Social Distance Road Trip: Lunch in Santa Barbara, Dessert in Ventura

The pandemic has certainly limited our movement, keeping us close to home for much of the year. So on Sunday, we decided to pull off a quick road trip for lunch — specifically, La Super Rica in Santa Barbara. Made famous by Julia Child, who was a fan, La Super Rica is always a stop when we make it up to Santa Barbara. But on Sunday, it wasn't just a stop — it was the destination.

Guisado's is still my favorite taco, hands down. But La Super Rica does an amazing chorizo taco — and as I discovered today, its hongos (mushroom) taco is also something special. The line is always long, and the wait is some time as well. There's currently no restaurant seating, so we took ours to go and set out to find a park to eat it at.

Our first stop was the Santa Barbara Mission. Beautiful grounds, but no real shade. We moved on to...

... Alameda Park, where we ate. And then we strolled across the street to the Alice Keck Park Memorial Garden, a nice oasis complete with lagoon and many, many ducks and turtles.

Lots of turtles.

And more turtles.

From there, we headed back down to Ventura for dessert. The kids have been asking for Dole Whips ever since we hit Kings Hawaiian Bakery's Local Place a few weeks ago, but didn't get any. A quick Google search turned up Coastal Cone Ice Cream in Ventura Harbor Village.

The price was a bit on the high side -- $5.95 for a small -- but I did like the presentation. And it indeed hit the spot. 

Our first time at this part of Ventura Harbor.

The view while enjoying our Dole Whips.

This was quickly consumed.

Across the Ventura Harbor Village, the beach.

The waves were strong and the surfers were out.

A quick walk on the rocks.

And from there, back home. Another socially distant road trip, with more hopefully to come.

Scenes from a Solvang Trip

Solvang, of course, is probably best known as the Danish-inspired town in the Santa Ynez Valley, home to around 5,000 people (and more tourists). But it has also become a destination friendly to pet owners, oenophiles, bicyclists and fans of pastry.



Yeah, this is kind of disturbing. Solvang has its detractors as well. But how can you not enjoy a small town with so many bakeries and wine tasting shops?



The expansive view outside of the Mission Santa Ines.



Hiking, south of Solvang.



More hiking.



Keep an eye on mountain lions.



Mission Santa Ines, a quick walk or bike ride from anywhere in Solvang.



More views.



The fields across the street from Sunny Fields Park.



The boys were fans of Sunny Fields Park, located on the outskirts of Solvang (and near plenty of wineries, which Maria and I were fans of).



Inside the park.



More views.



The park is a big attraction for kids.



Our hotel was dog-friendly; which helped since we brought our new rescue dog, Jacks, along for the trip. Solvang turned out to be amazingly friendly both to pets and to kids. One bakery even gave us extra pastries when we bought cookies for the Blogger boys. Solvang may be a small town, but its restaurants, bakeries, shops (including a cool book store) and outdoor activities make it a worthwhile stop. And its close to plenty of wineries and nearby towns, like Los Olivos, with their own draws.

A Visit to Angel Island, San Francisco's Ellis Island

With immigration in the news, it felt like a timely visit when we took the ferry to San Francisco's Angel Island a few weeks ago. Unlike Ellis Island, which is celebrated for its role in processing thousands of Europeans to America, the story of Angel Island is much more dark. As we know, the U.S. did not welcome immigrants from the Far East with open arms -- far from it. Instead, because of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, immigrants who found themselves being processed at Angel Island were stuck there for many months -- sometimes years -- in tight quarters and rough prison-like conditions.





We toured the Angel Island Immigration Station and saw, up close, the poetry that many people had carved in the walls of their barracks.









A National Historic Landmark, the station was renovated by the California State Parks and reopened in 2009.











Also on Angel Island are the abandoned buildings of Fort McDowell, an Army base that operated there until the end of World War II. Most buildings that remain have been hollowed out, although a chapel is still intact, and another building has been turned into a museum.



We reached Angel Island via a ferry from Tiburon. Bikes are welcome, and the island is a great place to hike, watch deer (introduced long ago to the island) and other wildlife, and catch a great view of the San Francisco bay.

Spring Break Idea: Spend a Few Days in Pismo Beach

The kids are getting a week off sometime this month... what to do? Last year we took a drive up the coast to Pismo Beach, which is not all that crowded this time of year and boasts reasonably priced hotels right off the water (and, handily, right off the 101). Pismo Beach is also a quick drive to San Luis Obispo, and close to many nearby Central Coast wineries. For a scenic drive, take the 154 highway north of Santa Barbara, which brings you through the countryside and Lake Cachuma. From there, you can hit Santa Ynez, Solvang and Los Olivos, and then stop by Los Alamos back on the 101 on the way north.

A few pics from our visit last year: