Leaving L.A.

SATURDAY, July 28th

We got out of Los Angeles by noon.
Our first planned stop being the Santa Barbara Pistachio Farm in Ventucopa. We had bought their incredible pistachios at the Santa Monica farmers market and started to run out… If you haven’t tried their pistachios, you have no idea what a terrifying feeling that was! Well, not really, but we figured it would be fun to see where these tasty treats come from… Specially since the location promised some great scenery.

On the road to Ventucopa we stopped at a beach in Malibu to say goodbye to the Pacific Ocean. I can tell you with no hesitation, that’s where the West Coast beats the East Coast. The beaches… And there’s nothing you could say to change my mind.

Broad Beach, Malibu

Driving up the winding roads through the Los Padres mountains, the definition of the word “breathtaking” started to make more sense. The ever changing views of layers of mountains literally makes you forget to breathe.

Farmlands along Rt 33

Los Padres National Forest

A view through the car window

Reaching the pistachio farm was like the icing on the cake. Sampling every flavor they offer, we ended up with few more bags of pistachios for the road.

“Santa Barbara Pistachios”

I have a feeling, by the end of this road trip I will need help fighting pistachio addiction or hate pistachios. I will let you know…

We continued our trip towards San Luis Obispo, our next designated stop.

Rt 166, along Cuyama River

Driving along the road by Cuyama River towards Santa Maria, the mountain range slowly turned into farmlands and wineries.
We reached our destination right in time for dinner. Siri suggested F.McLintocks Saloon. For once, she was right!
After mixing us a delicious Cucumber Martini and a Jalapeno Margarita, our bartender tried to warn us about the size of the salads we ordered. We didn’t listen and ordered two. The salads arrived… She wasn’t kidding. One could have fed a family of four! For a week!
Great times.
Back on the road…
The plan was to reach Carmel Valley by the nightfall… which we did.

We spent our first night at the ranch sleeping under the stars. Literally.