Dispatch #20

Hamiltons Cross-Country Adventure 2010

Dispatches

Jul 26

Published at 01:07

We were sad to leave SF behind, but the beauty of Big Sur soon lifted
our spirits. We found a campsite at Limekiln State Park were a couple
short hikes around the camp took us up to the old lime kilns. There
was also a rocky beach where we watched powerful waves tumble pebbles
across the shore. A short bike ride took us up to route 1 where we
peddled for a few miles and enjoyed the endless views and setting sun.

We continued to experiment in the camp kitchen, this time with a meal
of rosemary garlic fettuccini with pesto sauce, shrimp, snap peas and
sundried tomatoes! Success! Our campsite was beside a sparkling
creek which provided excellent background noise for a wonderful
night’s sleep. (except that our air mattress seems to have a slow
leak and we continue to wake up touching the ground)!

The next morning we drove down the coast and enjoyed watching an
active colony of elephant seals on a beach near San Louis Obispo.
Most of the seals were contentedly basking in the sun and occasionally
grunting or rolling over. However, there were a couple of large males
fighting in the water who were exciting to watch. Scanning the
colony, it was easy to see that many of the seals were covered in
scars from similar battles.

After sampling a few wines in Santa Ynez Valley, we could not find a
campsite due to the popularity of the CA beaches as summer
destinations. Instead, we headed into Santa Barbara where we checked
into a B&B. Here, we enjoyed tacos from a famous shack “La Super
Rica” and used our bikes to explore the beautiful coastal trail!

Name: Santa Barbara, California
Elevation: +0 m
Latitude: 34° 25’ 33” North
Longitude: 119° 42’ 51” West