Reprinted from the Santa Maria Times, 10/3/2006

Roadside Attractions
by Sally Cappon

The intersection street signs are caught as the sun sets. photo by Ed Souza/staff

Alisos Canyon Road: Memories of the past

Autumn was starting to show its true colors on Alisos Canyon Road.

Despite the road's name - Alisos is Spanish for sycamores - magnificent oaks dominated the seven-mile drive that links Highway 101 and Foxen Canyon Road.

Some of the oaks were showing darker shading, hinting of the coming of winter. Moss hung from gnarled branches.

Turning off Highway 101 two miles south of Los Alamos - Alisos Canyon Road is almost dead center, north to south, in the county - a motorist quickly leaves behind the frantic flow of cars, RVs and semis. On one of the truly rural roads in the county, one feels thrust into another world.

One scarcely saw a car or pickup - or another person.

It's like the Santa Ynez Valley once was - with vineyards and horse ranches bordering the road. Gates and ranch entrances suggest unseen compounds.

One ranch had animals for sale.

Don't be misled by the word “canyon.” This is no lofty Grand Canyon or even Hell's Canyon. No dizzying switchbacks or awesome vistas greet the curious visitor.

For most of the road's length, it follows the lazily meandering Canada de Los Alisos. Since sycamores were a sign of water, a valuable commodity in the early days, the name was frequently bestowed on landmarks. A mile or so from the end of the road, it leaves the small watercourse and begins a short climb up to Foxen Canyon Road.

Under a pair of furiously spinning windmills, reminiscent of the brainless Scarecrow in the Wizard of Oz, a motorist must decide whether to choose right or left.

There's really no bad choice. Since this is part of the famous Foxen Canyon Wine Trail, popular wineries lie either way.

Roadside Attractions is a weekly chronicle of sights along the Central Coast's main commuter routes. Sally Cappon can be reached at sjcappon@aol.com.

October 3, 2006