Day 5 Tripping to Solvang from San Diego

Leaving San Diego with Regrets

Somehow every time I leave San Diego there is an emptiness in back of your mind which reminds you that that you seem to be missing a major part of the city that you will have to come back and see another time.

We left San Diego and the hotel on the circle with several destinations left behind. Even though we were just a couple of minutes away from Old Town and all of its cool charm, we didn't get a chance to experience the shops or the ambiance.  Our hotel was just a couple of minutes away from the transportation center that housed the red trolly system and that would have been a really nice way to get down to old town and see this attraction.

Just like Old Town square we also missed visiting Sea World. It was also so very close by and just at the foot of the hill that we were staying.  I am sure that our hotel was a major overnight destination for the families that were taking in Sea World.  At the desk I heard that some people had a package deal that included Sea World tickets. Next time, next time.

The major battle ahead of us this day was the battle through LA traffic from Interstate 5 which goes up the center of California to a connecting freeway that would take up to highway 101 the more coastal freeway that follows loosely the coast from LA and Malibu to Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and eventually San Jose and San Francisco. Our end of the journey today was  and the Bueleton which is just past Santa Barbara and before reaching San Luis Obispo. Solvang is a small town just 4 miles inland off of highway 101. Overall the trip is a 5 hour test of your freeway patience. When we reached Solvang we were still 5 hours away from home.

 At any point along this adventure it would have been easy to chuck it all and head for home.  The passage out of Southern California to Merced is just 5 hours of driving provided there is little traffic. So if you pick the times you on on the road this trip is just a little longer than a trip to the Bay Area or a trip to the wine county.  San Diego adds a couple of more hours but still it is a reasonable exit if the vacation becomes too much.

The last time we were at Solvang we put it on the front end of our trip to Southern California. Sue was marshaling a much bigger power chair which was basically incompatible with the gift shops of the little Danish inspired town. She had a very concerted interest in doing Solvang on the way home.

This time the vacation was not too much and with a very willing cat sitter who texts us on a regular basis it freed us up about any worry concerning our furry cat kids.

On the Road again LA Freeways

We cleaned up the room and got all the dirty clothes in one of the two bags we brought and headed out of an almost vacant hotel on Monday morning. We ate the provided breakfast once again and we  and took our chances on the life that so many Southern California residents live, the LA freeway system. My iphone app charted us up the coast and back on the familiar I5. It wanted us to take a toll road or two but I was most comfortable driving the roads that I knew best.  We made the right turns along the way and I religiously and continually merged left losing lanes as we trucked up through the San Clemente, Anaheim, and later Thousand Oak arms of this system. As we drove by the Laurel canyon turnoffs of the backside of the Hollywood Hills.  I thought of my niece who was recovering nearby. My sister and her husband had streaked down to help her out as she was emergency room engaged. Her condition was quickly stabilizing and her boy friend from the Sacramento area had also descended to support her emotionally. We sent good vibes as we knew that somewhere nearby she was recovering.

In the mean time the traffic had increased as the afternoon raged on and all of the local school buses had merged on to the Interstate. We were all headed to coast and the nirvana that is represented in Ventura.

An amazing thing happened as we headed out of Oxnard, just before Ventura. Suddenly the traffic disappeared. We were no longer shuttled in the capsule of 35 to 45 mile an hour moving traffic congestion. We had been in this conga line since we passed through Anaheim on I5 3 hours before.

Reaching Ventura it was time to get some gas and we sought a Chevron station on the Community College Exit along our friend, Highway 101. The wind had picked up and the ocean along the left side of the rode was developing little white caps beyond the waves. As we pulled up into Santa Barbara the clouds started rolling across the road as the wind blew them. We arrived in Solvang about 4:00 in the afternoon. Our paid reservation through Hotwire got us a nice room in the Holiday Inn Express. The East Indian receptionist seemed to know that we were looking for an accessible room and had one waiting for us at identification.

Entering Solvang, We made it!

Solvang is a Danish styled town with all the buildings (about 8 blocks long and 3 blocks wide) in the large exposed beam architecture of Europe in farm design. There are big windmills that don't work but symbolize wind power. Even our hotel at the western end of the town conformed with the beam exposed high loft design. The Hotel is built on a steep hill. Its reception desk and breakfast room and pool are all on the half floor between the parking garage which is under the rooms and the first floor just a half a floor up.

The last time we were in Solvang it was early November and there were vestiges of a business pumpkin contest all around the city. The flowers were minimal and the crowds were gone too.  This time we arrived on a Monday and similar crowds were present. We pretty much had the town to ourselves.  The hotel cost drops significantly from weekend nights to nights during the week. There is a 150 dollar surcharge for weekend lodging so it seems.

Lots of annual flowers are in window boxes everywhere in town. The feeling you get in this town is a gigantic Southern California sigh. Have a seat in the shade and rest a while. Not much noise and the the weather is just right. 

This little city has definite hours of operation. If you expect to tour the gift shops after 5pm you might be looking at lot of items in the windows without access to getting in to the shops to buy. The bakeries are open just a little bit longer, generally closing around 6. They tell their customers that they will open quite early in the morning so they need to close early in the evening, and not everything will be available when they open in the morning.

Solvang Puts the Danish in Danish Pastries

As near as I can tell their are four major bakeries in this small town. They all make pastries that are to die for and to die from. Nothing but butter is used to make the danish wonders out of puff pastry dough that give the bakeries their reputation. Sue is fond of the crispy waffles. They are two 9 inch very flaky dry pastry ovals that have pastry cream between them with a small steak of raspberry jam running from one end to the other. I love the bones with are fruit filled squares of puff pastry four inches square that are filled with various pie fillings. I think to see a "danish" done properly with the 2 to three inch "puff" around the fruit is so unusual. Its really how they are supposed to be produced. All of these bakeries have buckets of cookies that can be shipped anywhere in the USA. They are pretty special too.

Sue took a rest in the bed when we arrived while I set about on foot to sample a couple of goodies and bring some home for Sue to try.  The shops were all closed by the time Sue finished her nap and I returned.