A Day Trip to Lompoc and Solvang, CA

Dave and I are having a great time here in Pismo Beach, California.  Our stay at Pismo Coast Village has been very enjoyable and we can see why people are keen to become shareholders of this park.  The park is 35 years old, but it appears to be well taken care of.   The entrance to the park is being repaved this week and we are impressed with how quick and efficient the workers have been.  There has been no disruption except for having to go in and out a maintenance entrance instead of the main entrance.

While Dave played golf today, I went for another bike ride.  First I rode to the nearby downtown area of Pismo Beach.  That area is undergoing some paving and repairs, also.  They have to do work like that this time of the year since this is the off season.  Summers here are very busy!

Then I rode south along Highway 1 to Pismo State Golf Course where Dave was playing.  I didn't see him, but I left a "Kilroy Carol was here" note for him in the car.

Monday we went on a day trip to Lompoc and Solvang.  We left early in the morning in order to get to Lompoc to visit a Victorian house that was open only between 9 and 11 am on Mondays.  But, alas, the house was deserted when we got there, so we didn't get to go inside.

The house was there, but no one was giving a tour.

Another site we visited was the town's Carnegie library, now the Lompoc Museum.  Alas, this place was closed, too.

Lompoc's Christmas banner--I'm not sure of the significance of the polar bear

We drove about ten miles west of Lompoc (pronounced LOM-POKE) to get to the beach.  We were so surprised to see an Amtrak station (deserted) out there.  It was a stop of a commuter train (no trains in sight).  This was a somewhat eerie place.  I could just imagine someone taking the train here and being dropped off at a deserted beach ten miles from town. 

We visited La Purisima Mission State Historic Park, which I'll write about tomorrow.  Then we drove on to Solvang, a touristy Danish village.  Even on a Monday, the town was hopping with cars and shoppers.

Our outing tired me out, and I slept most of the hour-long ride back to Pismo Beach.  I woke up just in time to take this photo along Highway 101 north of Santa Maria.