Summer Travel Map

Tuesday, March 4, 2008

Enjoying fabulous California weather

March 4, 2008
Buellton, CA

We’re having a great time this week, enjoying weather that’s absolutely wonderful, and visiting with family members. Here's something different: an area map with notations. Let me know if it adds context.



We stayed at El Capitan Beach for three nights, and explored an area that we’ve driven through for years without stopping: US-101 between Santa Barbara and Lompoc/Buellton. When we first started coming out here to visit Geri’s sister, Kathy, and her family, we’d fly into LAX and drive up to Lompoc. We’d add a short stay in LA on either end of the trip, but the drive was basically up the I-405 to US-101 to CA-1 and a straight shot to Lompoc and back. Over the years, we learned to enjoy Santa Barbara as well, and this trip we added a few other stops.

On Sunday, we took the inland route (CA-154) from Santa Barbara to Los Olivos, up the switchbacks through San Marcos Pass, past Lake Cachuma and Santa Ynez. I’d always thought that this might be a shortcut to Lompoc, but it’s probably a bit of a climb and doesn’t really cut out that many miles.

On the way back, we also had a chance to explore the coastline between Santa Barbara and Gaviota, where US-101 turns inland. There are a couple of state beaches along this stretch, but California economics dictates $8 entrance fees just to poke around. Fortunately, there are many roadside turn-offs on the 101 that allow for beach access. It’s not always easy, since you have to cross the railroad tracks and scramble down unimproved trails, but there are always a few hardy souls (and their dogs) who make the trek. Even with the relatively low surf (swells were only running a few feet), you can usually find “surfer dudes” out there as well.

Pictures from the beach are here:

http://picasaweb.google.com/GeorgeandGeri/SantaBarbaraAreaCoast

Another part of the attraction to this area is family visits. Geri’s sister has lived in Lompoc for over 40 years. Her daughter, Cindy, lives in Santa Barbara with her husband, Mike, and daughter, Jennifer. Kathy’s other daughter, Debbie, has recently moved back to Lompoc from Oregon, and she has a place right around the corner from her Mom. This is very helpful, as she’s around to help Kathy get to doctor’s appointments, etc.

Since we stayed closer to Santa Barbara initially, we had two opportunities to catch up with Cindy, Mike, and Jennifer. After we got settled last Friday, we quickly showered and changed, and met them for dinner at a little trattoria in downtown SB. It was crowed and noisy, in a good sort of way, the food was excellent, and it reminded us of places we’ve frequented in New York.

Saturday morning, they stopped by at the coach to visit for a short while with their dog, Barkley. Barkley was heading for his first stay at a kennel, since they were on their way to Los Angeles where Mike was running in the LA Marathon. He’s just started long distance running over the last few years, and has rapidly worked up to the 26.2 mile marathon distance. The LA event was his first, and he finished in 4:10, an excellent time.

Yesterday (Monday) was a travel day, one of the shortest in recent memory since we only had to travel 25 miles up US-101 to Buellton. We arrived at Flying Flags RV Park around 11:30 AM, and had “do our penance” for early arrival by waiting in the “holding area” since check-in time is a strict 2:00 PM. No issue for us, since we’re pretty well self-contained so we had lunch and checked email.

After we parked in our designated spot, Kathy came over from Lompoc, with her friend, Kathy. Fortunately, it wasn’t too confusing. We hung out at the coach for a while and then went to dinner at one of our favorite spots, The Hitching Post. It’s been an institution in the area, with the chef/owner being a winemaker known for Pinot Noir and Syrah. The restaurant also played a “bit part” in the movie “Sideways”, a cult classic “relationship flick” about the meaning of life and the quest for Pinot Noir. Since this corner of Santa Barbara County is producing some great Pinots, it was a great setting for the movie. We had steaks, wood-fired as always, and a couple of the house wines. Their “Generations Red” (a Cabernet blend) was the starter, but the 2001 Cabernet Franc was the star. We may have to stop by and see if we can pick some up for the “wine box”.

Today was a relatively quiet day. Kathy had a morning doctor’s appointment in Santa Barbara (quite a drive, about 75 miles each way), and Debbie took her. They stopped by the coach on the way back, and then we all went to Lompoc for lunch. A new sushi place opened since we last visited, so we had to try it out. It’s in a converted Jack-in-the-Box or something, with a few tables and a 10-person sushi bar, and the fish was very fresh. I was the only one partaking, as everyone else got rolls, tempura, soup, or teriyaki stuff. My feeling is, “when in Rome…” (Or is that “when in Tokyo”?), but hey, to each their own, right?

Family pictures are here:

http://picasaweb.google.com/GeorgeandGeri/FamilyPicturesFromSantaBarbaraAndLompoc

After lunch, we picked up a few things a Wally-World and headed back to the coach for a nap and a snack for dinner. We’ll do some planning for the remainder of our stay here, when we’ll do some wine tasting…





2 comments:

Linda and Andy Clarkson said...

Hi Guys,

We are enjoying your pictures and words, as always. We are also a little jealous of all the wine tasting! The location map is a neat idea. I couldn't get it to enlarge, like the pictures do, so I couldn't read the words in the little boxes.

Take care and have safe travels.

Heather & Chaos said...

I stumbled upon your blog when I was looking for stuff to do in the Buelton area. We are getting ready to stay at Flying Flags next week. We are definitly looking forward to it. I'm a little dissapointed about the "strict" check in time as traveling with infants and toddlers doesn't always make for planned arrivals but I'm glad to know now! Thanks!!