2004 Santa Barbara

On the 27th of December 2004 we heading to my old stomping grounds of Santa Barbara. I worked in Santa Barbara from roughly 1992 to 1997. This is a our first trip back to Santa Barbara, for more than a few days. Although we stayed a week, the visit was still 2 to 3 weeks too short. What made this trip extra nice is we had our Grandson, Jacob, join us for the trip.

The first thing we did was attempt to further Jacob's education, so off to the "Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History". This is the skeleton of a 70 foot whale.
Going to museums is not a forced issue with Jacob. He really enjoys the visits.
Behind the museum is a small natural park with a flowing stream.
It had been raining for days so the stream was flowing at a pretty good rate.

	Jacob enjoyed learning about the "Ammonites".
	And the rains kept coming.....
	Not sure how the driver of this car was going to get back in it!
	This guy was smart. He did not get out of his car.
	This guy was trapped in his non-operational pickup truck. I am sure that he was having a miserable day.

Jacob is a great kid, BUT he was asking us every 10 minutes, when are we going to see his Uncle Erwin. So, we visited Erwin at the restaurant he manages. Ca' Dario.
We stayed in Santa Barbara for a week, in the motorhome. Jacob was getting use to a "Hot Chocolate" prior to bedding in for the night.
The next day we went on a Trolley tour of the town. Of course it does not bypass the Santa Barbara Mission.
The rains and the associated storm caused some problems for Santa Barbara. We spotted 5 to 6 boats which had washed ashore.
Both of these boats appeared to be complete losses.

	The next day we hike a mile or so up a canyon. Jacob enjoyed the buddy which joined him on the hike.
	The dog is carrying a stick which Jacob would throw for the dog.
	This homes gate and driveway would probably cost more than our entire home.

We did wear him out.
The flow is this stream qualified it to be called a river on this day.
We were trying to take side roads to Solvang, but after being turned back due to 3 or 4 road closures, we heading for the main highways. Most roads were closed because of landslides. This road was closed due to a fallen tree.
He is a ham!
This is a relatively new motorcycle museum. It was founded by the owner of Digital Instruments. He has about 180 motorcycle of which he displays about 80.

Click here to see the motorcycle pictures.

	We drove the coastline back to Santa Barbara, and pulled over to enjoy the old bridges.
	The cement bridge is no longer in use. The rusted iron train trestles are still in use!
	On New Years Eve we took Jacob to a Black Tie Concert at the Arlington Theater. It was an enjoyable evening for all.
	He was entertained.......
	Nice smile....

The final day included a walk near the Biltmore Inn.
Lunch on Stearns Wharf.
A little Lobster and Clam chowder.
Getting close to a little wildlife.
I did not get a picture, but Jacob did get bit by a pelican...

It was now time to hit the tracks and head for home.

Another great time with Jacob..........