The one aspect of RV travel that I enjoy most is the opportunity to experience new things and new, out-of-the-way places–almost daily. Ease Along with me here, and I’ll give you a sampling of such an opportunity. Two of our grandchildren will join you.
After a great visit to Bryce Canyon, Helen and I traveled to Las Vegas for a three-night stay at Nellis Air Force Base, one of our favorite campgrounds. There was nothing extraordinary about our time there; it was a chance to clean our RV and take a few more chances in the Casino. Compared to last year’s visit, Las Vegas was packed with tourists this year.
Next up was an eight-night stay at Vandenberg Air Force Base in Lompoc (Lom-poke), CA, where our son and his family would join us for five of those nights. Helen and I used the first three days to do some general exploring and commissary shopping, but my primary task was to keep Helen from exploding. She was so excited about the arrival of her grandchildren, and I feared she wasn’t going to make it. Thankfully, they arrived before disaster struck–with trailer in tow.
Their time with us would also provide an opportunity to meet Honey, our grand-dog. Honey, a six-month-old Golden Retriever, is the inseparable companion of our granddaughter, Abby. She is a lively but well-behaved pup and did well on our walk along nearby scenic Surf Beach. When a sneaky coyote ventured into our campsite, Honey sat calmly until the rascal scampered away.
Once everyone had the kinks out of their legs, it was time to visit a few of those out-of-the-way places I mentioned above, beginning with La Purisima Mission in the Santa Ynez Valley, two miles north of Lompoc.
Established as the eleventh Franciscan Mission in California following the Spanish colonization of Mexico, La Purisima Mission is a recreation of the living conditions of 1,000 members of the Chumash Tribe from 1812 until 1824. The Mission, restored by the State of California and a few private donors, is vast. Authentic representations of the shops, kitchens, living quarters and church are open to visitors. Our family enjoyed La Purisima very much. For readers wanting more information, I have a link inserted here.
For our next fun and unique experience, we decided to visit Ostrichland at the insistence of our grandchildren. It had been a while since I last hugged an Ostrich, so I was all in. We drove back into the Valley, near the town of Buellton, CA, until we spotted a large farm where about fifty Ostrich and an equal number of Emus roamed the grounds. Admission was five dollars for us seniors, and a bowl of Ostrich food was another dollar. I passed on the food, but everyone else in our crowd jumped right in.
The Ostriches must have eaten already because only a few took advantage of the offering. The Emus, however, were not to be denied. Carter served lunch to all of them that could stick their long necks through the fence opening. What a hoot (or grunt in Emu dialect)! I took several pictures, including one with an Ostrich photo-bomber. Once all of the fowl were full, we were off to the Danish-inspired Village of Solvang for shopping and sightseeing.
Named one of the Ten Best Historic Towns in America by USA Today, Solvang is a place unknown to me. Nevertheless, this town has charm and breweries, wine-tasting rooms, and some of the best Danish pastries I’ve ever eaten. I couldn’t pass on the Cherry Danish and the Cinnamon Crisp. Solvang, founded in 1911 by three Danish-American educators, has four windmills and a replica of Copenhagen’s Littlest Mermaid to add even more Danish appeal to the town. The grandchildren took to the ice cream with great relish.
Three outings in the Santa Ynez Valley proved once again that America is a fascinating country with something for everyone on every corner. Everything we enjoyed at this stop came as a complete surprise to me and a whole lot of fun. Regretfully we had to say goodbye to the family when the time came for everyone to move out. Here’s a picture of our clan that turned out well.
We just completed the first month of this journey with three more ahead. Stay with us–we just got started, there will be more out-of-the-way places, and we’re still Easin’ Along on our way to find them.
Great to see Justin’s family picture with you. You too are having a ball, as is evident from the reports. Somewhat stunned there is no report of Helen (luckiest gambler l know) winning the million dollar slots at Vegas??
Good morning!
The reports don’t lie! We had a fabulous time with Justin and family. As for Helen’s time in Vegas…bad karma everywhere :-(.
Oh Joe, what a great post. I understand Helen’s potential explosion as I am so anxious to see our kids and grand kids soon!
What great experiences, this is what is so wonderful about the RVing thing. We have made it to the Blue Ridge Mtns…home by Memorial Day.
Good afternoon, Nancy,
Believe it or not, I know people who can’t believe that traveling in an RV is fun. I probably should encourage that thought—campgrounds are full enough for now. I’m just grateful that I have the opportunity to see all of the surprises that are out there. Travel safely and don’t be in a hurry. We loved our trip up the Blue Ridge and then spent a fascinating time touring the Gettysburg battlefield. Joe
Hi, Joe – I love following your travel posts (especially as we are currently not allowed to travel outside of our health region).
Awesome photos! Vancouver Island does not have any coyotes (or foxes, or badgers, or skunks or porcupines…..). I’d say that we’d trade you some bears or cougars, but I’m okay viewing coyotes only virtually. 🙂
Hi, Donna,
So glad to have you Easin’ Along with us. We’re getting more comfortable every day about being around people. Still cautious indoors, but we went to a Farmers Market on Saturday with masks in our pocket.
I did not realize Vancouver Island was so critter-deficient. I’m willing to send you five raccoons for one house-broken Cougar. Have a fabulous week! Joe
Joe, I do agree that there are countless unique and intriguing experiences out there all across this great land of ours. While Alan and I always enjoy our outings and explorations, when the (now young adult) kids are with us the adventures seem a bit more festive somehow. That’s a wonderful family photo you managed to capture – a perfect souvenir. By the way, it has been a hectic week here and I didn’t have a chance to respond to your last post. It came as no surprise that you and Helen enjoyed Bryce Canyon so much, and I’m really happy that you were able to include it on this year’s itinerary!
Good morning, Mary,
Thanks for checking in–I understand hectic weeks. We had a great time in Bryce. The formations are amazing and I wore out my camera taking pictures. So grateful that we had time with the family. I doubt I would have made it to Ostrichland if they weren’t along, but it was a lot of fun. Have a great week…hectic or otherwise! Joe
Such family fun….and everyone looked great!
Hello, Cammy,
I agree–everyone looked great, including the new granddog. Our time together was delightful, but all too short. Thanks for stopping by! Joe
That is a wonderful family photo! I completely agree that there are so many wonderful, out-of-the way places in our beautiful country. One of the great gifts of our seven-and-a-half years of full time travels was discovering the uniqueness of every place we visited. (And we’re not done! Just spending time exploring our new backyard right now.)
Your appreciation of life and your joy in traveling and time with family is uplifting. 🙂
Good morning, Laurel,
So glad to know you’re not done and just taking a pause to get the home port organized. There is a lot to see in this country and my motto remains “see all I can–while I still can!” Great to hear from you! Joe
Joe, your visit to the Santa Ynez Valley looked lovely! How wonderful to be with your family, nothing like it. What a great description of Solvang. Of all the places I’ve been in California (being a native), this is one area I never made it to. Pizmo Beach up the way a bit is quite fun to visit too, as is San Luis Obispo. Las Vegas looks the same…what pandemic? We love RV-ing! Stay safe and enjoy!
Hi, Terri,
We are only able to see our California kids about once a year, so it is always a treat to be around them. They grow up so fast! Solvang is a charming place to visit and I’m so glad we carved out some time to check it out. Surprises like Solvang are another example of the joys awaiting RVers on the road less traveled. Thanks for checking in. Looking forward to seeing pictures of your new pole barn–I love barns and miss mine from our previous home. Joe