Advertisement
Dear All
Wow! How lovely to be on the Californian coast again, and in a relaxed and friendly place! While it was definitely cool being in Santa Monica and Venice Beach back in Los Angeles, Santa Barbara is like a chilled version of them. Pacific coast and beach, with a calm and genteel atmosphere - lovely! And it is also such a contrast to my three days up in the spectacular, snowy and chilly Sierra Nevada! My Road Trip has certainly taken a different turn, and I'm really enjoying it!
Saturday was certainly a long drive from Yosemite to Santa Barbara, driving down first from the high Sierra Nevada mountain range, across the Central Californian Valley through Fresno and nearly back to Bakersfield again, and then up and over the Santa Ynez Mountains which run parallel to this section of the Californian coast just behind Santa Barbara, before hitting the ocean breezes again - a bit of a u-shaped journey if seen from the side! It would have been six hours straight driving had I done it in one go, without the three detours I had to take and the two tourist stops I made, so probably a ten-hour
driving day altogether!
The first detour involved a section of the highway being cut-off, so I drove through some lovely orange grove backwaters of the Central Valley. The second detour happened when my route was blocked by floodwaters which didn't figure on my SatNav guidance - note to self at this stage, to cross-check my "Here We Go" offline route with live information on Google Maps. I was so glad I actually did this cross-checking for the final leg of my trip, as Maps showed me that there was a severe weather warning in place for the route I'd originally planned over the Santa Ynez Mountains, with 12-inch deep snow predicted on the road up there! What a relief I had found this out in advance! My re-route took me all the way around this mountain range - slightly longer, but admittedly far shorter had I ended up being snowed in in my car...!
My first tourist stop was in the fantastically-named town of Taft, right in the heart of California oil country. What attracted me was the option to visit the fantastic, off-beat and very unknown West Kern Oil Museum. Having already driven past a fair number
Palm Trees
Santa Barbaraof mini oil wells thus far on my trip, the kinds of places where bad things always happen in the Hollywood movies, I was intrigued to learn more. Having spotted this museum, open only on Fridays and Saturdays from 10am to 4pm, would be on my route and open, I headed straight there! I wasn't disappointed. Not only did I learn far more about the oil production process than I knew before, it was also such a pleasure being in such an out-of-the-way, kitsch and niche museum, with exhibits also on life and work in Taft back in the 1950s - Americana nostalgia from America's Golden Age galore! Åke, if you are reading this, I think this place would be right up your street 😁
From there, and having switched my route around the Santa Ynez Mountains, I scheduled a second stop in the intriguing town of Solvang. Founded in 1911 by a group of Danish Americans fleeing the harsh winters of the Midwest where many Scandinavians had originally settled in the 19th century, the town has since become a rather kitsch and incongruous Scandinavian tourist attraction in the middle of the Californian coastal route. While the Danish-ness is
Solvang
California visible through its shop names, such as "Rasmussen's", there does seem a bit of a mixing in of Swedish and Dutch things too. Not that it matters, and I'm not too snobby about its authenticity, it was a really cool place to hang around. Highlights were a cute Little Mermaid statue, like the one in Copenhagen, and the Hans Christian Andersen Museum, where I arrived just as it was closing but managed to convince the friendly lady there that I was a huge fan and was so excited to learn more about the man in this far-flung corner of America. It worked, although I did have to nod and pretend to understand when she went into the finer details of the man's life, as after all I'd presented myself as a bit of a connoisseur...! I was particularly impressed with a display of some hand-written letters from the writer himself, whose ending up in this location off the west coast of the USA will probably forever remain a mystery to me. I also really enjoyed a visit to the rather different Old Santa Ines Mission, which was founded there in 1804 as part of California's pre-US Spanish Mission Period between
1769 and 1833, when Spanish and subsequently Mexican plans to settle the land were based upon building several missions throughout the region. 21 religious outposts were built from San Francisco to San Diego, hence the serious number of Spanish place-names along the Californian coast, many based on a particular Saint. This all happened before California officially became a US state in 1850, right at the beginning of the period's Gold Rush which subsequently attracted settlers from the American east.
In Solvang, I also managed to buy the USB converter I was looking for at a local hardware store, to finally be able to listen to my MP3 Player, and thus my California playlist. Just as I was hitting the road out of Solvang through the Santa Ynez Valley below, Tom Petty's "Free-Falling" came on first, and I certainly felt free, as I made my way through this famous region of Californian vineyards. While I didn't have time to fit in a vineyard visit during my time in Santa Barbara, or in California for that matter, I was at least able to drive through this Valley, past Cachuma Lake and the Cachuma Indian Reservation, and over the last ridge of
the Santa Ynez Mountains before dropping down into Santa Barbara, my destination for the next two nights.
While it must have been snowing hard up in the high mountains, it was raining very hard here on this last part of my journey. It was actually torrential at times, with thunder and lightning, and parts of the road were becoming filled with huge puddles. With plenty of traffic around, and no street lighting whatsoever, this last stretch was a real struggle to drive through, and a bit scary I must admit. I was glad to finally arrive and check in to my accommodation. Not long after, I actually received an emergency alert on my mobile phone (I'm sure I didn't sign up for that...) from the state government, warning me of flash floods in the region until midnight, and to stay where I was. I was certainly planning to do that! I later learned that cars had become trapped in floodwaters on Highway 101, which I had just earlier been driving along, with one of them even floating! Again, what a relief I made it when I did! Such rain is apparently very rare in these parts, the locals told
me.
So I was staying in this really posh, plush hotel, in one of the swankiest parts of town, Oak Park, at a rate of £240 per night!! Long story... Back in November when I had originally booked my accommodation in Santa Barbara, I found this deal of a place for just £60 a night - an absolute steal in this, one of the most expensive places to stay in the whole of California. A few hours later they cancelled on me, and as has happened a few times before in such a situation, the fantastic booking dot com found me an alternative for the same price I would have originally paid, refunding me the difference if needed. This time, and I'm not sure why, they found me a place four times the original price per night! I rang them to check whether this was correct and that they'd refund me, and they assured me they would refund the £360 difference once I'd paid and stayed there, with a receipt. I since contacted them twice more to just check this again, and they told me not to worry as there was a note on my booking from a manager,
guaranteeing my refund. I felt I'd be much happier once I saw the refund, but I wasn't saying no to this deal. In fact they refunded me within just a few days of my staying, and I thoroughly enjoyed my stay there. It was probably the swishest place I've ever stayed in, and I loved it! The dressing gown in the room, proper coffee machine, all sorts of smellies in the bathroom, and an outdoor jacuzzi and heated pool which I took advantage of on both my evenings there - the first one with the thunder and lightning storm happening overhead was particularly special! There was even a complimentary bottle of Wycliff champagne chilling in the fridge for me upon arrival, and again I had to double check with the reception that this was really free for me! I was seriously living the Californian dream in Santa Barbara, baby! 😁😎
My full day in Santa Barbara was more relaxed than most so far. I'd originally planned to drive to see places, and also to head up to nearby and ultra-rich Montecito. However, I decided not to do this, and to go back to the good old-fashioned use of my
legs to explore instead. This was partly due to me wanting a chance to explore somewhere again on foot, partly that the flash flood warnings were continuing on into Sunday evening (it was going to be fine the next day apparently), and partly as I realised I just didn't want to go to Montecito. The only reason I'd heard of it was because Ginger and Whinger live there, and why on earth would I want to give these two any of my personal attention considering what they have done to my country, and how my taxes partly go to fund their titles and ability to live the lives they live in Montecito. I name them not, so as not to give them any more of my time than they deserve.
Anyway, back to Sunday - Easter Sunday! And a Happy Easter to all! I decided to spend the morning at mass at Santa Barbara's also very famous Old Santa Barbara Mission, founded 1786. So after a lovely lie-in in my plush bed, and also a clothes wash at the hotel laundry, I walked the mile or so up to the Mission from my hotel, where I was directed to
the smaller Serra Chapel where a back-up Mass was taking place, as the main church was full. I was initially a bit disappointed with this, but it turned out to be a blessing in disguise as the Priest was just great, and so full of Easter energy. I also managed to get a seat on the front row, despite this Chapel also being filled to the gilders - there was a single seat there seemingly waiting just for me. The service was lovely, and really uplifting, and I had a brief chat with the priest afterwards. I was also quite fortunate, as while tourist visits to the Mission were closed on this Holy Day, I still was able to do a quick mini-tour of the grounds, cloisters and chapels myself on the way out! I also found I had left my sunglasses behind back in the Serra Chapel, and although I didn't manage to find them in the end, I did spend a good time talking with the main Mission Priest there in our hunt to locate them. I really appreciated this, it was lovely to talk with him.
The rest of the day was just really really pleasant,
possibly uplifted by the uplifting mass, and also possibly by the very friendly people of Santa Barbara. Everyone there, outside of the busy Downtown area, smiles and says hello. There was a really neighbourly atmosphere to the town, and the manicured lawns, trimmed hedges and blooming flowers surrounding all the gorgeous villa-type houses just lifted the mood immensely.
My walk for the day fitted in the very attractive 1929 Santa Barbara County Courthouse, where even a wedding was taking place on this day, and took in awesome views over town, sierra and sea from its 25m tower "El Mirador". After this I walked past the "Hotel Californian" (not quite the Hotel California, but close enough!) to the beach, with more sweeping coastal and mountain vistas. I then took a walk along its famous pier, the 700m Stearns Wharf, built in 1872 and housing shops, restaurants, an aquarium, and even a car park as cars were also able to travel along it alongside pedestrians! Finally I walked through the Downtown area, filled with more shops and restaurants, and a buzzy atmosphere. I particularly appreciated a five-part mosaic mural along one of the walls there, depicting Santa Barbara in five stages
of history: pre-colonial times, the arrival of the Spanish, the missionary era, the cowboy ranching era, and modern times juxtapositioning all of this history. I was then ready to head back to my posh hotel again, for some more plush r 'n' r.
I must have walked around five miles around Santa Barbara on that day, and it was seriously worth it! The next day I was taking up the wheels again to continue my journey, this time northwards along the Californian Coast, up the legendary California Highway 1, known in this part as the Big Sur! I will of course write up about this in my next one.
Until then, thanks for reading, and all the best for now.
Alex
Advertisement
Tot: 0.054s; Tpl: 0.018s; cc: 14; qc: 29; dbt: 0.0205s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.2mb
D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley
The Long and winding Roads
You are seeing a lot of California. I'm sure you've enjoyed seeing the diversity of the California topography....mountains, beaches, deserts, farmland. Most people do not realize how much farmland California has. Can you imagine LA country in the 50's when it was covered in Orange Groves. I would have like to see that. We love those off the beaten track museums and hit them whenever we can. We've been to several of the Spanish Missions in CA and they are a delight. Some people do a road trip to see all of them. They are lovely. We also enjoyed a day trip to Solvang. We love staying in posh places from time to time. It is not our norm but when we do it, it is amazingly fun to enjoy the luxury. Your time in Santa Barbara and enjoying Easter mass was perfect for you. I'm sorry you lost your sunglasses.