Hello everyone! We are Tom, Debby and Cactus Sam Harris of Harris Stage Lines. Judging from our name most would think we are a bus company, but no, we are an actual stage line, with an actual stagecoach anda team of horses for hire!
We are not native Paso Roblans, however, we love sharing the history of the region. We feel it is important to keep the agricultural heritage of Paso Robles alive. For example, we farm with our horses and mules growing grain hay, which is a big part of Paso Robles’ early history. We also offer visitors the opportunity to visit Harris Stage Lines to experience a variety of activities and educational classes that include learning about and caring for horses.
Harris Stage Lines operates as a working horse ranch that provides horseback riding and stagecoach driving lessons, day and night horse camps, horse training, horsemanship clinics, and driving school for both children and adults. We also offer field trips for students and have worked with schools all over California.
We have horse drawn vehicles for hire, and hold birthday, anniversary, graduation and any type of party you can imagine. If you wish to experience a real western BBQ, stagecoach ride or working horse show, we encourage you to plan an event at Harris Stage Lines. Our events are perfect for small and large gatherings like tour groups, family reunions and special birthday parties. And yes, we even host western weddings at Harris Stage Lines. Everything we do here involves our horses. Weinvite you to come check out what we do here, you will be pleasantly surprised.
Listed below are some upcoming activities that we have planned at Harris Stage Lines:
August winds up our Summer Horse Day Camps. Our day camp is scheduled for August 16-20 and is open to children ages 7-18. Kids will learn what it takes to own a horse, ride, drive, trick ride and trick rope. The camp ends with a choreographed show in which the campers perform the skills they have learned for family and friends.
If you plan to visit Paso Robles, schedule a horseback riding lesson to learn horsemanship skills that you can use in your travels as you venture to other places and plan trail rides. We have different horses to suit each person’s riding level.
Want a unique horse experience? Take a horse driving lesson to try your hand at driving a single horse buggy up to a team four horses. You may get hooked and come back to one of our driving schools!
You can also schedule a stagecoach ride to experience what a way station is like as the horses are hitched to the coach and you board for your ride.
For a real taste of the west, you can visit the ranch to cook your own steak on our western BBQ. We will provide all the food for a tasty meal, then we’ll take you on a stagecoach ride and end the evening around the campfire telling Wild West stories.
Harris Stage Lines is located on North River Road just four miles north of downtown Paso Robles. All activities and events at Harris Stage Lines are on a reservation basis. Please contact us at: info@harrisstagelines.com. For more information and some great photos of the activities, go to www.harrisstagelines.com.
We alluded to it before in a previous post, but I have to say it again, the 2010 California Mid-State Fair is coming! In a span of 12 days, the California Mid-State Fair invites guests to be entertained by live music, public contests, yummy fair food and unique vendors selling anything from hot tubs to Justin boots. The California Mid-State Fair is the largest event held annually in Paso Robles and as a result, nearly 370,000 people travel to Paso Robles from across the state (and some even across state lines) to be a part of the Fair’s festivities. So, get your bags packed and come on down to what is known by many as “the biggest little fair anywhere!”
The California Mid-State Fair has something for all ages and interests to enjoy. For the summer fair traditionalist, enjoy the many agricultural exhibits and displays from quilting to pie baking and home landscaping. For the young and young at heart, the fair offers a fantastic carnival full of rides for people of all ages, the ususal fair games and the best cotton candy you can find! In addition, children can enter and win prizes in the public contests like sand castle building and shark roping held at Paso Pete’s Ponderosa Stage. For the foodie and wine lover, visit the Mission Square to taste daily featured Paso Robles wines and to watch our talented local Chefs conduct cooking demonstrations! And for the music and performance lover, attend one of our numerous concerts offered nightly on a number of different stages. The Headliner Stage features FREE local music and dance talent including Ashley Garland, Class Act Dance and the famed KJUG Barn Dance. Also FREE, the Fort Frontier Stage steps up the talent a bit with music from seasoned pros such as Coco Montoya, Blue Oyster Cult and Cross Canadian Ragweed. And for high profile concerts, purchase tickets to see our Main Grandstand headliners, like Justin Bieber, Aerosmith, Keith Urban, Weezer and many more!
The 2010 California Mid State Fair is open from July 21st thru August 1st, 2010. Fair admission is $8 for adults and $5 for children. Gates open at 12:00 noon and close at 12:00 midnight. We’ll see you there!!
All photos courtesy of the California Mid-State Fair. Clockwise from top: Justin Bieber, Weezer, Aerosmith.
I wasn't lying when I told you all about the beautiful California wildflowers that would be blooming here in Paso Robles this spring!
I went back and snapped this picture after I noticed this gorgeous group of purple flowers growing near my home when I went out for my morning jog.
If you're looking to get a good dose of sunshine and exercise, there's no better place than Paso Robles to do it. Cyclists from all throughout the state flock here during the upcoming Great Western Bicycle Rally to take advantage of rolling hills and quiet country roads. And for those of you who love water sports (personally, I lack the coordination needed for water-skiing), you can take a short drive up to Lake Nacimiento.
I'm incredibly lucky to be able to live in a place as beautiful as Paso -- where a little patch of flowers can make my morning jog, and subsequently, the rest of my day, all the more pleasant.
Last Sunday kicked off the annual Pacific Coast Cutting Horse Association's (PCCHA) annual Derby Classic-Challenge at the Paso Robles Event Center. This event has returned to Paso Robles for the fourth year in a row, bringing with it hundreds of finely trained cutting horses; their owners, trainers, and riders; as well as over $400,000 in prize money.
Like many people in this town, I am absolutely horse-crazy, so I was delighted when I found out that Paso Robles plays host to this fantastic event, and that it's entirely FREE and open to the public. In spite of my horse-craziness, I've never actually attended a cutting horse event before, so I had to undergo a little bit of training myself. Fortunately, there were plenty of friendly people around to explain to me the way this 30-year-old sport works (including Phil Benadum, Executive Director of the PCCHA -- check out my interview with him above!).
The object is fairly simple - a horse and rider team attempt to isolate a single cow from the herd clustered near the back of the arena, and then prevent it from returning. What's impressive about this sport is that once the single cow has been herded out to the center of the ring, the responsibility of not letting that cow return to its comrades falls almost entirely on the horse, and its instinctive ability to anticipate where the cow is going to run. The rider sits atop their horse, hands gripping the saddle horn (they're not allowed to guide the horse with the reins at this point), while the horse jumps, dives, and pivots on the spot, mirroring the actions of the cow; blocking its attempts to escape.
To witness animals face each other down in this manner, not to mention the immense level of trust these riders put into their horses, is truly thrilling. This is a judged event, and each horse and rider team receives a score from a panel of five impartial judges that determines whether or not they will continue through the competition and participate in the finals held on Saturday, March 13.
Competition takes place every day this week at the Paso Robles Event Center (at the Fairgrounds) from 8AM - 5PM. If the mere thrill of being around beautiful horses all day isn't enough to tempt you out to this event (did I mention it's free?), every day a different Paso Robles winery will be pouring their wines. Also, at the snack bar, Bonnie's Kitchen is providing some truly delicious grub (I recommend the sweet potato fries - for $3.00, you get a generous portion cooked right there on the spot).
As for me, I'm proud to consider myself one of the PCCHA's newest converts. I'm looking forward to attending the finals on Saturday to cheer on the horses and riders with a glass of Paso Robles wine in one hand, and an order of sweet potato fries in the other.
P.S. Check out my photo gallery from the event! I'll be adding more pictures throughout the week!
You know you love Paso Robles: the wine, the food, the breathtaking scenery -- our little haven here on the Central Coast has it all. And I know that the Paso Robles experience is never more enjoyable than when you're able to share it with your closest family and friends, which may explain why every year hundreds of happy brides and grooms choose to come to Paso Robles to celebrate their wedding, anniversary, or other special event.
Wedding planning is certainly no easy task - the multitudes of magazines, television shows, and businesses dedicated to ensuring the process is as memorable and enjoyable as possible clearly illustrates this point. There are hundreds of decisions to be made: finding the perfect caterer, the perfect venue, and of course, finding the perfect dress (a daunting task in itself!). Fortunately, the Paso Robles Wedding and Special Event Expo (happening this Sunday, March 7 at the Paso Robles Inn) simplifies the matter considerably by bringing the best caterers, wedding planners, transportation companies, photographers, and other special event services to one location. Best of all? The event is completely free!
So... maybe you don't have a wedding coming up. Maybe you've been happily married (or don't plan to be) for many years. Maybe your ultimate idea of romance is slipping into your boots, climbing into a saddle, and reveling in the unbreakable bonds of trust forged between a cutting horse and its rider.
If the latter is the case, then you probably know Paso Robles more as a haven for roping and cutting horse events in addition to its world-class wines and wineries. This may be wine country, but Paso Robles certainly hasn't lost touch with its Western roots. This week, the Pacific Coast Cutting Horse Association will kick off its PCCHA Derby, held at the Paso Robles Event Center. This event will feature six full days of thrilling cutting horse competitions, vendor booths, and more!
As a lifelong horse lover, and a former Quarter Horse rider (most cutting horses tend to be Quarter Horses), I'm thrilled to live in such a horse-crazy community. The connection formed between these highly-skilled horses and their equally talented riders is something incredible to behold. That's what Paso Robles and its community is about - forging connections and making memories that will last a lifetime. Even if you aren't planning to have your wedding here, Paso Robles is filled with people living out their dreams and working hard to ensure that no matter when you decide to visit, each day you spend here will undoubtedly be a special one.
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