Day 46: Santa Barbara and Jalama Beach! (2/20/22)

 We were on the road by 8:45, hoping to cruise through the Los Angeles freeways. It was busier than we’d hoped, and Phil had a trying time of it, maneuvering our Wolf Pup through stop-and-go traffic, trying to change lanes, trying to remain civil when cars sped past and around us without the courtesy of blinkers. By the time we got to Paul and Amy’s in Santa Barbara, he was done in and had earned himself a break.

Thankfully, Amy is a hostess extraordinaire, bringing out wine and arugula pizza and veggies, throwing our load of laundry into the washer, and in general cheering us up with her warm smile and laughter. Paul brought home some goodies for lunch, and gathered around the outside table with them and Kai and Hannah. Caleb joined us via Skype from college on the East Coast.

After lunch, Phil was able to face the traffic again, which wasn’t bad at all, going up 101 north, then to Hwy 1, and finally to a small, winding road that led deep into the California coastal range toward the Pacific.

This is some of my favorite country, especially this time of year with all the lush green.

After half an hour’s drive, we saw the hills open up to reveal the blue expanse of ocean, then the surprising enclave of palms and cypress trees that dot Jalama Beach camping area.

We found site 91, and Phil did a masterful job of backing in. There was a chill, stiff breeze, with a bank of clouds advancing slowly from the west, but we managed to get the dogs walked and fed, dinner downed, and pajamas on. The Internet here is a joke, and we’d lost our cell phone signal 20 minutes before we reached the campground, so all we had left for entertainment was reading. Which may prove to be a blessing.