Travel Journals: Santa Barbara - Visitors Come and Go. And then, we go too.

Our final week in Santa Barbara was Guest Week. Two days after Jan arrived, Carol's sister, Pat, and her partner, Kathy, came into town on Amtrak after a visit to Disneyland. Next came Jan's friend, Dave. After seven weeks alone, we had a lively time with all our visitors.

(A click on any photo enlarges it to screen size.)

Carol, Kathy and Pat at the Boathouse Restaurant, Hendrys Beach

Hendrys Beach

Seaweed, Hendrys Beach

We went on a whale watching cruise. We saw a lot of gray whales, but they're sneaky quick and hard to photograph.

Dave and Jan on our whale watching cruise


Where's Whaledo?

Rowdie was happy to have Aunt Jan visit. Luckily, Jan loves dogs.

We drove to the Santa Ynez Mountains for a fabulous hike in Aliso Canyon.

Aliso Canyon, Santa Ynez Mountains (Forget Waldo. Where's Carol?)

Descent into Aliso Canyon

Lupines, Aliso Canyon

Aliso Canyon. After the 2011 fire, new life.

Carol's bike gave her some problems, so she took matters into her own hands. Always willing to take on a challenge, she set out to do her own repairs. The problem was that she had no tools and no real experience at bike repair. So the Queen of Finding Things found a bicycle cooperative where for a small donation she had access to all the bicycle tools she needed and to her own bike mechanic to provide guidance.

Carol learns to true a wheel at Bici Bikes

Bici Bikes, Where Old Bikes Never Die, But Become Art

We took Jan and Dave to Knapp's Castle, where Carol and I had watched the sunset the previous week. Knapp was a wealthy man who, in the early 20th century, built his dream home high in the Santa Ynez Mountains. He sold it in the 1940's. A few months after the sale, the castle burned to the ground. It is said that the woman who bought the castle from Knapp was the only person to ever lose money on real estate in Santa Barbara.

Remains of Knapp's Castle

Cachuma Lake, reservoir for Santa Barbara, as seen from Knapp's Castle

Knapp's Castle Detail - Flowers Among the Ruins

Our guests had departed, and our time in Santa Barbara was short. On a beautiful Sunday morning, we got on our bikes and set out to enjoy the day. After cycling to Montecito, we strolled the beach there before returning to downtown Santa Barbara, which is quite a happening scene on Sundays. I'll end this journal with photos from our bicycle excursion.

Beach scenes:

Wandering

Hard at work

Sea Urchin

Playful Pooch. The chocolate lab was a laugh riot. I spent several minutes getting shots of him.

Montecito Peak from the bike trail

Wall Detail Along Bike Trail

Santa Barbara on a Sunny Sunday:

Art Fair

The skateboard park was alive with action on Sunday.

Balancing Act in Motion (He hopped up onto the rail somehow, slid along it to the end and skated away!)

Taking Flight

Crowds strolled along State Street. The sidewalk cafés were full. Bands played in plazas. The man below played the bongos for a lively Latin band. At one point, he left his drums and announced, "I need a dance partner." This young woman stepped out of the crowd and obliged him.

Two days later, we packed up the RAV4 and the following morning hit the road for home before the sun was up. You've seen what draws us back to California's Central Coast each year.

I'll end up with a final photo of one of the big draws that pulls us back home to Minneapolis.