Since I had my dog, Scarlet, with me during my stay at the Santa Barbara Auto Camp, riding one of the beach cruisers that came with my Airstream to the beach wasn’t an option for me during my stay, but it would be an easy ride 3 1/2 mile ride and the area is very bicycle friendly. Instead we drove to the Santa Barbara Yacht Club to to watch the sunset on the beach. It was lovely, and so many of the public lots in the area have free parking for an hour or 90 minutes, which is a refreshing change from Los Angeles.
When we returned to the Auto Camp, I fed Scarlet dinner and we wandered down the street towards the delicious BBQ aroma that was wafting towards our Airstream. It was coming from the Santa Barbara Chicken Ranch, which I had read about in the Auto Camp Neighborhood Favorites guide. It said that the BBQ chicken and Tri-tip with Mexican flair were a favorite among the locals, so I decided to give it go. The 1/2 chicken plate had 4 pieces of BBQ chicken and was served with rice, beans and tortillas and was under $10. I ate on the patio, so Scarlet could be with me.
Afterwards we took a walk through the funky neighborhood and peaked into the windows at some of the nearby shops on De La Vina street. Jedlicka’s Western Wear looked particularly interesting. When we got back to camp, Scarlet and I cuddled on the fluffy bed while I tried using the Satellite TV, and found it to be user friendly. Since the compact kitchen had all the basic necessities like glasses and a bottle opener, I was able to enjoy a glass of Pinot Noir I had bought at a local bottle shop.
I had been concerned that the Airstream would get cold at night when the temperatures dipped, but the two wall heating units kept us nice and toasty. The sheets were soft and the duvet cover was simple and luxurious and we got a good night’s sleep.
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