Santa Barbara, CA

Another weekend, another trip... This time I wanted to see what real California looks like and took a long trip to Santa Barbara. I remember in childhood I used to watch the TV series and was jealous of the luxury and beauty of the nature that Santa Barbara could offer.

Since Google estimated the trip one way to be 4 hours, I left nice and early at 7 AM. Prior to the day of the trip, I booked a session at Salt Cave Santa Barbara through Groupon and built the rest of the trip around this appointment. As always, I get ideas of what to see through Roadtrippers and TripAdvisor. I use the first website to see what attractions could be along my route, and the second one to see what people liked in the town I am traveling to.

Since I was to be driving in the middle of nowhere (yes, that is soooo true :), there were no stops along the route that really interested me, so in the interest of time (since I had to come back the same day), I drove straight to my first destination.

Moreton Bay Fig Tree was planted in 1876 and is gigantic! It is certainly worth stopping by.

I also got into thrift store shopping, so being in such a trendy city, I wanted to check out their Goodwill. Unfortunately, it was a pure disappointment. The store was poorly organized and looked like a trash box, nothing similar to local Goodwill stores.

Since I had about an hour before my salt cave session, I stopped by a lunch place I planned to visit, C'est Cheese. I was a bit disappointed by their selection of lunch items, so I headed to the local coffee shop, Handlebar to check it out. Luckily for me, its menu had a Cortado, a coffee drink that I love, but could never find in Fresno.

For lunch I tried a sandwich at Three Pickles, a place that had really good reviews on Yelp. Absolutely loved it!

On the way to my car, I stopped at the local historic place just for a quick look.

I then went to my Salt cave session. It lasted 45 minutes and was really neat. With a Groupon I got an additional $10 discount off any product bought there. Theoretically, Himalayan salts are supposed to be beneficial to your health, but in reality I have not seen too many studies proving that. So for me it was more of a spa experience. In a group setting you spend 45 min. in the salt cave (created by humans, not natural) on a lounge chair with all lights dimmed around you listening to some meditation music.

Relaxed and with a bottle of overpriced garlic salt even with a discount, I headed to my car. Parking in Santa Barbara is quite restrictive. The majority of parking spots have a 75 or 90 min time limit. It is free though.

State street is the busiest and trendiest place in Santa Barbara. Local shops, restaurants, fancy clothing stores - all located on that street.

My next destination was Old Mission Santa Barbara, a what I believe, Presbyterian church with a few acres of land. The self-guided tour costs $8 and is probably not worth the money, but hey, I was already there!

Yes, I wanted to take a picture of that family right behind me...

I consider this picture to be a California symbol :)

Part of the church grounds were occupied by memorials and graves

Really cool old flooring...

...and ceiling

The views of the surrounding area were stunning as well...

The next stop was at the Courthouse, a must see if you visit Santa Barbara even if it is because of stunning views from the top.

Courthous

Walking in the area where the Courthouse is located was quite impressive on its own. Palm trees, clean streets and some random churches...

Before heading out back to Fresno (I just can't say "home"...), I had to visit the ocean. Since the famous Arroyo Burro County Park was packed with cars and people so that nobody could get in or out, I opted out to stay away from it. But I did stop once or twice or three times to take pictures of the water and some palm trees.

A perfectly manicured street with super expensive houses on both sides

On my way to Fresno, my air conditioner in the car suddenly shut off... And never came back :( Another trip to a mechanic... My luck.

Strawberry Festival in Watsonville, CA + Casa de Fruta in Los Banos, CA

Any place where you go regardless how small it is has some sort of attractions. Yesterday I ventured out to the strawberry festival in the city of Watsonville,California. We started our day with a breakfast in Los Banos, CA at The Black Bear Diner. Since I had breakfast at home, I only got some water. The other members of my group ordered full hearty breakfasts with hash browns, eggs and bacon. The portions seemed gianormous, and they had to take some home. The atmosphere of the diner was really cool. Besides the black bear theme, the diner was decorated with multiple photos of some italian family from 1920's and pictures from graduating class of 1929. I am sure there was a reason to it, but I did not have the time to explore further.

Located about two hours away from Fresno, Watsonville is a town with some serious cloudy weather, similar to many towns along the West Coast at this time of the year. It was surprising how two hours of driving time could make a difference in temperature. From 100°F in Fresno to 65°F in Watsonville, it was certainly a fresh start to the day. Interestingly enough, the weather did not warm up at all. In fact, I had to borrow a sweater from a fellow Meetup member who I attended the festival with. The air was much fresher, cleaner than in Fresno, which makes me think of the number of asthma cases and respiratory diseases prevalent in Fresno. It is not only the burning fires that cause air pollution but also the extensive variety of farming especially with pesticides. This makes me think whether I would consider staying in Central California or eventually move closer to the shoreline. 

Going back to the strawberry festival, regardless how cold it was, I enjoyed the variety of strawberry desserts. Starting with strawberry popcorn and ending with strawberry parfait, all deserts where truly delicious. Surprisingly, they did not serve any coffee or tea of higher than icy temperature. I guess people are used to being cold there... 

Grilled chicken, tacos, try steak sandwiches were among the variety of food offered at the festival. Not too many vegetarian choices unfortunately. 

At the end of our stay at the festival a few members of my group bought a flat of strawberries consisting of eight 1 lbs plastic containers of delicious strawberries for only eight dollars. I decided not to buy any because they were not organic, yet the price was still shocking. 

On the way back to Fresno, we decided to stop at Casa de Fruta, which was an amazing find for me because it had wine tasting, chocolate, ice cream, fruits and vegetables, and a variety of nuts that I have never seen before in my life. A small park with a tiny lake and multiple turtles completed the picture. 

I also took advantage of the swing set and for the first time in a long long time I flew in the air not even thinking what the adults around me were thinking. Yeah, who cares I'm still a child. 

Cat Haven and the Definition of a Sanctuary...

Today I ventured out to Cat Haven, a zoo that is located less than an hour from Fresno. On the website, they specified that they're not a sanctuary, so I wanted to find out for myself what it meant. 

As I arrived at 10 am, a volunteer greeted me at the gate while opening it. I asked how long the tour was, and she replied that it ranged from one hour to an hour and a half. Before coming to Cat Haven I looked into their membership options. The regular admission fee for an adult is $12, and a yearly membership for an adult and a guest is $35. I decided to go ahead and purchase a yearly membership since I am expecting some guests in the fall and would love to take them there. 

Before the tour began, I asked to volunteer about the definition of the sanctuary. She responded that the reason they do not consider themselves a sanctuary is because sanctuaries do not breed their animals. They, on the other hand, are not opposed to breeding. She emphasized that the main goal of the zoo is education, not so much rescue. That was a bit disappointing to me since I am all for rescuing animals. She did mention that two of their big cats where rescued (found in a washing machine!) but the remaining are either obtained from other zoos or from circuses. Interestingly enough, I found out that animals and circuses are not treated that bad, yet it is quite hard for me to believe that. The majority of their animals have been born in captivity. That means that they have never seen the light outside of the cage. It is quite sad. At the same time these animals would not be able to survive in the wild. The zoo contributes 1/3rd of their profits to conservation, including some of the programs in Pantanal, Kenya and Botswana.

The area allocated for each cage is quite small. They don't have acres and acres of land as I hoped. At the same time it appeared to me that the animals are well taken care off. I wish they had more space to run around though. I took a couple of pictures but the majority of them did not come out that great because of the cage in the way.

If I didn't purchase the membership I probably would not go back. It puzzled me that the animals are not rescued. But my guests might enjoy it since it is quite educational. You learn quite a bit about the cats and animals in general. If you decide to go there, remember to wear comfortable shoes since it is a walking tour and the area is quite hilly. Try not to wear any sandals or anything with the heel. Bring lots of water because in the summer it gets really hot. Finally, on the way to the zoo be sure to look out for small squirrels and other creatures running across the road. Even though the speed limit is 55 mph, the poor little animals do not know that and get killed all the time on the road. Slow down, their lives matter too. 

On the way to Twain Harte, CA

Once again I decided to venture out of Fresno and visit surrounding towns. This time I headed to Twain Harte. Twain Harte is a small town in the north of Fresno about 2 1/2 hours driving. The Arts and wine festival was scheduled to be there both Saturday and Sunday this weekend. I was more interested in wine, but art is good too. I decided to use one of my favorite apps Roadtrippers.com to figure out what else there is to see on the way to the festival. A couple of things were quite interesting. One was Quady winery, but they were not open early in the morning so I decided to go there after the festival. 

My first stop was a Railtown 1897 State Historic Park. For $15 he can ride in a train from the 1900s. The tour last 45 minutes. This seemed to me like a fun and short stop, so I decided to add it to my trip on Roadtrippers.com. In 100°F weather the train ride is not that great since they do not have air conditioning inside, however they do have open windows. It is kind a neat for kids, but not so much for adults. But it is short and sweet and the admission ticket includes a tour of the whole facility. 

The next stop was Dragoon Gulch Trail in Sonora, California. It is a short 2 mile trail of easy difficulty. You can complete the trail in a short period of time and it allows you a nice view of Sonora and surrounding areas. Since I feel I have not been exercising enough, I decided to hike the trail. It actually was really nice even though it was hot. There's a small parking lot consisting of four parking stalls but outside the park there is plenty of street parking. 

At the end of the trail

Sonora, the town where the trail is located, is beautiful. The town itself is relatively small, but filled with history. Some building still had the old-fashioned historical façade. The stores were mom-and-pop owned mostly. Character, this is what you call it. 

The main stop of the day was The Arts and Wine Festival in Twain Harte. There were quite a few vendors there, but I did not see any wine which was quite disappointing since the festival specifically has the name of Art and wine. I did however buy a delicious cup of lemonade and a raffle ticket to benefit Mother Lode Wildlife Care. We shall see if I win...

The town itself appeared to me very nice and peaceful, somewhere I would consider living in. They do get snow in the winter, because I have seen some signs warning about snow removal equipment. But a lot of houses are located in the woods with pine trees all over. Really nice...

On my way home, I stopped at Quady winery and was not disappointed. The customer service was absolutely incredible. In addition to a free wine tasting I also got a full tour of the facility. The guide was very knowledgeable regarding wine making and easily answered all my questions. Their wines are mostly desert wines, the sweetness of which some people may or may not like, but I found one that I really liked. Elysium had a sweet, yet slightly bitter flavor of dark berries which would mix nicely with dry champagne/sparkling wine.

Frozen wine, no ice added!

Wine making right in the back

A neat bag that wine comes in when you purchase it

Overall, the day went as planned. On to another trip...

Huntington Lake, CA

Being so close to Sierra National Forest and especially its multiple lakes, I decided to venture out to check out Huntington Lake. It is famous for its stable 15 mi/hr winds - a perfect weather for sailing. I was lucky to witness High Sierra Regatta, a term I was not familiar with before, but basically it is sailboat racing. Quite a sight, I must say!

The entry fee per car is $5, not a big deal at all. The closer you are to the parking lot, the more crowded it is (duh!). There is also a nice trail along the lake, mostly paved, that is easy and very picturesque. Limited number of insects, but carpenter ants are everywhere, so bring a chair, not a silly picnic blanket like I did. Here are some views from the trail:

A couple in our group brought kayaks, so I took advantage of an opportunity to try them out. Since the sailboats were racing right beside us, the water was rather choppy, and it was difficult to maneuver, but with a little bit of training from the owner of the kayak, I think I got it!

A really beautiful lake, many campgrounds. Forest is peaceful and tranquil, just wish it was not as crowded so that I could hear myself think :)