Travelogue

Seals on Carpinteria BeachCarpinteria State Beach, I believe, is the only place along the California coast that you can actually camp right on the beach with an RV. During our last visit, we were fortunate enough to do just that, but this time, because of the rainy weather, we chose to camp one row back, where we could still see and hear the water, but not pay $80 for the privilege.

Since it wasn’t exactly beach weather, we decided to take a side trip to Solvang, a touristy Danish village about an hour away. This has been a place I have always wanted to visit, ever since the tales of my brother taking my Mom and Dad there every time they visited him in California. I’m not quite sure why I was so drawn to this place, as I definitely do not share my Mom’s passion for kitschy gift shops, but I was, so Herb nicely agreed to spend the day at his version of hell.

The drive was lovely, but very steep and winding – not something we would have wanted to do in the motorhome. Thank goodness for our Subaru toad.

SolvangAlong the way, we stopped at the Cachuma Lake Recreation Area and were heartbroken to see that what had once been a beautiful lake set at the base of the San Rafael Mountains had been reduced by drought to a small winding river. I had forgotten that southern California was not getting the deluge of rain that we had escaped from in the north. The Marina and boat launch were hundreds of yards from the water. Still, the campground was quite active, and people were carting their kayaks and fishing boats down the make-shift ramp to what water was left.

When we arrived in Solvang, I understood just why my Mom loved this place so much, and why Herb was such a good husband for bringing me here. I tried to test the levels of his affection for me throughout the day by randomly asking him if he would buy me a cuckoo clock, wooden clogs, or at least a beer stein.

Kidding aside, we spent a fun few hours strolling through the village enjoying its windmills, Little Mermaid Fountain, Hans Christian Andersen statue, giant red clog, and other Danish icons – as well as the two gift shops which Herb limited me to.

Aebleskivers and other unhealthy choicesThere are also several interesting museums dedicated to Danish culture and the Danish-American experience. The first one we stopped in was the Hans Christian Andersen Museum, located above a bookstore. I had forgotten how many of the stories I had enjoyed as a child had been written by him – much more upbeat than the Brothers Grimm.

A little bit off the beaten track was the Elverhoj Museum of History and Art, which was the former residence of one of Solvang’s most artistic families. Lovingly built, this hand-crafted structure, with its ornamental wrought ironwork, carved redwood door, and hand-painted panels is an excellent example of Scandinavian architecture. Unfortunately the Art Exhibition area was temporarily closed in preparation for an upcoming event, but the home was still interesting to explore.

The wonderful smells emanating from the numerous Danish bakeries were making us salivate, so we checked the Trip Advisor app to select a place for lunch.

I am as great believer in “when in Rome…,” so we decided to do the full touristy thing and have lunch at the Solvang Restaurant, where Miles and Jack had breakfast in the movie Sideways. I was all in, so for lunch I ordered their famous Aebleskivers and a bratwurst on the side – not exactly my usual healthy choice. It turns out that an Aebleskiver is actually a jam-filled donut. I ate four of them.

Run (kind of) along Carpinteria BeachBack at Carpinteria State Beach, I needed to run off the Aebleskivers, so Herb and I set off along the trails in the park. For awhile we ran alongside the railroad tracks, making me a bit nervous about what would happen if a train went by, as there was only about 8 feet between the tracks and the bushes. Fortunately, none did, but not wanting to risk returning the same way, Herb suggested that we continue on to see if there was a way to get down to the beach from the high bluff we were on.

Finally, after 3 miles, we came to a County Park with a steep staircase down to the beach. We had a bit of a debate as to whether to go this way or back the way we had come. My fear was that it was getting near sunset and we had no idea if we could make it all the way back to the campground unobstructed. I reluctantly agreed to take the beach route.

Herb's idea of a run along the beachWhenever I am nervous, I do things faster to get them over with, so I took off ahead of Herb so that if we did come to a roadblock, we would still have time to retrace our steps before dark. I have to admit that running at a quicker pace than usual along that beautiful hard-sand beach was a highlight.

The beach was pretty deserted, but eventually I found someone to ask whether or not we could get back to the campground this way. She told me that the beach eventually was closed due to harbor seal nesting, but right before that there was a path leading to the top of the bluff. Now I could relax.

Soon, however, my beautiful hard sand running surface turned into rocky debris, forcing us to walk the remaining mile. That was okay though - the sun was setting and it was quite beautiful. Plus, we got to see a natural tar pit – there are several on the park’s beaches and bluffs.

Description

Carpinteria State Beach

Just 12 miles south of Santa Barbara, Carpinteria State Beach offers a mile of beach for beach-side camping, swimming, fishing, and tidepool exploration. It is an extremely popular destination, so camping reservations should be made well in advance.

Harbor seals and sea lions can be seen December through May, along with an occasional gray whale passing through. Tidepools contain sea anemones, starfish, crabs, snails, sea urchins, and octopus. The Channel Islands and oil rigs can also be seen along the horizon.

The campground has over 200 sites with full or partial hookups, many of which are situated right on the edge of the beach. The campground is in walking distance to the lovely little town of Carpinteria.

Solvang

Hans Christian Andersen's Little MermaidSolvang is a Danish Village located in the Santa Ynez Valley, about 45 minutes northwest of Santa Barbara. Solvang was founded in 1911 by a group of Danes who traveled west to flee the harsh Midwestern winters. As is evidenced by the architecture and numerous bakeries, cuckoo clock, and wooden shoe stores, the village holds very tight to its Danish Heritage.

Today, over one million visitors a year come to Solvang to enjoy its Danish windmills, kitschy shops, restaurants, pastry shops, wine tasting rooms, and museums.