Santa Barbara, Ca

Our goal in Santa Barbara was to visit with Brett, Leon's son, and what a fine visit it was. We got a nice spot at the Lake Cachuma County Park 24 miles northeast of Santa Barbara. It seems the county parks were our best bet all along. It is in the 6,600 acre Cachuma Lake Recreation Area and the lake provides the water for Santa Barbara. The first afternoon was a bit warm, aka hot, so we went down the mountain through the Los Padres National Forest and shopped in Goleta. Then we had supper with Brett on Stearn's Wharf on Santa Barbara Bay, quite a scenic spot for some seafood. The pier was built in 1872 to serve cargo and passenger ships.
Santa Barbara is a nice coastal town with a Mediterranean climate and the red tiled roofs and white washed buildings reflect the Spanish heritage. It is on a narrow strip of land bordered by the ocean and the Santa Ynez mountains which leaves little room for all the traffic. More photos.

After joining us for breakfast in the campground, Brett played tour guide on Saturday and what a fine quide he was. We first toured Solvang, a tourist town begun by Danish immigrants in 1911. It has traditional half-timbered housing and architecture complete with windmills. There are also bakeries and lots of shops. The tourists flock to the place.
We then went back up the hill above Santa Barbara and hiked among the rocks to a place known by the locals as Lizard Head. What a view of the Pacific coast it provided!
Another winding mountain road nearby took us to the Chumash Painted Rock State Historical Park. On a cliff alongside the road are pictographs left by the Chumash Indians. Some of the drawings are thought to depict an eclipse that occurred in 1667. After having fajitas at the campground we once again hiked part way to Lizard Head to find Leon's phone!!! It was a truly awesome day. More photos of Solvang.