Last day in Santa Barbara. Decided to take it easy, stroll around town, take it all in for the last time. Walked allying the wharf watched the fishermen. Very cam, very quiet. Last stroll around Summerland too. What a lovely little oasis. Watched the humming birds darting from tree to tree. Saw another sunset. Tried to fit everything back in the suitcases! Why does it never fit? I hate packing!

Did the culture thing today. The museum, history walk and art gallery. The museum laid out the history of Santa Barbara. Here follows a brief synopsis. The area was first inhabited by the Chumash Indians, then the Spanish came along, the Franciscans built their Missions and set about converting the Chumash to Christianity. Not long after the Mexicans secularised the Missions and then California joined the USA. There has been a lot of enterprise in the area. Befo...

Just mooched around Santa Barbara this morning. Some great shops, independent, stylish and expensive. Didn't buy anything. Had a look at some street sculpture and street art. There was an "Open Streets" Festival happening, encouraging people to use bikes, skateboards, skates and other forms of transport. Lots of activities going on.

A lovely sunny day in Santa Barbara. This must be the ideal climate. The end of October and it's 72C. It is an idyllic town. Very Mexican/Spanish. Visited the Courthouse. Much of Santa Barbara was destroyed by an earthquake in 1925. The Courthouse was rebuilt in a Mediterranean style. This Spanish/Moorish building was designed by William Mooser. It is a charming irregular building, full of colour, windows of many shapes, lacy iron grillwork and tiny balconies. T...

Not much to report today. Had a long tiring drive down Highway 14. Desert, desert and more desert. Temperature rose from -5C at Mammoth to 24C when we arrived in Summerland, just outside Santa Barbara. Accommodation great. Very stylish. An old wooden house with lots of character, perched on a steep hill, overlooking Pacific Ocean. Heaven!