Ventura / Santa Barbara:
It seems like our adventures have themes to them. We’ve certainly visited several cemeteries,
places of music history and now missions!
We started with the missions in San Antonio, Texas and then visited
another near Tucson, Arizona. Now we
continue the mission trail in California, where the Spanish Franciscans founded
21 missions. The Old Mission Santa
Barbara was established in 1786 and its interior colors are still vibrant.
After exploring the mission and the Santa Barbara beach, we had lunch
on the pier with a beautiful view of the marina and mountains in the
background.
Loved this water taxi!
We explored another mission in Ventura, the San Buenaventura Mission. It was founded by the Franciscan priest
Junipero Serra.
One of the highlights is a marble cast of Michelangelo’s Pietà.
I remember watching the TV shows featuring Fess Parker as Davy Crockett
and Daniel Boone. So, when I heard that
he had started a winery, that is still run by his family, I wanted to check
that out.
This is not the only winery in the area!
We braved the rainy weather to walk the Carpenteria Bluffs Nature
Preserve where there is a seal rookery.
Isn’t this mommy and baby too cute!
Morro Bay:
Our next stop along the Pacific Coast is the town of Morro Bay. We stayed at a motel just 2 blocks up the
hill from the Embarcadero (wharf) and Morro Rock. Morro Rock is a volcanic plug in the bay and
is accessible via a connected causeway.
We had fun watching the otters ...
and the mommy with her baby on her
tummy:
It was fun driving around the town of Morro Bay and checking out the
murals. Many depict the history and landscape of the area.
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| This one is done in mosaic tiles! |
The little town of Cambria is nearby.
This is a fun place to explore with lots of restaurants. We visited the nearby Moonstone Beach Boardwalk to get these lovely Pacific views!
We’ll see more wonderful coastal views as well as visit another mission
on our next stop to the Monterey Bay area!