Day Eighteen: Ventura California

Farmer's Market, San Luis Obispo

The sun has set, the crickets are singing, the stars are beginning to twinkle out and the harvest moon is rising in the eastern sky.  We are sitting out on our "patio" in the mountains just 15 miles west of Ventura, near the town of Santa Paula.  The temperature rose to the high 80's F today, and now 

---

BBQ with artichokes, San Luis Obispo

Our route today along California 101 followed the historic El Camino Real (the Royal Road). In the 1700s this road was a footpath linking the twenty one missions between San Diego and San Francisco.  At that time bells were posted along the route to provide travellers with directions and distances to the missions.  Today, there are commemorative bells along the highway.

The area from San Louis Obispo and Santa Barbara is wine country.  We passed by vineyards growing grapes of every kind.  There was lots of other agricultural activity going on as well.

Santa Barbara County Courthouse

We stopped for a couple of hours in Santa Barbara.  Most of our time was spent touring the Santa Barbara County Courthouse which is an architectural wonder.  In 1925 most of the city of Santa Barbara was ruined by an earthquake.  The County Courthouse was built in 1929 to inspire the community to rebuild in the Mediterranean style that is so prevalent today.  The courthouse features brilliantly coloured tiles in the Spanish-Moorish style, towers, arches, grand murals that depict the history of the area and open air galleries.  It is a working courthouse.

Supervisor's Assembly Room, Santa Barbara Courthouse

From Santa Barbara to Ventura the road followed along the coastline.  We were amazed by the vast sandy beaches and surprised to see offshore oil rigs.  I counted about twelve oil rigs in the thirty miles stretch between the two cities.  At Ventura we took another couple of hours to stroll along the beach, watch the surfers and dip our feet in the ocean. Then we continued on to our camp spot.  As we moved away from the coast we drove past orchards of lemon trees and flower farms.  It seems just about anything will grow here.