It was a cooler morning than we have experienced so far with temperatures just over 60. The sky was also fully overcast so we had our breakfast inside a cafe in downtown Santa Barbara, but if we were tougher, we could have sat outside. No need to attract attention to ourselves when the paparazzi are already on the hunt, though.
Nicole was in search of some film festival merchandise, but I feel as though the marketing department really dropped the ball. It’s like someone simply typed out SBIFF (Santa Barbara International Film Festival) in the most generic font and called it good enough. As I told Nicole, even a simple outline of a palm tree or a spanish tile border could have gone a long way.
We then began our journey out of town after making a brief stop at the presidio. Contrary to our slog through traffic on our way up the coast, we got back to Los Angeles in about 90 minutes. Rain is expected later in the evening, and as I often find myself saying, “Summer’s over.” The ten day forecast has highs in the 50s and 60s with a sampling of rain throughout. It is our rainy season, though we do tend to have these false summers in the dead of winter just to tease us. And with that being said, I was glad we were able to stay within the nice weather during this little break.
Our other options during this period of time were Yellowstone (30 degrees and most roads closed), Mexico City (50 degrees), or Northern Territories, Canada where it was about 10 degrees and no realistic chance of seeing any auroras. It would have been criminal to be huddling together for warmth in Yellowknife, Canada while it was 76 degrees and sunny on California’s central coast.
There is something about physically getting on an airplane that evokes a greater feeling of going on vacation. Getting in the Hyundai and driving up the coast and back on one tank of gas does not often seem like we had made a big journey, but just like Palm Springs in the Sonoran desert, a few hours drive can make a world of difference. Not only do Santa Barbara and its environs have its own unique culture and charm, the Channel Islands are an entirely different world themselves.
Having now been to 100 countries, and having flight privileges on more than 150 airlines, staying within our own state for a vacation almost feels like a crime. Living here, it is easy to forget that California is home to nine national parks, and more than two dozen other nationally-managed seashores, forests, monuments etc. The road trip we just did could have traversed multiple countries in Europe. Recently I flew with a first officer who had just returned from New Zealand. She felt ashamed to say that she wasn’t as impressed as she thought she would be — having flown for 13 hours to witness scenery that was no better than things she had seen in California.
When Nicole and I were driving up the coastal highway, we remarked on how anywhere else we would have pulled over to try and take pictures of the scenery unfolding in front of us, and had to remind ourselves that we are taking quite a bit for granted. Looking at our trip under this lens, it was nice to get a new appreciation for where we live — especially this winter where it seems the rest of the country keeps getting sent into a deep freeze.
Folks who live here like Sean Penn, may no longer be impressed by anything, but we, Bricole, are still trying to appreciate everything that we have in front of us. And that includes a film festival that we didn’t even know about. We got to catch glimpses of Hollywood types who were kind enough to distract the masses away from us so we could enjoy our peace and have a grand ol’ time making fun of the Santa Barbarians eating their gross gluten-free, organic, chemical-free, vegan baked goods in their button up shirts and perfectly coiffed blond hair.
Our next block of time off won’t be for another month, but it was nice to dip our toes into travel for the first time in 2026 and enjoy the lovely weather while it lasted. Now we’ll have to hunker down with numerous cups of tea to survive our “harsh” winter of 55 degrees and clouds. I feel cruel even writing that sentence, but if there’s a theme to this post, it’s that we should be proud to live here despite the traffic and all the vegan stuff. See you in a month.
passports & pepto bismol 