What a wonderful place. As we start north up the California coast we are encountering one beautiful city after another. Santa Barbara is truly a jewel. It has long been an oasis for Los Angelenos seeking respite from the hectic big-city life. The weather is glorious and the homes and beaches are beautiful. Many celebrities now call this area home, including Oprah Winfrey who, by the way, did not invite us in for tea at her 42-acre Montecito estate!

We stayed in a great campground, Rancho Oso, right on the Santa Ynez River. In addition to a RV park it is a working ranch. We’ve stayed in some really nice, and fun, campgrounds and this will certainly rate up there as well.

While in the Santa Barbara area we enjoyed the downtown area including the great wharf and beachfront. Several interesting sculptures, parks and gardens abound. The architecture is really phenomenal and we especially enjoyed touring the Courthouse which has the grandeur of a Moorish palace. The Santa Barbara Mission, which is referred to as the “Queen of Missions” is another architectural beauty with its twin bell towers, extensive artwork and beautiful altar.

We did several driving tours and side trips including a visit to the quaint village of Solvang. Settled in 1911 by a group of Danish educators, the town is comprised of half-timber buildings and windmills with several great restaurants and bakeries. We feasted on Danish pancakes which are thin like crepes but large in diameter and have a vanilla taste. We ordered the plain, lightly dusted with powdered sugar, but they also came with a variety of toppings. They were delicious but so were the Danish pastries that we took to go! Thank goodness we’re doing a lot of walking.

Another real treat of the Santa Ynez Valley is the large number of vineyards and avocado groves. We didn’t partake of any wine tastings but we have gorged ourselves on fresh avocados and guacamole. They are so creamy and good and we have bought them right off the tree for as little as 30 cents apiece! As we stated on the previous blog, we are REALLY enjoying all the fruits and vegetables that California has to offer.

This is a shorter Blog than usual but we want to get this posted. Our next stop is in Oceano/San Luis Obispo as we continue north on the Pacific Coast Highway.

Here’s the link for the pictures of Santa Barbara and the surrounding area

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0Sbs27hoxZMpw

We’d love to hear from you. The email address is

PFerraro1@cfl.rr.com

Until next time, as always, take care and stay safe,

Pat & Judy