FRIDAY, JULY 17

FRIDAY, JULY 17:

        A change of scenery today. We drove east on Hwy 154 this morning through more of the picturesque Santa Ynez valley into Solvang, a town founded by the Danish in the early 20^th century. It's since burgeoned into a full-fledged tourist town, named as one of the best “Hidden European Towns in America” by at least one travel critic.

 

                                                      

 

 

                                             
                                                                         

 

We got some Danish – what else? - at a bakery, and rode through town to the outskirts where the Santa Ynez Mission is located. A Spanish motif in the midst of all things Danish! We weren't too interested in window shopping all the shops which now make up the downtown.

       This mission was founded several years later than the one at Santa Barbara.

 

                                                                        

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We watched most of an hour-long video which depicted a rich history of the Mission period in California, and detailed the unique characteristics of each of the 21 missions. We did a brief self-guided tour through the interior, and then enjoyed the beautiful gardens. These gardens were some of the loveliest we'd seen. And like all of the mission gardens, so invitingly restful and serene.

 

                                                                      

 

         Biked back to the truck, and headed out to some of the area's vineyards & wineries. Absolutely beautiful scenery on the way. This Santa Ynez Valley is the heart of the Central Coast wine country, and I imagine that this must be what Italian Tuscany looks and feels like.

 

We'll find out next May! Stopped at a couple wineries/tasting rooms just outside of Solvang. Both had lovely, inviting casual garden areas outside, where we could relax in the shade. Did a tasting at the first stop, Buttonwood Farm Vineyards.

         The second stop, named Rideau Vineyard, was especially nice.

 

                                                                     

 

 

                                                             

                                                                                

  We got a flatbread pizza here and two glasses of a robust red. Took it out to a covered open air patio area we had all to ourselves, and then strolled out into the grounds in the back where we found two comfortable chairs. The combination of wine and the warm sun quickly cast their spell on us, and we both fell asleep right in our chairs. Not sure how long we were knocked out.

 

 

 

 

                                                                                      

 

 

 

        Continued on the Wine Road to the little town of Los Olivos. This used to be a ranching community. But with the growth of the wine industry here in the Santa Ynez Valley, it's become a fashionable, upscale tourist village. There are 30 wine tasting rooms in town! Some of the wineries here were featured in the film Sideways, and there are even wine tours which recreate the route those 2 guys in the movie supposedly took through the California coastal wine country. No more wine for us! But we did stop at a little restaurant and got some baked brie and iced tea to top off our day.

         More stunning scenery on our way home. Back at Cachuma Lake, we took a nice walk along a little-known trail which led down to “Harvey's Cove,” a now bone-dry section of the lake.

 

                                                       You can see the water line where the lake used to be:

 

 

 
                                                      Dam:

 

 

There's a fishing pier there which was built for handicapped folks – they could maneuver their wheelchairs right to the dock. But it will take more water for that to be a reality again.

 

                                                                  

 

 

 

       On the way back, we stopped and talked at length to a park ranger. He said that with only a couple of good hard rains this winter, the lake would completely fill back up, because the topography and vegetation of the surrounding mountains don't retain any of the water – it all funnels right down into the lake. Amazing! Sure hope it happens for California.

       The campground looks like a different place now. Nearly every site is filled. Kids are out riding their bikes, lots of campfires going, the low hum of voices filled the evening air as we walked back. This turned out to be a great place as our base for our Santa Barbara/Santa Ynez Valley stay. Quiet and peaceful (mostly, except for our 1 neighbor), and always a lovely scenic drive to wherever we were headed for the day. I think that the atmosphere here at the campground will change this weekend, so it's fortuitious that we'd planned to leave tomorrow morning.

         We had a wonderful stay at “America's Riviera Coast,” as this 60-mile coastline is sometimes called. Not hard to see why it's earned that nickname. Warm sunshine and sparkling water, graced by temperate beezes from a south-facing coastline (unique in California), graceful palm trees, often right next door to olive and live oaks trees, abundant colorful flowers, stunning architecture, an overall atmosphere of Mediterranean subdued luxury. Lucky us that we got to experience it as we did these last few days. 

 

 

 

 

       Now on to Carmel, about 250 miles.