Sticking Close to Home (SB Bucket List Part III)

Since we were under stay-at-home orders December and January, most of our recent activity has centered around our daily walks, experiencing 'winter' in the area for the first time. We've also had some fun food explorations and discoveries.

Even sticking close to home, there is always a beautiful sunset to enjoy!

A spot we have hiked several times is the Douglas Family Preserve. If one starts at the base at the parking lot of Hendry's Beach, this lollipop trail has a bit of a climb up, but it ends in a plateau with gorgeous views. 

Working our way to the top

John likes to sit on the log and enjoy this view.

Emily really likes this hike. Right, you can see Hendry's Beach and Goleta Pier / UCSB in the distance.

The preserve consists of 70 acres on a mesa, and it is the largest open coastal space in Santa Barbara. Over many years, money was collected from many people to save this land for public space once the original property was sold. Actor Michael Douglas made a large donation in honor of his farther Kirk (thus the name) which brought the plan to fruition. There is a nice dedication stone that captures the spirit of the people of Santa Barbara in saving this area for all to enjoy.

Emily introduced us to a walking spot near her neighborhood, the Devereaux Slough. It is part of UCSB's Coal Oil Point Reserve, which in turn is part of the larger University of California Reserve System. The Reserves protect habitats and serve as places for education, research and recreation. 

The Slough is a tidal lagoon that floods seasonally and is very popular with birdwatchers. There are many trails for walking, jogging and biking, with entrances from the varied forms of UCSB and private housing surrounding the area. I believe it also connects to the Elwood Bluffs / Butterfly Preserve and the Cliffs we often walk in Emily's neighborhood.

Very pretty and peaceful here

The Slough reminds me of a spot John and I explored in the summer, the Carpinteria Salt Marsh. Like the Slough, it is a Reserve that is part of the UC Reserve System. There is a nice beach adjacent, but it was too peoply, so we decided to focus our efforts on the estuary. The trail has several viewing platforms. I was able to Seek several new types of plants, as it is home to several rare plants; some had the teeniest flowers. The estuary also serves as a migration spot for birds and a nursery for California halibut.

Chaparral Bush-Mallow, so beautiful and delicate

Thanks UC for being such a good steward!

Since I'm talking about Carpinteria, here are some photos from 2018 when we visited the Carpinteria Bluffs while visiting Emily. This is an easy trail with very little elevation, leading to an open space with great views of the Santa Ynez Mountains, the Channel Islands, and, most fun, the Carpinteria Harbor Seal Rookery. Here you can spot seals year-round; December through May is birth and weaning time. The trail connects to Carpinteria State Beach. 

Looking at these pictures ... I want to revisit!

Another new place we discovered is Shoreline Park. It's a beautiful linear park, fronting the ocean on coastal bluffs, connecting to the downtown Santa Barbara waterfront. 

This park has the best bench, and we did see dolphins! I like this little Japanese Garden along the path. The steps lead down to a very nice beach for tidepooling:

One can walk from here through Leadbetter Beach, the Marina, the Pier, East Beach, and I believe even all the way to Butterfly Beach in Montecito! We did a chunk of this walk with friend Nancy recently:

While we've visited Santa Barbara many times over the past five years, we have never been here during the 'winter.' There is a subtle change to the weather, with more wind. Although it is sunny almost every day still, the temperatures vary, and even on the sunniest day, the wind can be very cool. A delicious aspect of being here during the winter has been the citrus! We've tried so many yummy varieties that we have never had before.

Cara Cara Oranges. They are so fragrant and have a really pretty color. John is sweet and often cuts my citrus up into these little wedges, just like on Carnival cruise breakfast buffet! 

Pomelo or "Chinese Grapefruit" is considered the ancient ancestor of the grapefruit. Although taste and color varies, I found it to be sweeter and more mild than a grapefruit. Oroblanco is a hybrid citrus, also grapefruit-like. The vendor told me it was a cross of a pomelo and something else. I found it to be more bitter than the pomelo, more like a grapefruit. Both were tasty, but I preferred the pomelo.

 

My favorite new citrus is the satsuma. They are part of the mandarin family. If you like clementines, you will love these, so easy to peel and delicious. I neglected to take a photo the many times these were in our CSA box, so I had to borrow an image. I love how they come with the stems and leaves attached. I also forgot to take a photo of a similar fruit, a Sumo mandarin. Like the satsuma, it is very easy to peel, and tasty. It's a bit more expensive and not available as long; it's is a hybrid of many types of citrus, including in its heritage the satsuma and the pomelo. Citrus is so abundant, that people often share. We found these beautiful lemons along the path on More Mesa. John ate one right while we were walking (pucker!), and we brought a few home to enjoy with some gin. What a delicious treat!

Now that we're chatting about food, another close-to-home activity has been trying some local foods. We are fans of the California fast food burger fave In-N-Out. However, I've never been too keen on their fries. And there is always a looooong line (reminiscent of Chik-Fil-A in the South). So, one night we decided to try a Habit Burger, which we had heard was also a California hamburger chain. What we didn't realize was how local it was: the original Habit Burger, opened in 1969, is just down the road from our AirBnB! After trying this place, I'm not sure what all the fuss is about for In-N-Out; I'm a convert! The burger is just slightly more expensive, but is a better quality. Additionally, their fries are yummy, the onion rings are to die for, and they have another delicious side on offer, tempura green beans. Our barber Luis told me about some of the 'secret' menu items available at the original locations, which I would like to try.

Luis, as well as our friend Kristen, had told us about birria, which we decided we must try. Basically, it's a stewed meat, cooked for a very long time in delicious spices. The main way it seems to be served is in a quesataco with a side of consomme. We tried a local place that has opened in Santa Barbara recently, Yona Redz. The owner started as a pop-up and now has a successful restaurant, even in these pandemic times! We tried most of the menu items, including the fusion birria ramen.

Luis and my massage therapist Jesse both told me that birria is a food usually only made for special occasions in their community (e.g. a quinceanera or holiday) and that it was funny how it's become a street food. There was even recently a feature article about it in the New York Times!

Next Steps: We're in our last week at our current AirBnb. Here are the mascots for this portion of our Vagabonding. We have no idea what their names are, since our hosts have a 'no contact' policy during the pandemic. The big one is ok, he is old and nothing much fazes him. The other, well .... constant barking. He looks just like everyone's favorite pandemic dog Pluto, but not so much temperament-wise. I said to John early on, "He looks like Pluto, but is like the anti-Pluto." John said, "Let's call him Uranus." LOL! 😂

When we leave here, we go to stay with Emily for the second half of March while she is on break from teaching. (She still has to work on dissertation and continue job hunting, but I'm certain we'll find time for some fun activities together.) Then we will be at an AirBnB in downtown Santa Barbara for April and May. There is no kitchen (just a microwave and small fridge), so that will be an interesting adaptation! 

P.S. I've written before about other walking and hiking places, and you can find that material in these posts, if you are interested.

Vagabonds Veer Back on Track

Goleta Vagabonding Redux

Santa Barbara Bucket List Part I