A Weekend Away

We had a great time at the beach over the weekend, but only because we're just easy going travelers. We had all kinds of snafus, but we stuck it out and enjoyed ourselves in spite of the wackiness!

So what went wrong? First of all, out hotel was in complete remodel mode. The place was a total construction site complete with boarded up areas, sawing, hammering, dirt, etc. I wish I had taken pictures, but we were so stunned by the condition of the place that it completely slipped my mind!

The front desk was located in a portable trailer out in the parking lot! Given that it was the 4th of July at the beach, we knew there wouldn't be any available rooms elsewhere, so we stayed, but not without demanding (and receiving) a serious discount on the room!

We tried heading to the beach on Friday as soon as we had checked in, the room was that unappealing, but we couldn't find a single place to park. And we looked. For a long while. Since the beach was a no-go, we drove inland a bit to one of Santa Barbara's many parks. We had the dog with us and knew that a hike would be good for him. 

Once we finally found the park's entrance, we were shocked to see the entrance closed and locked. Fortunately, just down the road, there was a small turnout that we used to park the truck. We did get to hike, but it was frustrating to be turned away yet again!

After a third turn-away, a deli that we really wanted to try was closed for the holiday weekend, things started to improve. We ultimately made it to the beach, and we enjoyed a number of delicious meals. Santa Barbara is a gorgeous city, but it's better enjoyed on a quieter weekend!

State Street

The view from our dinner table - Goleta Pier

Hubby and Tobias playing on the beach in Goleta.

Tobias is a great traveler, and since he's really our kid, we found a hotel and restaurants that were dog friendly so that he could join us everywhere we went.

I am such a tourist! I just love these lifeguard towers.

And to keep this equine related … we got home in time for me to spend the afternoon out at the barn turning my boys out and giving them a refreshing bath. We've had at least 7 days straight of over a 100 degrees, and we have a week more predicted. Welcome to summer in California!