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An Unscheduled Road Trip: Santa Barbara

How I fell in love with Santa Barbara

I’m not going to lie, driving from Yosemite to LA is a fair distance and despite the curvaceously stunning coastlines of the Big Sur, there comes a point where you just have to pull over and take a break.

Twice we’ve stopped at Santa Barbara for a couple of hours to break up the drive and although it wasn’t on our list of places to visit, I have found that I’m completely in love with the place.

The first time we visited, I saw a grand total of a multi-story car park, a sandwich shop and the view from the top of the Court House. We were racing time to reach our next overnight stop and didn’t have much time to see the sites. This was a functional visit – loo break, food and a change of driver. The main reason for choosing Santa Barbara as our impromptu stop was because we googled interesting locations along our route and Santa Barbara was listed as a location for Michael Jackson’s house. This felt like an interesting adventure. We thought we might be able to see it from the rooftop of the County Court House – spoiler alert: we couldn’t. The view was lovely however and the Spanish colonial style architecture made it feel like we were in a little European town rather than in the USA. Despite the short visit, the bright streets and sun-drenched rooftops made a quick stop-off somewhere to remember.

The second time we visited, we had a little more time and were able to explore further. We found the main street entirely by accident, twisting and turning through narrow, boutique-lined streets.

Heading up State Street, we came across the La Arcada Courtyard. It was here that I lost my heart. The centrepiece of the courtyard is a stone fountain, complete with an abundance of turtles lazily plodding onto the rocks in the summer sun. We sat by the edge of the fountain watching the light bounce off the water as the turtles clambered over the slick rocks and each other, jostling for position in the warmth.

Peeling ourselves off the hot fountain edge, we wandered through the streets, stopping to marvel at statues, shops and tiled walkways. It felt like an art-lover’s paradise, with expression and passion everywhere you looked. The life-like statues (something that would usually creep me out) perfectly fit the activity on the streets and added to the bohemian atmosphere.

Eventually the grumbles of our tummies won the argument with our brains and we agreed to head for lunch. We stopped at a little restaurant on the square and the food was incredible! It might have been the time on the road talking but I probably had the best salad ever at that little restaurant.

After lunch we headed down for a quick stroll on the beach to check out the sand sculptures. Walking along Stearns Wharf, the sun was reflecting off the water and it was a refreshing walk along the pier to burn off our food. I loved the close proximity of the beach to the shops and town centre and the whole place had a really chilled out, centred vibe.

We only had a short time in Santa Barbara but it was one of those places which makes ‘winging it’ on the road really pay off. It’s such a beautiful place and I’d love to spend more time there exploring, as I feel that it has much more to offer than we managed to see.

Where has been your best unscheduled stop? Has it lead to any unexpected adventures? We’d love to hear them in the comments!

Fallen Leaf Lake, California

A first glimpse of the beauty of America’s National Parks

We arrived at the camp ground late. Really late. It was pitch black (that’s a recurring theme in our camping trips – we always seem to arrive in the dark!!) and we had no idea if we were in the right place. Our tent was put up by the headlights of the car.

We were driving through from San Francisco to Yosemite. Our first time camping properly in the USA, we had stopped off to buy a tent and supplies. We ended up in Kmart, buying a ‘backyard’ tent and sleeping bags, one of which turned out to be child sized! Having only a couple of hours until we had to get up and continue the drive (not to mention being unable to see anything at all in the darkness), we crawled into our sleeping bags (those of us who could fit!) and got some much needed rest.

As the morning broke, we discovered just how beautiful our temporary home was. As breakfast views go, the lake was stunning. Tired and bleary-eyed, we sat on the logs by the lake looking out at the vast expanse of trees lineing the shore.

It was our first glance at the beauty hidden in America’s national parks and we were absolutely speechless.

A New York Minute in Photos

Some of Wandering Beeb’s photos from a couple of New York trips.

Iconic sights, amazing people and an incredible spirit – New York.

We’re Going On An Adventure….

Getting started, when you don’t know how to get started.

I bet most people who start a blog say the exact same thing – where do I start? We weren’t sure if we should start with our newest travels or with some of the older trips, a written piece, or a photoblog. So we started with the memories. Going through boxes of ticket stubs, photos and paperwork spanning trips as recent as last month, to trips many years old. We started to talk about the things that stood out from our trips. In most cases, it wasn’t ‘typical’ landmarks, that stood out (although sometimes it was) – often it was a conversation with fellow travellers, a night spent with friends or getting lost in unfamiliar territory. These were the things that we decided to write about, the things we wanted to share. They are random, un-coordinated and tinged in the rose-tintedness of memory – but they are (we think) the most interesting bits about travelling. They are the things that keep us going back for more!

It’s the same with trying to travel part time. It’s hard to know where to start. It’s all about looking for somewhere that will make a memory. It doesn’t have to mean setting off on a 12 month adventure, or flying half way around the globe. Find something that sparks your imagination and makes a connection. It could be only a half hour drive from your house, but if it taps into your emotions, you can guarantee that’s what will make the best adventure memories.

The open road, full of possibility and adventure. The start of a journey always makes me nervous – mainly because of the unknown waiting around the corner, but it’s exactly that unknown quantity which makes me so excited for what could happen next.