Santa Barbara Area

With all of our necessary family business completed (or at least all of it that was actually going to get done this time) we are heading north toward Santa Barbara, CA.  Here in California the speed limit when towing is 55 mph … of course in California the speed limit is only a suggestion, so we were passed by almost everyone on the road, including locals with their RVs racing off to their favorite campgrounds.  I used to be one of the racers, but since we’ve retired, 55 seems just fine and I can enjoy the scenery too!

We arrived at Thousand Trails – Rancho Oso at around 3 p.m. in the afternoon.  The entrance road to this preserve is not wide enough in most places to accommodate two RVs (much less two big rigs) going in opposite directions.  Therefore, we strongly suggest that when going to this park you arrive after 1 p.m. in the afternoon and leave before 11 a.m.  It might be a good idea to call the ranger station as well, before starting up.  The road is passable, but windy … just take it slow and watch for opposing traffic.  Once you arrive in the park, you will find it was worth the harrowing trip up.  The park is nestled in a lovely valley with horses available for riding and activities a-plenty, including wine tasting, horse demonstrations, meals on the weekends, and all of the other amenities.  The rangers are extremely friendly … and even better … they are competent!  You don’t have to run back up to the ranger station with your site number, they will find you and make a note themselves … we even had our paper delivered without a hitch.  During our stay we noticed that our electric was shutting off at the post; we notified the ranger and the entire electrical panel was quickly and efficiently replaced.  This is a very well run park and it is obvious that the manager here in Rancho Oso is both caring and competent. Unfortunately there was no 50 amp service, so we can only give it a “9”.

Horses at Rancho Oso

Horses at Rancho Oso

View of Rancho Oso from entry road

The Rancho Oso Valley

Our friends, Dave and Issy from England found us again at this park.  Naturally, this resulted in a few excellent it’s five o’clock somewhere sessions complete with interesting conversation.  Among other mutual activities, they joined us for the wine tasting held at the adult lodge at the preserve … it was great fun seeing them … and we are traveling to our next preserve on the same day, so we will continue to have fun together.

In addition to the Preserve’s activities, there is a lot to see and do in the area.  We were lucky to be here during Santa Inez days (the 50^th anniversary) and enjoyed the street booths of arts and crafts and the friendly people.  From Santa Inez we drove through Solvang, which we decided to save for another day, and over to Buellton, CA to Pea Soup Anderson’s for the best split pea soup anywhere.  For $9.50 you can have all the soup you can eat, plus bread and a drink (including a milk shake, if you like).  When we waddled out of the restaurant we cruised around their country store and then took a couple of pictures.  I don’t think we ate again for a couple of days!

Pea Soup Andersons  at 101

The Pea Soup Chefs

Goleta is located just north of Santa Barbara and is actually the home of the University of California at Santa Barbara.  It has a Costco (yeah!) and a really nice beach.  We ate at the Seaside Bar and Grill right on the beach and had fish (what else?) and clam chowder.  The food was average and the prices were above average, but the atmosphere was first rate!  There are great places for a picnic here as well, and we would recommend that you pack a lunch and come and enjoy this beach.  Up from the beach is a lovely estuary with wildlife galore.

Seaside Bar & Grill

The Pier off Goleta Beach

Lynda plays in the water ... cold!

The Estuary

A Heron looks for fish

Wikipedia notes that Solvang was founded in 1911 on almost 9,000 acres (3,600 ha) of the Rancho San Carlos de Jonta Mexican land grant, by a group of Danes who traveled west to establish a Danish colony far from the midwestern winters. The city is home to a number of bakeries, restaurants, and merchants offering a taste of Denmark in California. The architecture of many of the facades and buildings reflects traditional Danish style. There is a copy of the famous Little Mermaid statue from Copenhagen, as well as one featuring the bust of famed Danish fable writer, Hans Christian Andersen. A replica of Copenhagen's Round Tower in the scale 1:3 was finished in 1991 and can be seen in the town center.   We stopped at Mortensen’s bakery (we like it better than Olsen’s, but one could go either way) for morning pastries and coffee … absolutely delicious!!  After taking a walking tour of the town’s unique shops and architecture, we ended up back near Mortensen’s at the Greenhouse Restaurant for lunch.  Lynda tried a sampling of Danish sausages, while I had the herring.  The fish was delicious, but Lynda was a bit disappointed in the bland flavors of the sausage.  The service was great and we would definitely dine here again.  However, with dozens of eateries, if we return we may try something new.

Loved this thatched roof!

Lynda at the Shoe Shop

Horse drawn Tours of the Town

The Round Tower

Windmill

 

The Greenhouse Cafe

We returned to Santa Barbara and visited Stearns Wharf.  There is parking on the wharf, but we parked nearby and walked to the shops on the wharf.  There is also a nice museum on the wharf and, of course, a few good restaurants.  We stopped at a little “hole-in-the-wall” place for fish and chips.  The fish was thick and crispy and the fries were excellent.  This bird thought so too!

Waiting for the Fish & Chips

Waiting for the Fish & Chips

Santa Barbara is a great place to walk about and visit the many unique little stores that line the streets near the wharf … Of course there are three Starbucks located within a few blocks of each other, so one can be assured of getting their caffeine fix.

Closer to the Preserve, down stagecoach road are two unique sights.  First is the longest single span steel bridge in California.

Second is the old stagecoach stop that ran along this route in the mid to late 1800s and early 1900s.  The Cold Spring Tavern has been serving guests there since the days of the stagecoach and is a unique place to have a nice lunch.  The prices are reasonable and the food is good!

The old stagecoach stop

The Stage Drivers Bunkhouse

Front Door of Stage Drivers Bunk House

Bear inside the Cold Spring Tavern

Inside the Cold Spring Tavern

Inside the Cold Spring Tavern

Inside the Cold Spring Tavern

Another small dining room inside the Cold Spring Tavern

There is a lot more to do in this area that we just didn’t get to this time, but we will put them on our list for our next visit here!

Until next time, keep doing what you love!