Highway 101

We are continuing our trip south on Hwy 101 with friends Mark and Ellen. Our first stop was in Santa Maria. Jerry and Anna Lee went into San Luis Obispo for another 10K walk. This one was rather ordinary and doesn’t even have a photo to commemorate it.

Today, Super Bowl Sunday, we are in Santa Barbara. For Chanukah, Cheryl and Dave gave us 1000 Places to See in the US & Canada before You Die. While it is fun to read about where we have traveled, we find the book has much to suggest as we continue on down the road. Our first proof of this was lunch at La Super-Rica Taqueria, a unique local spot with really good Mexican food.

After lunch, the four of us took a docent-led tour of the Santa Barbara County Courthouse. This Spanish-Moorish style building is beautiful.

Ceiling, floors, elevator doors and even the drinking fountains are adorned with wooden carvings and ceramic tiles.

The tour started in the Mural Room where the history of California including the Chumash Indians, Missionaries, and US Statehood fill the walls.

Throughout the building the art styles of Sicily, Tunisia, and Spain blend creating one of the most beautiful courthouses in the nation.

In the afternoon, we returned to the Elks Lodge campground and joined their Super Bowl party.