Today we went back to doing what seems to suit us best – we went exploring in the Santa Ynez Valley. Down Paradise Road towards CA-154 we skulked along, checking out the beautiful surroundings. Soon we arrived at CA-154 and turned northwest headed past Lake Cachuma and on to the turnoff for CA-246 which heads west to Solvang.
Solvang is a community based on Danish architecture and goods, most of which were not created in Scandinavia. We went into Olsen’s Bakery first where we purchased two heart-plugs with coffee and enjoyed the guilt we got from eating them. They were very tasty. Soon thereafter, we stopped in at the Copenhagen Shop which did seem to have Danish created or designed stuff that was quite attractive and expensive. Virtually none of their goods could be utilized while traveling in a 5th wheel trailer so we left with Peggy only buying a little plastic shelf wossname for use somewhere within our mobile homestead.
We then took a leisurely stroll down Solvang’s downtown streets, gazing into the shops which had huge selections of stuff we could not use but Peg did find some birthday gift stuff which somehow ended up being purchased. We strolled a bit more before hopping back into Charlotte and turning further west on CA-246 a couple miles to Ballard Canyon Road, a squiggly, skinny road running north.
Ballard Canyon seems to be a rarely-used road passing through rolling hills with lots of wineries, livestock in green pastures, some gorgeous houses, grasslands with widely-spread oak and walnut (?) trees along with mountainous backdrops on the horizons. This is a pretty spiffy drive. At the north end of Ballard Canyon, we got back on CA-154 going southeast through Los Olivos where we found a store on the main street selling western garb that was called Jedlicka’s. I’m not sure I want to tell too many folks about this place just so they don’t come up with irritating or annoying phrases like, “Jedlicka the skillet and is still hungry” or “Jedlicka that guy’s buttock to save himself from having his lights punched out.”
From Los Olivos, we continued southeast on CA-154 back to Paradise Road where we turned off and cut the speed to about 15 mph. It is a very nice drive up the Santa Ynez River along Paradise Road. There are a few federal campgrounds along the road along with some day use areas that are quite scenic. If I lived in Santa Barbara, I would come over to the Santa Ynez Valley pretty regularly to picnic and maybe do something else like screw or smoke a joint.
A couple of pix can be seen by clicking here