Elizabeth BoatmanI confess I have a soft spot for the old two-lane roads and there’s none finer than California Highway 1. It covers about 650 miles along the coast and is beautiful. As part of my recent Lompoc trip, I followed this highway through Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties. Unlike past outings, this time I stopped along the way. The weather was perfect with the hills golden with mustard.
I may not have found the flower fields in Lompoc, but California’s rolling hills were a good substitute. They glowed with yellow!
While CA-1 isn’t always flower-filled and rolling, I usually think of it as beautiful and hilly. The hillsides are dotted with oaks.
The one tree that stands separate from the others reminds me of the Bilbo’s Party Tree! It’s big with a wonderful sprawling canopy. Both of the above images reflect the highway near Lompoc. On the way home, I focused on the Pacific.
As I headed east through Santa Barbara County, I came to a sign saying Vista Point. Having never bothered to stop before, I decided to pull off and take a look.
There isn’t much here except the view, but oh what a great spot! There isn’t a parking lot, just a wide stretch of pavement. I pulled over next to the drop or cliff edge. There isn’t any barricade or guardrail. Here I met a woman and her dog. She was in a Kenworth. I should have asked for a tour of the cab. I’ve always wondered about those big trucks!
Moving on toward Santa Barbara, I soon pulled off again. This time the lure was Refugio State Beach. No one was about, so I drove on in. There were tents and campers using the park, but the beach was empty.
The pelicans and other birds were busy getting their breakfast. I was up under the palm trees and working with my 16-70mm lens. Not the best for photographing small birds at a distance. Still, I enjoyed myself and the birds were happy in their fashion.
To see more Highway 1 images, please click here.
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