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Extraordinary Stories by Explore Lompoc
Extraordinary Stories is a video series that shines a spotlight on the people and businesses that make Lompoc unique. Each feature introduces viewers to local businesses and organizations, from the thrill-seekers at Skydive Santa Barbara to the winemakers at Camins 2 Dreams Winery and Transcendence Wines, and the Mural Society of Lompoc, with more to come.
The videos capture the energy, creativity, and vision behind these homegrown companies. Cinematic production and thoughtful storytelling highlight their offerings and the experiences they provide to visitors.
By sharing authentic, engaging stories, the series helps audiences connect with Lompoc and encourages exploration of the city’s attractions. Short edits for social media expand the reach of each story, bringing Lompoc’s distinctive character to viewers across multiple platforms.
00:00 - 00:28
The thing about skydiving is that people do go through a lot of emotions that never experienced before. When the door opens up, it's like having like eight cups of coffee and then they leave the aircraft. And then they're like floating. And the parachute ride is really nice and quiet and peaceful. So the cancer have a lot of emotions.
00:28 - 00:43
So when they reach the ground, they're so exhilarated about what they've gone through because they have never experienced all this adrenaline rushing through their body. And it's really a life changing experience.
00:43 - 01:00
I started Skydive Santa Barbara here back in like 1997. And the reason why I came here was because of the ocean views. We have ocean views to the to the west and to the south, which is unheard of in California. I've been skydiving for 47 years. I was lucky enough to be part of a team that won the British National Championships.
01:00 - 01:22
I was in a world record in 1987. I'm 65 now and hopefully I'll be still skydiving in my 90s, so I have a lot of experience and it's just fun teaching new people how to jump and tell them stories about my experiences so they can learn more about the sport. In this current industry, we're known for 18,000 ft. skydive, which no one else in California does.
01:22 - 01:42
The aircraft is a turboprop aircraft, is basically a jet engine with a prop on the front of it. Our flight to 18,000ft used to be about 25 minutes. Now we can do it like in 10-15 minutes, super fast. So that plane right there is the fastest climbing plane in the United States, which is which is pretty cool.
01:42 - 01:59
One of my favorite things about running a skydiving school. I just love talking to people. It's like a social club down here. I love talking to people and find out why they're here. You know what? What sort of work they do. I just love people. It's a no brainer. Coming to Lompoc to skydive. Why wouldn't you come here?
01:59 - 02:12
I mean, we have the ocean views. We have the best aircraft in the United States. Rocket launches, the best wine. Why would you go anywhere else?
00:00 - 00:34
When Tara and I met. We were living in different continents. I was living in Spain. I was living here. We were working for other wineries for a long time. But we would meet every year and travel. But by the time I moved here, we've always talked about it. Right? Like, we should start our own projects. Then we had the opportunity to get a couple of tons of Syrah, and that's how we started two barrels and some kegs as well.
00:34 - 01:06
We got the first year and that was that was our winery. Camins means path, growth in Catalan. So camins to dreams. Means the past. Our dreams. Our dream has always been to have our own winery. And so now we're living that dream. I like this one. It's more spicy. Seems. Seems to do things. Just growing up in my Native American culture, my winemaking is always about, like, connecting myself to the land.
01:06 - 01:28
It was always about being in balance with ourselves and with our surroundings. We work with vineyards that are either organic or regenerative or biodynamic, and that have that respect for the land and the workers and the environment. In Spain, growing in the bottom of the Pyrenees, I used to always see wine surrounded by food. So I think that's what really balances my winemaking.
01:28 - 01:50
I try to make wines that are really food friendly and delicate and easy to pair. Just living here in Lompoc and having Santa Rita Hills just right in our backyard is just so unique in so many ways, with all the different microclimates that we have here. We come out to the vineyards for every single pig. We're part of that crew, and we try to be really gentle in the in the winery.
01:50 - 02:05
One of the things that we do at, the winery is like we put a stamp on the food that comes in. We like to do it with our feet or hands because it's more delicate. You actually feel the grace. You see if there's birds that are full or not, that if you're doing it with that machine, you really don't feel anything.
02:05 - 02:39
You just you're just like, punching down. So. So that's the way we're connecting with. We have the tasting room in the Lompoc wine ghettos, and our idea is that there's so much to have, like a personal that's to open and welcoming to everybody, where we can share our story, but really have people that's there just to spend the time and relax, have a glass of wine, and also create a safe space for everybody to come through, but also LGBTQ, for the wine community, for us being two woman married, obviously in Native American, Bipoc like, we are definitely a stand out in the community in Lompoc.
02:39 - 03:06
It's a really open minded place, more than maybe in other areas. So yeah, they've been, like really welcoming to us, you know, living in Lompoc, it's just something so special and so unique in so many ways. We are living our dream here, like, having our own winery and making our own wine and being able to share it with friends and family and then living in this wine region that's, just so incredible and doing it the way we want to do it and sharing it together.
03:06 - 03:13
So this is like, really like a dream come true.
00:00 - 00:35
My name is Joey Gummere. I own, Transcendence Winery with my wife, Sarah, and we've been running this business now for 17 years. It is so fun to make wine with Joey, and it's so fun to be in business with him as well. I love the diversity that you get every year and the challenge that you get from from making the wine.
00:35 - 00:58
We dream big. We go all in and we take it home. We take it on vacation, we take our big dreams with us wherever we go. And so we're kind of always thinking about what's next. Transcendence started in 2006, and for us, Transcendence was to take fine wine and do sort of philanthropic work. Everything was donated every year for the first three years.
00:58 - 01:12
We chose the name Transcendence for our winery because if it's going to take a little bit of effort, we're going to go above and beyond that effort to make it even a better product and a better experience for our customers.
01:12 - 01:31
That's the beauty of wine, because there's so many stylistic choices that you make starting out in the vineyard. You know when someone feels the fruit is ripe. It's super subjective to the winemaker. If you want to see who the winemakers are and go to the vineyards.
01:31 - 01:55
What makes Santa Ynez Valley so unique is that it runs east west. And so you have in the Santa Rita Hills, you have Pinot Noir and Syrah, Chardonnay, great varietals. And as you move further east, you have Grenache, a little bit warmer climate Syrah. And then as you go into Happy Canyon AVA, then that's where you're going to get your Bordeauxs, your Cabernet Sauvignon.
01:55 - 02:08
And so at Transcendence, we're able to make a diversity of varietals because of the diversity of the valley that we live in. It's really, really unique. Really in the world.
02:08 - 02:34
Our vision for our tasting room has always been to create a wonderful community environment. I would say it's the opposite of a stuffy tasting room. You can come into Transcendence and feel like you've been there before, and people know you even though they don't. It's just a very welcoming, warm environment. When we moved over to Lompoc, we realized that not only is it great for a winery, but the community is amazing.
02:34 - 03:04
It's been a fantastic place for not only the winery, but also to raise a family. It's a wonderful location. The weather is absolutely perfect. The Lompoc community is everything I've ever wanted for home to feel like.
00:00 - 00:19
It takes hard work to do even just one mural, but to have like 30 plus murals. It's like, I want to see that.
00:19 - 00:57
The Lompoc community is so unique and has so many things to offer. The murals, for sure, where they learn about Lompoc history and see some great art, the local gallery, and other things like the mission and the wine ghetto and all those sort of things. It's a really unique, friendly, beautiful town to visit. The work that the Lompoc Mural Society is doing here is drawing people from all over the world, and creating a sense of unbelievable pride with the locals when they have company come from out of town, lots of times when they're touring, they'll say, you know, I have family visits and the first thing I do is take them to see the
00:57 - 01:22
murals. Now our history is on the walls. We have reader boards for almost all the murals at the Mural Society is done, and it's just fascinating to think, wow, we were once the mustard Seed capital of the world, or wow, they grew a whole field of flowers. It looks just like a flag. Some of the things we do as volunteers in the Mural Society, everything from pulling weeds at the mural site to, washing them down and re-varnishing when needed.
01:22 - 01:50
Sometimes the panels start coming loose on the ones that are done on panels, and they have to be screwed back in. I mean, all kinds of things.
01:50 - 02:13
The Lompoc community is wonderful. We're a very small kind of off the beaten track community, I would say, with a big heart.
00:00 - 00:12
What brought my family from Sicily to Lompoc was the weather. My husband would say, "When it's 65 degree, I stop and I will buy a restaurant for us." So we did.
00:12 - 00:19
When I saw Lompoc, I said, "Wow, that's like Sicily." And I said, "That's your restaurant." 1980, we bought this La Bontè
00:19 - 00:31
Italian Restaurant and it's been 45 years. And I still love it. I cook just like home. Everything is organic, everything is
00:31 - 00:38
fresh made. You put a little bit this, a little bit that, maybe this, maybe that and need to just keep trying until it's
00:38 - 00:46
good. And then I sing, I dance because my heart love what I'm doing. This is not work to us. This is what we live for.
00:46 - 00:56
Our customers are our family. This is home and there's nowhere else that we would rather be. If they sick, I make chicken soup. If they don't have place to go,
00:56 - 01:04
they can come in my home. It's so important because they never feel lonely. They got a mama. If they have, like, problem at home,
01:04 - 01:10
I say, "Sit down. I give you a cup soup. Sit down. We're gonna talk." I make them feel better.
01:10 - 01:20
And by doing that, I do- I feel better too. I feel so welcome. Wherever I walk, "Mama!" Wherever I go, "Mama!" Lompoc welcoming to me for
01:20 - 01:29
45 years and I love these people and I love the weather. I call it the hidden gem. This is kind of a place where people can
01:29 - 01:40
really come to get grounded. Everybody knows everybody and everyone supports each other. And it's safe. If you visit the Lompoc, you gotta stop first and see me.
01:40 - 01:54
I bet $10,000 you can drive north, south, east, you can't find a better food than mine. Viva Lompoc.
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