This morning we went out hiking above Santa Barbara on the  trail to Inspiration Point.  It was a nice hike with a good length and some interesting things to see.  Some of the rock formations reminded us of Pinnacles National Monument.  The view at the top was good, although not with the best lighting and a bit of fog. 

For lunch we went back to State St., the main drag in Santa Barbara.  We checked out Uncle Rocco’s New York Pizza.  It was disappointing in that the pizza was just fair, but at least they charged a lot for it.  Oh well, we’ll be getting Speederia when we return home.

socal119Our next destination was Ventura.  We visited the San Buenaventura Mission which was  the last mission founded by Junipero Serra and dates to 1782.  The small remains of the original Mission were an interesting tour.  We then wandered around the Old Town area of Ventura taking in the area that was an old Chinatown. 

After checking in to our hotel and changing for dinner, we headed to the inland city of Ojai (a Chumash word pronounced Oh-hi).  Ojai’s claim to fame is that scenes from the movie Lost Horizon were filmed here. It also supposedly has a big glow when the sun hits the hills at sunset.  We did notice that they were very red, although I wouldn’t really call it breathtaking. 

We had an enjoyable dinner and then went looking for some dessert.   There was a surprising lack of ice cream places, yet several yogurt stores.  As close friends and family know, I’m morally opposed to the self serve yogurt places that have been popping up everywhere.  Why would I want to get my own yogurt when I could have someone else get me ice cream? 

Without alternatives to yogurt, I browsed the yogurt store and filled my cup with a chocolate/vanilla blend.  Then it’s off to the toppings bar to try and turn the yogurt into a real dessert with the addition of M&M’s, chocolate chips, and some sprinkles.  We paid for our yogurt and sat outside.  Even with all the chocolate added, the yogurt was a poor dessert.  To add insult to injury, on the way back to the car we finally passed an ice cream store that also sold fudge.  To cleanse my palette, I picked up some fudge with my lesson learned – never compromise your principles. 

View the photos from the Mission and Ventura:

http://www.sanjoseabrams.com/photos/SoCalJuly2012/Day%203%20-%20Santa%20Barbara%20To%20Ventura/index.html