Our original intent for today was to drive into Santa Barbara’s De La Guerre Street to check out the Santa Barbara Historical Museum. We bailed off 101 in town and wound our way through the upscale town roads to the location of the museum but parking was a problem, particularly since the streets seem to mostly be one-way which means you are virtually unable to come back for a spot you identified without taking a six block detour only to return to the location and find some other savvy driver has scooped up the place.
After a bit, we bailed and decided to go down and check out Santa B’s waterfront. We dawdled for a while but ultimately found a parking place in the city’s $2 per hour outdoor parking lot just a short walk from the big concrete breakwater that surrounds the marina. Some guy was having a boat he had allegedly bought in Croatia placed into the ocean using a neat mobile boat crane-thingy. After watching the boat go in, we turned around and noted that the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum was right behind us. We popped into the gift shop, paid the $5 a head entrance fee and went in to peruse the collection.
The museum is pretty tiny but very well done. They had exhibits about the Point Conception Lighthouse, marine navigation, surfing, tattoos, scrimshaw, maritime ranches, commercial fishing and diving, a U.S. Navy disaster at Honda Point where a whole bunch of Navy ships drove into the rocks because they didn’t want to argue with the bozo in charge of navigation, a periscope, the Santa Barbara oil spill back in ’69, cannons from ancient ships and some other neat stuff.
From the 2nd floor of the Maritime Museum, if you look east you will see the Endless Summer, a bar/restaurant in the same building. We decided to give it a try and went over for a beer, lobster bisque and Caesar Salad. The food was okay tasting but inexpensive and the beers were good because I got a local ale and Peg had a Guinness. We finished up and headed out to the parking lot where the little troll at the booth made me part with $8.
Other than a stop at the local Fart & Smile, we headed back over the mountains to our camping spot in the Santa Ynez Valley. At the top of the ridge, we ran into rain even though the weather man said it was going to be clear and warm up. He may have been fibbing because it is raining and down around freezing at night. Liar.
You will find some photos of today’s fun if you click here