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HerScan is a breast cancer screening service using ultrasound. I found out about Herscan from a friend who is an RN and decided to book an appointment.

I had just turned 40 and my nurse practitioner left the medical office that I had been going to for the past couple of years. This is the 3rd nurse practioner in the past 4 years who have left the area. Instead of waiting around or calling around to schedule a check up that might take months for an availability, I figured I'd go ahead and schedule this breast ultrasound myself for $285 at HerScan (might cost more over time) . They were coming to Goleta (Santa Barbara area) and I didn't mind making that 1.5 hour drive for peace of mind. It also gave me an opportunity to have a "me" day and find a nice lunch spot somewhere close by.

HerScan does not take health insurance, which is something to consider. I've never had a mammogram before but I heard the compression from it is painful and if they notice a lump, they'd have you schedule an ultrasound anyway. I was no where near meeting my deductible and a breast ultrasound normally costs more than a thousand dollars, even with insurance unless you've met your deductible. This is what I heard from a friend. You should check your insurance coverage to make sure what it covers and doesn't cover.

Booking my HerScan Appointment

To book my time with HerScan, I went on the HerScan website and chose the closest location to me, which in this case was Santa Barbara, Goleta to be exact. I saw that they were going to have it at a hotel's meeting room less than a month away. I selected the time I wanted and then was hoping for an email confirmation but did not receive one that day. I figured I did it right because when I went back to the reservation page, the time I had selected was no longer available since I had taken it already.

About a week before my ultrasound date with HerScan, I received a reminder email and then a text as well! I responded to the text that asked me to confirm my time and I replied 'YES'. I was getting excited. A couple of days later, they sent me an update text telling me that they changed the venue from a Hilton Garden Inn to The Leta Santa Barbara Goleta. I was fine with that! The pictures of the new venue looked nice online.

Ultrasound Day

When it was the day of the ultrasound, I dropped my kids off at school and then made a drive to Goleta right away to ensure that I get there on time. I arrived 45 minutes early but I popped into the HerScan room really quickly to tell them I've made it and to make sure that I was at the right place. The technician marked my name from her list and asked me to wait in the lobby. She'd find me when it's my turn. There were a few appointments before mine. I realized I had some digital forms to fill out so I sat down in the lobby and clicked on the link from my text where HerScan sent me to fill out a couple of authorization forms. After I was done with that, I just relaxed in the hotel lobby.

The ultrasound technician called each name out in the lobby. When it was my turn, she realized she had been running 15 minutes behind, which I didn't mind because I didn't have any where I had to be within the next hour. However, she was very sweet about it and apologized to me.

While the lady before me was putting her clothes back on behind the curtains, the technician explained the process and said she could't let me know the results today but that a radiologist would look at my ultrasound and send me my results within 10 business days. I understood and then she asked me to pay. I paid by credit card and when the lady was done dressing, the technician sanitized and cleaned the room. Then, she alerted me minutes later to tell me that the room was ready. I only had to take everything from the waist up off.

She put warm gel on the ultrasound tool and started on my right breast and then to my left. I felt that she spent extra time on the left breast. I hope she didn't find a lump and I remembered that she couldn't discuss her findings or results that day and only a radiologist could have the authority to do that; and that the results would be emailed to me. So, I kept those thoughts to myself as I'm sure she doesn't want to have to repeat herself.

After all of that was done, she stepped out and let me put my clothes back on. When I was done, I said 'thank you' and that was it! It was a very easy and stress free process.

I'm sure HerScan changes the venue periodically but I enjoyed hanging out at The Leta Santa Barbara Goleta, where I had my Breast Ultrasound Screening done by HerScan.

I had lunch at a nearby pho restaurant and took some to-go food home for later. I even stopped in at Macy's on the way home for a quick look before returning home in time to pick my kids up from school. It was a good "me" day.

This blog post was not sponsored by HerScan or The Leta Santa Barbara Goleta Hotel. I'm just writing my review as an awareness to help other females navigate through life and life's hurdles.

Women's Health

Many women are gifted to bear children but this comes at a price where we get our periods regularly and sometimes our hormones are out of whack. There have been many times where I delay a shopping trip just because "Aunt Flo" decided to come and wreak havoc on my insides, causing me pain and discomfort. Luckily, we can now buy Feminine Products online. I didn't have this luxury when I was a teen so that is so nice that we can do this now discreetly without peering eyes at the checkout stands.

Women Supplies Online:
• Pregnancy Tests
• Pads and Tampons
• Remedies for Menstrual Cramps
• Yeast Infection Treatments
• Oral Contraceptives

2024 Personal Mammogram Experience

A week before my 41st birthday, I got my very first mammogram done! That's correct. I got the Herscan ultrasound done first before my first mammogram because I was nervous about the compressions from mammograms but I've gotten over it by now.

Mammograms for patients who are 40+ are free through health insurance. So, although it took me over 3 months for a mammogram appointment, it was okay as it was covered my Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield. I felt that my experience was fine, but it was definitely not comfortable! The machine does do these intense compressions but if you've ever breastfed like I did for over 4 years between two of my kids, I felt like the tugging and pressing from the machine were not that big of a deal compared to breastfeeding for years and years, and mastitis! I got my results within a day and it came back normal. Yay!

Reading Suggestions:

• Read more about my mom life adventures.


• See pictures of beaches that I've taken that are in my county, including: Morro Bay, Pismo Beach, Avila Beach, Grover Beach, Cambria, San Simeon and more.

DAOU Family Estates, or as many refer them as DAOU Vineyards, in Paso Robles is renowned for their French wines and amazing vineyards view. Upon arrival on Hidden Mountain Road, we drove up the narrow road (meant for sharing both directions without lines) and through rows of vineyards that they own, we reached the top of the estate to the tasting room, where we stepped out to an overlook of their vineyards and hills of Paso Robles.

[View from Parking Lot of Daou Estate]

We arrived 10 minutes before our reservation time and decided to take a quick stroll around the vineyards and the chilly fall winds of the morning hit us abruptly like a boxing match. Around early-fall in Paso Robles, you get really chilly weather in the mornings but then it'd get hot to about mid-80s at peak during the day. It's this contrast every day around this season that makes the area the perfect place for growing wine grapes.

As we stepped inside the tasting room, we were greeted by the DAOU team and was welcomed with a welcome drink. Then, the hostess led us to our seats in the patio. Shortly after, our attendant came and asked us if we would like some blankets because it was a chilly morning at 10AM. We said, 'yes', and then she came back with our first pour of our tasting flight and 2 blankets. This is the second time a winery offered us blankets for a chilly morning during the fall season while wine tasting and I love this extra service! While waiting for our food to arrive, the attendant encouraged us to explore the property and walk down to the little amphitheater to get a great view of the vineyards. I got to walk up really close to the vineyards and be inches away from the wine grapes. It was an amazing estate experience and the property is very well kept!

Our food arrived a little bit after our second pour from the tasting menu. We saw that they had scallops on their food menu and decided to share it while we wine tasted. It was a great choice! It's a pretty penny for their food menu but the food was excellent so it made it worth it. It paired well with the second pour from the wine tasting menu, but I had forgotten that she said that so I drank the whole glass before our food arrived without thinking. Thankfully, our attendant noticed and went ahead and poured me another tasting of it without me having to ask! This is very attentive service and it goes to show why DAOU is so renowned and popular for tourists and visitors.

The scallops dish only came with 3 scallops and since my husband knew I enjoyed my first one, he sweetly let me have the 3rd one without having to split it. I would order this dish again if we ever come back in the future.

We try not to visit the same winery twice unless we're club members because there are 300 wineries, vineyards and tasting rooms in Paso Robles alone! Paso Robles is part of San Luis Obispo (SLO) County so if you include all of SLO County, there's even more than that. We're locals since we live in the county so if we want to go on a wine tasting adventure, we still have hundreds left to pick from. From the time that I posted this blog, we've finally hit the 50 mark and this took almost 5 years.

The tasting fee that we paid was $50 a person at DAOU (most likely will increase over time). For Paso Robles, it is considered more expensive than the majority of the wine tasting rooms in the area but still considerably cheaper than most wine tasting fees in Napa Valley. I would definitely recommend coming here if you're looking for a wine tasting experience with a birdseye-like view of a beautiful estate. They also offer a food menu so this makes it a great option for a special lunch with friends.

You can view my short video of my entire visit from the drive up to the walk down the vineyards below. Just press the white triangle play button.

After my memorable tasting experience and visit at DAOU Family Estates, I've put them under my top 10 wine tasting rooms to visit in all of San Luis Obispo County and had to bump one of them down. See my current top 10 favorite wine tasting rooms in the county.

DAOU Family Estate Address: 2777 Hidden Mountain Rd., Paso Robles, CA 93446

Reading Suggestions:

• Read about other wineries that I've visited in Edna Valley and Paso Robles in San Luis Obispo County.


• See my top 10 favorite local wineries in Edna Valley and Paso Robles, as a local.


• See this IG reel of different wine tasting rooms that I've personally visited.

We get visitors coming to visit us at least once a year and we'd take them wine tasting in our county and if there is a bottle that we all really like, we'd buy one to save for later at the house. It's really elevated our home parties, especially if we've all visited that very winery together. I've gotten really good at opening a bottle of wine with a regular wine cork opener but if you feel like being fancy, you can check out some wine cork bottle openers that doesn't require pulling strength.

As a San Luis Obispo County local, Clos Selene is one of my top 10 favorite wine tasting places in all of the county. It's romantic, intimate and every tasting that I had was so smooth. A tasting session here requires a reservation ahead of time and also a tasting deposit, which they charge immediately to hold your reservation. Then, on your reservation date, they will refund the deposit later on the day after you have arrived and just charge you for what you owe at the end of the tasting. It is quite a process but well worth it if you've been to many wineries before and want something extraordinary.

We booked a 10AM reservation a few days before to visit on a Friday morning right when they opened. Google Maps sent us to a wrong turn but we found the place after making a U-turn. We arrived at the gate about 13 minutes before our reservation time and the gate was locked. We used the gate box to talk to a personnel and they opened the gate for us. Here is a video with the opening of the Clos Selene gate, as well as, the estate views from our visit below:

As we drove past the pretty vineyards, we found a sign for 'Parking' and quickly saw a sign that marked the owner/winemaker's home and that the tasting room is to the right of it. We're glad we noticed that to make sure we didn't try to enter their private home. This is how the tasting section area looks like as we were walking from the parking lot area. Not all winemakers live on their own vineyards estate so this is very special. They are hands-on and close by.

Shortly after we've arrived, a few other cars arrived. We were surprised that two other parties also made a 10AM reservation!

As we stepped up to the host stand, we were alerted by the staff member that our attendant will come get us shortly and that we could sit on the bench or gray chairs right by the host stand and the umbrellas while we waited.

It was a short few minutes when our attendant got us. He led us to what I felt was the best seat in the house! They were nice outdoor couches with a phenomenal view!

It was the chilly morning so our attendant said he'd come back with fresh French bread, part of their service, and some blankets. Cuddling with my husband with blankets and a view of the vineyards on comfortable cushions were all so surprisingly romantic!

We were already wine club members to four other wineries in San Luis Obispo County, with two places that have a tasting room in Paso Robles as well. Since there are 300 wineries in San Luis Obispo County, we prefer to just go taste as many different places as we can instead of joining another membership. In the four year that I've lived here, I've only visited about 45 wine tasting rooms. That averages about once a month and at our pace, it would take a long, long time to even reach the first 100, even as a local.

However, for the wine connoisseur, I definitely recommend Clos Selene! As mentioned above, they are one of my top 10 favorites in San Luis Obispo County (includes Paso Robles and Edna Valley). See my top 10 wineries in San Luis Obispo and my thoughts about each of them in this rank post.

Reading Suggestions:

• See my top 10 favorite local wineries in Edna Valley and Paso Robles, as a local.


• Read about wine tasting rooms that I've visited in Avila Beach, a classy beach town in San Luis Obispo County.


• See pictures of beaches that I took in San Luis Obispo County, which includes Pismo Beach, Morro Bay, Grover Beach, Avila Beach, Shell Beach and Oceano.


• Read about Cambria, a quaint beach town in San Luis Obispo County that is famous for their annual mile long Christmas lights and Moonstone Beach.


• Read about my top favorite restaurants that I've visited all over San Luis Obispo County, as a local.


• See this IG reel of different wine tasting rooms that I've personally visited.

At the southern most end of San Luis Obispo County is a beach trail that goes over a lake called Oso Flaco Lake. It has a deck trail that is a mile long, easy to walk on and very scenic.

There isn't an exact address you can find to get here but if you Google: "Oso Flake Lake Trail", it will take you there to a parking lot where you can park for free and start your hike. It's about a mile long from beginning to the end where you end up with a beautiful view of the beach and ocean. It's about a healthy 2 miles total when you walk there and back.

When we hiked there, the beach was closed off to the public but you can still get a wonderful close view. Along the way, we saw bunnies, birds and the beautiful lake.

Above is the view of Oso Flaco Lake that I took while standing on a deck trail bridge. It was a really cloudy day and even sprinkled that morning and the reflection of the clouds in the lake was really gorgeous. As we were walking, we saw many helpful boards along the trail about the animals and plants we'd find along the way. There were benches scattered here and there along the way to sit and enjoy a packed snack or just take a break.

It was such a nice and relaxing walk and I look forward to coming back here on a sunny day. The gloomy day did not take away from the beauty of Oso Flaco Lake and the trail. I suggest wearing hiking or walking shoes and bring a bottle of water, just in case. There were portable restroom pods that you can use at the parking lot of Oso Flaco Lake Trail.

Reading Suggestions:

• See pictures that I've taken at our local beaches in San Luis Obispo County, including: Pismo Beach, Oceano, Grover Beach, Avila Beach, Morro Bay, San Simeon and more.

Ever since we've moved to San Luis Obispo County and my kids started elementary school, I've been able to go hiking every week to clear my mind. Even if the sun seems mild, it's good to have sunscreen, a pair of sunglasses and a sun hat to protect your skin. Going hiking or on a beach is a great way to improve your mood and get a bit of exercise.

Avila Beach is a very beautiful beach town in San Luis Obispo County with nice restaurants, shops and wine tasting places! As a local, we've visited the handful of wine tasing rooms and places that offer flights right there at Avila Beach. You can easily walk from the sand to any of these places for a wine break.

Even though they are all so close to each other. Please do not attempt to do a wine tasting flight at all five of these places on the list in one day! Some of these wines have really high alcohol content. I recommend just sticking to just one place a day or if you have high tolerance, max could be two places. Make sure you eat in between tasting places, if they don't serve food. There are plenty of restaurants nearby. 

Here's the list of Avila Beach Wine Tasting Options that I've Personally Visited:

• Alapay Cellars Tasting Room
  
  Alapay has probably the most spacious tasting room among this list in Avila Beach. You weirdly step down to get to the tasting room but once inside, you'll enjoy pretty murals and a roomy atmosphere. The service is really nice and personable. Address: 415 1st St, Avila Beach, CA 93424
• Sinor-LaVallee
  
  Sinor-LaVallee will probably be the first wine tasting room that you see if you're coming from the main road! It's a small tasting room but they offer fresh oysters where you can shuck them yourself. The tasting room has big windows and when we visited, there was only one attendant. We didn't make a reservation but I recommend making one ahead of time. Address: 550 1st St, Avila Beach, CA 93424
• Peloton Cellars
  
  Peloton Cellars has a unique theme with cycling decor all over the tasting room. I love their high ceiling. It's also a small tasting room like Sinor-LaVallee (listing above) but it's located a tad bit closer to the beach. Address: 470 Front St, Avila Beach, CA 93424
• PierFront Wine & Brew
  
  PierFront Wine & Brew is beachfront and has a lot of comfortable places to sit. It's a great place to come if you're planning on picking up local craft beer as well. They have a large selection of wine and beer. Address: 480 Front Street, Avila Beach, CA 93424
• Blue Moon Over Avila
  
  Blue Moon Over Avila is a French restaurant in Avila Beach and beachfront. Their food is excellent! It's pricey and best of all, they offer two different wine flights and one of them is Rhone varietals! The tasting price was very fair for the offer. You may be surprise to read this but it's my favorite wine tasting place in all of Avila Beach. We chose to sit at the bar inside and no one else sat there. All of the other patrons sat outside so it felt so nice and intimate. We ordered food with our wine and enjoyed our lunch there. We're locals and live in San Luis Obispo County but I always feel like a tourist when I dine here. Address: 460 Front St, Avila Beach, CA 93424
• Avila Wine & Roasting Co.
  Avila Wine & Roasting Co has a pretty entrance in the front but when I stepped inside, I felt like I was going to a wine storage room. The place has a lot of different wines for sale. They also have wine tasting flights that you can enjoy. There are a couple of tables inside but there are more tables outside, which a better option to enjoy the fresh air and corner view of the ocean. I would not come here to taste for ambiance. If you'd like to find a nicer dedicated wine tasting room, I recommend the first three (Sinor-LaValle, Peloton Cellars or Alapay Cellars Tasting room) on this list at the top. However, if you're looking for a very specific bottle of California wine, it's definitely the right place for it. Address: 53 San Miguel St, Avila Beach, CA 93424

You can view a quick video of my visits at 5 different places to taste wine in Avila Beach in my Youtube Short Video below:

Reading Suggestions:

• I've visited over 4 dozens wine tasting rooms in all of San Luis Obispo County, as a local. See my top 10 favorite wine tasting rooms in all of San Luis Obispo County.


• See my pictures that I took at Port San Luis Obispo Pier, also known as Harford Pier, in Avila Beach. It is the only pier of the three that exists in Avila Beach that you can currently walk on.


• See pictures of all the beaches in San Luis Obispo County that I took over the years. Avila Beach is part of San Luis Obispo County.

Ever since we've moved to San Luis Obispo County, we've been more active with hiking, wine tasting, walking on the beach and going to the many parks. Even if the sun seems mild, it's good to have sunscreen, a pair of sunglasses and a sun hat to protect your skin. Being active outdoors is a great way to improve your mood and get a bit of exercise.