Day Trip to Goleta, CA

Last Thursday our motorhome was being washed, so we went for a drive in the car.  We headed south on Highway 101.  We usually go to Solvang or Lompoc and/or the mission outside Lompoc on these trips south.  But today we decided to drive the 89 miles to Goleta, about fifteen miles northwest of Santa Barbara. 

We stopped at a couple of state parks along our way south.  Dave bought the California off-season senior state park pass again this year, so we can park for free at all the state parks and beaches.  The price of the pass went up from $10 to $20 last year, but to us, it’s still worth the price.

The first park we checked out was Gaviota State Park.  This park had a modest no-hookup camping area with a train trestle running right over it.  The pier was interesting, though, in that it had an above-ground boat launch.

The views from either side of the pier weren’t bad.

Oil platforms were visible in the distance, as were the Channel Islands.

Our next stop was Refugio State Beach.  This park had two camping areas, again with no-hookups.  This park was right on the beach and even mid-week, there were people camping here.

I liked these palm trees.

After our stop at Refugio, we drove on to Goleta.  Our destination was Howe House.  We knew that the house itself was only open on weekends, but I read that the grounds were open.

Howe House

We walked along the somewhat paved path and came to a protected pond.

The old Goleta Depot and Museum were also located at this spot.  The museum wasn’t open until the afternoon, and we decided to head for town (and lunch) instead of waiting for the depot to open.

We ate lunch at Hollister Brewing Company.  We ate outside on the patio and were glad that our table had an umbrella because it was warm that day.

We enjoyed our day trip and when we got back to the motorhome, it was washed, waxed, and gleaming brightly in the sun!

Flowers along the path at Howe House.