like the top of the world — or at least the top of Temecula Valley.
I was the only guest left at closing time (which, by the way, is 4 p.m. on a Monday) because, hmm, drinking wine on a Monday? That’s just advanced planning for a week that hasn’t even started to annoy me yet! I found myself gated in for the night. I put on my “This Wine is Making Me Awesome” t-shirt, stood in the night breeze, and watched the sun set while sipping their chardonnay. Overlooking a valley full of private vineyards and quiet back roads, there was a faint scent in the air — a mix of sun-soaked earth and perhaps a whisper of a grapevine gossiping about the comrades that couldn’t handle the summer heat. In that moment, surrounded by nothing but the silence of the night and the warmth of the wine, I realized that sometimes, the best safari is the one where you don’t even have to leave your parking spot.