If you’re reading this, you see that I’ve entered the 21st century and started a proper blog (rather than just emailing you a PDF). I’m told that this is more the way normal people do these things. My thanks to Ron for forcing me to make the leap.
This afternoon I set out from Los Angeles on my latest road trip. There really isn’t much to report about most of today’s trip, which amounted to lane-splitting astride my trusty Triumph down the 405, and then entering the relative freedom of the Ventura Freeway. Ah, the free wind blowing through your hair. And the days surround your daylight there. Wait–that’s Ventura Highway.
Anyway, it was an uneventful ride up to Santa Barbara, where I stopped to visit with my good friend Scott and his wife Michelle. I’ve known them for about 30 years now — we’d met when I was in graduate school at UCSB, and Scott was a salesman selling breast implants. (I’m not making this up.) Scott and I caught up over a beer (details in the “Brew of the Day” section at the end of this post). Later we had dinner with his daughter Rachel and her husband Andrew. We then went home and enjoyed some 16-year, single-malt Scotch by the outdoor fire, where Michelle joined us.
I always enjoy coming to Santa Barbara. Not only is it a lovely town, but it also contains many memories from an impactful time in my life. I first came here when I was still (barely) a teenager, to get my undergraduate degree. I shared a tiny bedroom with Bruce and his white rat, Magic. When I met him, Bruce was a complete stranger but would become a lifelong friend. After graduating, I returned here again just four years later, with my new bride Christine, to attend graduate school. Ian was conceived here. I met Scott and Michelle here.
One feature of Santa Barbara that I’d forgotten until I stumbled across it today is the Goleta Railroad Depot. (Technically Goleta is an adjoining town to Santa Barbara, but it’s part of the metro area.) I’ve always been fond of railroads, and while in graduate school I would occasionally volunteer at the depot, which about a decade prior had been converted into a museum. I would help run the handcar ride, the model railroad, and the small , quarter-scale “live steam” train that pulled children around the park on miniature tracks. Next time you find yourself in the Santa Barbara area, you owe it to yourself to check out the depot.
Anyway, tonight I’m spending the night at Scott and Michelle’s. Tomorrow I’m heading up the coast (primarily along the Pacific Coast Highway), where I expect the exploration will be more fruitful than today’s drive on US 101. Over the course of the coming week I’m going to make it up to the Bay Area, head east on CA Route 4 through Stockton and the foothills, eventually getting in the Sierras, and then head south on US 395 back to southern California. Along the way I plan to visit the headwaters of the Los Angeles Aqueduct at Black Rock Springs, just south of Big Pine. This should nicely complement my day trip last month, when I explored the end of the aqueduct where it cascades down into the LA River.
Until tomorrow,
sdb
BREW OF THE DAY
I had the Fastenzeitbier Doppelbock from Captain Fatty’s Brewery in Goleta. I typically gravitate more toward the darker beers, but tonight the Doppelbock mood struck. Doppelbocks are the only lagers I’m willing to drink. They are much darker and heavier and maltier than their brethren, which to me taste like aquarium water. This Doppelbock was not especially heavy, but it had a creamy mouthfeel and notes of toasted bread. It had absolutely no hoppy notes, so this probably wouldn’t be a good beer for a hot day. But for early evening as the fog was rolling in, this was just the ticket. Incidentally, this beer style was developed by monks to get them through Lent. (Relying on my high school German, I think Fastenzeitbeer roughly translates into “the beer one drinks during times of fasting.” Such as, during Lent. But given that we’re in August, either my translation is off, or the beer has passed its sell-by date…
Chasing Phantoms 