California Day 3: Malibu to Santa Barbara Via Hwy 1

We headed out of LA and turned our compass to Malibu via Hwy 1. Taking Hwy 1 would add time to our trip, but we wanted to take the most scenic route.

In Malibu, we saw many beautiful and fancy houses. There were also houses that were burned down by the recent fires—so sad to see. After riding around a bit, we arrived at the top of Point Dume, but there was no parking to be had. So, we drove down the cliff to the beach to find parking for $8 (we were quickly learning parking is a hot and expensive commodity in California).

There was a lot happening on the beach from a wedding to a photo shoot, to a mini van that decided to off-road it in the sand and got very stuck (they also got in a heap of trouble).

We climbed to the top of Point Dume which was covered in gorgeous yellow flowers. It overlooked the blue ocean. What an amazing view it brought! There were seals and whales too. It was one of my favorite walks of the trip.

After our lovely walk, we continued on towards Santa Barbara, stopping just before at a place called Sharkies. We ate delicious taco bowls.

Once in Santa Barbara, we looked around (hoping to find some sort of evidence of Psych, one of our favorite TV shows, but alas they filmed it in Canada) and visited the Santa Barbara Mission. This was an interesting stop where we learned all about the Franciscan Monks and Indians around the area. While simple, it was also ornate and glorious. The history was unique.

Just down the road from the mission was botanical gardens comprised of many trails and hosts plants native to California. There were cacti, redwoods, meadows, flowers, and more. There was also a river running through it that we had to cross twice by stepping stones.

After strolling through the gardens, we went downtown to shop and eat. It was a wonderful atmosphere! There were many sites to see including an art fair and all the people dressed in green for St Patrick’s Day. We chose to eat at Finnie’s where G got a truffle burger, and I had the est prosciutto and pineapple flatbread. We were able to eat outside on the patio and enjoy the gorgeous weather. After dinner we went to the ice cream store where I got chocolate and coffee ice cream and G got pear. We rounded out the evening with a walk around the marina and pier. We had to watch out for the surf as it crashed onto the rocks and tried to splash us. We stayed the night in Lompoc further down the road.