Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Two-day trippin'









A few more photos from our little road trip last week:

1. The Pacific Ocean, as seen from outside our hotel, shortly after arriving in San Simeon.

2 & 3. The same beach near our hotel, during a stroll the following morning.

4. A bird of prey, but no idea which kind. Amazing to see its impressive wingspan, regardless.

5, 6 & 7. On our way back to L.A. we decided to detour a little inland into the heart of Santa Barbara County, and had a short break to stretch our legs in a town called Solvang. This town is famous for its large Danish settlement and community, so it's a popular weekend destination for those wanting to experience a bit of a Northern European vibe. We didn't stay too long because we didn't want to hit any nasty traffic on the way back home but from what I saw, it really did feel like walking around a part of Europe. Unfortunately, that traffic snarl still got us in the end, and the 2.5 hour leg between Santa Barbara turned into a five-hour leg. I wish I was exaggerating. It was a bit of a killer to end what had been a great little family getaway, but lesson learned - avoid the southbound 101 freeway through Santa Barbara from 4pm onwards during weekends and holiday periods!

2 comments:

  1. You have such a knack of capturing things with that camera (or phone) of yours. The bird of prey shot is brilliant.

    Traffic snarl? Jeebers, I would have been tempted to pull into the nearest motel and just try again in the morning. Glad you made it home. xx

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    Replies
    1. Thanks, love.

      I only wish a motel had been an option. The stretch of freeway that was our undoing had nothing around. I was frantically searching on my phone for petrol stations etc as we needed more. When we finally got off an exit and detoured through some back streets, it was a dark winding road that ran along the foothills of the nearby mountains. Yep, one of those drives! We were very glad to finally get home. xx

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