Smooth Sailing in Santa Barbara

 Arroyo Burro Beach a wide strip of powdery sand, locals call Hendry’s, is my favorite stop in Santa Barbara. The trailhead at the southern tip of the parking lot leads to More Mesa a bluff walk with stunning views of the coast.  Para-sailors glide overhead beneath flashy canopies, pelican’s patrol the bluffs in v-shaped formations while far below the aquamarine Pacific purls into billows of foaming white. Irish spring-green grass dotted with wildflowers carpets the mesa shaded by giant sycamores in the spring. You will likely have this walk to yourself save the occasional local walking dogs off leash. Continue out of the park on to Medcliff Road to Mesa Lane and turn right to Mesa steps. Take the public stairwell down to the sea shore. Enjoy a contemplative stroll on this stretch of hard packed sand backed by craggy cliffs back to the Arroyo Burro parking lot and facilities. Be sure you are not walking this stretch at high tide before embarking.

 After this two- mile loop you will be ready for lunch at the Boat House resting on the sand   Zesty sea food pasta was my choice, but shrimp Louis salad and Lobster rolls are also on the menu among many more taste treats.  Diners enjoy the patio shielded from the wind by glass barriers, or dine inside in casual elegance. Happy Hour offers tasty treats at bargain prices. There is a hamburger stand next to the main restaurant for folks in a hurry. A snooze on the sand after a sumptuous repast is in order.

overlooking the beach.

The ocean is relatively calm here and safe to swim. You can walk for miles up the long strand of sand beneath the cliffs. Locals with blankets and lawn chairs gather here to watch to sun slip into the Pacific in a fiery crescendo to a perfect Santa Barbara Day

Arroyo Burro Beach Park

Arroyo Burro Beach County Park is located 5 miles west of Santa Barbara's city center on Cliff Drive near Hope Ranch. From Highway 101 take Las Positas Road south to Cliff Drive. Turn right and travel 1/2 mile to the park entrance.

Boat House Restaurant 

This day will be included in my next book Lost Angel at Home in Paradise

Adventure travel writer, Linda Ballou, has a host of articles on her site along with information about her novels and articles at www.LindaBallouauthor.com

Subscribe to Linda’s blog www.LindaBallouTalkingtoyou.com to receive updates on books, and travel destinations and events.

Online Romance Gets Real!

The internet works in strange and mysterious ways. Meet Sharon Pohl, a dynamic woman, energetic woman presently living on a tropical isle in the American Virgin Islands.

She found me on the National Association of Baby Boomer Women site where I am the adventure travel expert. She ordered my book Lost Angel Walkabout-One Traveler’s Tales and requested a meeting with me. We rendezvoused in Santa Barbara and enjoyed on of my favorite outdoor days. As we hiked the bluff overlooking Hendry’s beach and strolled the sands back to the Boat House where we enjoyed a scrumptious repast at the Boat House we shared ideas.

She explained that she is busy re-inventing herself after an unexpected parting of the ways with her long-time husband. Her goal now is to help other women find ways to find peace with change and create new lives.

She invited me to be a guest speaker at a health and wellness week she will be hosting in March 2015 at her home in St. Croix.  My job will be sharing lessons I learned from the People of Old Hawaii in my research for my novel Wai-nani, A Voice from OldHawaii.

 How writing a book, I never dreamed I would write, has brought me to an opportunity to share spiritual insights with others is some kind of wonderful. To cap it off the healing week shoulders the St. Croix carnival, an extravagant display of Island color. Big fun on the way!

Great Outdoor Day # 13- Lake Cachuma-Godda Bless

If you sneeze you will miss the entrance to Lake Cachuma Recreation Area midway between Santa Barbara and Los Olivos on Highway 154. The sparkling man-made lake flanked by the Santa Ynez and San Rafael Mountains fills a valley that was once a sacred meeting place for the Chumash people. Resting in the Pacific Flyway, (read more here at Examiner)