For us, we love the lush mouth feel of the California pinots. We visited the Santa Barbara wine areas many times. Santa Barbara has a number of appellations including Happy Canyon, Santa Ynez Valley, Santa Rita Hills, Ballard Canyon, and a newly created Los Olivos AVA.
Tag Archives: Santa Barbara
We love Pinot Noir (part 1)
I have to admit, Mike and I are unabashed and unrepentant Pinot Noir fans. We love the big, chewy and/or tasty pinots. Unfortunately, many people have only had the fairly lean ones.
Industrial Eats in Buellton California is one of the best restaurants in the Greater Santa Barbara area
We had one of the best meals at a place called Industrial Eats in Buellton, California. If you didn’t look for it, you wouldn’t find it – and you would be missing probably the best restaurant in the Santa Barbara Wine Region (outside of Santa Barbara proper). It is an amazing, quirky little place with a unique vibe – like communal tables. It is in an industrial area. You would never expect a great restaurant to be there, but that is a big part of its charm.
Day 5: Lake Cachuma to Solvang
Wednesday April 11, 2012
13 miles (21 km) – Total so far: 204 miles (328 km)
What a difference a good nights sleep makes! It rained really hard last night, but I slept like a baby. Once I was sure everything inside the tent would stay dry, I actually found the sound of the rain falling on the tent very comforting. I slept till after 7:30 – very late for me.
Day 4: Carpenteria to Lake Cachuma
Tuesday April 10, 2012
45 miles (72 km) – Total so far: 191 miles (307 km)
I slept really well in Carpenteria. The hiker/biker campsites back right up against the railroad tracks, and I was afraid the trains would wake me. Apparently the trains run silent at night, because I heard nothing until chirping birds woke me at 7:00. I planned today to be a relatively short day – only about 32 miles. My destination – Lake Cachuma in the Los Padres National Forest.