Camping weekend at Figueroa Mountain Camp 7/10

This past weekend (7/23/10-7/25/10), Addy and I went camping north of Santa Barbara. We'd been wanting to get out of town and camp and got our opportunity. We've camped in Los Padres National Forest before, but up north by Big Sur, so I was winging it. I have never been so annoyed at LA traffic as I was during the 4 hrs it took to get up to the Santa Barbara area (it should take 2). It was almost dusk by the time we looked at the first candidates for a place to stay. All 4 campsites along Paradise Rd, SE of Lake Cachuma were full. So, after stopping by the Lake Cachuma Rec Area to find it full as well, we decided to head further north to the Figueroa Mountain Area. A seemingly treacherous (in the dark) 30 min drive later, we arrived in at a great campsite at 4,000 ft. We pitched the tent and crashed under the stars, on top of our air mattresses.

The next morning, we woke early and got a good look at the campsite. It was great, only 30 or so sites, maybe 12 of them full, all given some privacy by the stand of trees the campground was tucked into. We got a small fire going, made coffee and Addy made some delicious breakfast burritos. After breakfast, we went looking for a hike. We first drove up to the day use areas near the campground. We stopped at Alto Pinos, before continuing up the mountain to Figueroa Mountain Lookout. We got some great photos there, but they can't quite capture the wild expanse that we saw. We found a hiking trail, closer to the Ranger Station, that started out cutting across a tall grass field, reminding us of a western plains prairie. We followed it as it followed the ridgeline down the canyon to a steam. We only passed one other group coming back up from the canyon floor. Apparently, we could have followed the stream to another canyon and from there hike to the top of Zaca Peak. That would have to wait for another day as we had not packed all the gear we would need for that long of a trek. Having gotten nice and sweaty, we decided it was time to find some water to cool off in. We drove back to Lake Cachuma Rec Area, only to be told that swimming is prohibited in the lake. We made the best of it, by relaxing lakeside, in the sun, with our books and then showering before heading to our Wine Club winery, Roblar. They are our favorite winery in the area for several different reasons, not the least being that their wines are delicious. The grounds are also beautiful, pastoral and comfortable. We have great memories there from visiting with my parents to sitting on the veranda planning our wedding. This time we sat out on the porch reserved for wine club members and sat enjoying the sun, the wine, and each other's company. Once we enjoyed our tastings and picked-up our wine shipment, we decided to head to Los Olivos and do at least one more tasting at another favorite in the area, Saarloos & Sons. Unfortunately, they had stopped doing tastings for the day, but we were able to have a mini cupcake each, which was almost as good. We walked down Grand and found another tasting room to try, Coquelicot. By the time we finished our tastings there, hunger had come over both of us, so we headed back to the campground. The drive was much less treacherous in the light and provided some great views. Addy had been marinating some great looking rib-eyes that we grilled over the fire with some asparagus and made an amazing dinner, camping or not. The syrah from Roblar was a great pairing as well. We retired after sitting by the fire for a little while, bathed in the silvery light from the full moon.

Sunday started out similarly to Saturday, a bright, sunny morning with coffee and breakfast. We broke camp and left the site better than we found it. We took the road we had not taken yet, which ended up leading us along the ridgeline, over a pass to Cachuma Saddle and provided some amazing vistas of the surrounding wilderness. The road from Cachuma Saddle led us down the other side of the ridge, then through some ranching lands, then vineyards on Happy Canyon Rd. We ended up back at Saarloos & Sons, this time enjoying the wine tasting and their adirondack chairs in the sun. Since we didn't get to go swimming in the lake the day before, we decided we wanted to go to the beach in Santa Barbara for the afternoon. After the drive back to town, we found the beach at Arroyo Burro Beach to still be overcast. We decided to give it some time and hope that the marine layer was still burning off. Luckily, we were right. The sun came out and it was gorgeous. It was not too crowded, which added to the relaxing environment. We just enjoyed the sun and read some more of our books, occasionally pointing out sailboats or paragliders to each other. After a few hours in the sun, I was ready for a cold one, so we headed to the Brewhouse. We had been here the summer before and really enjoyed it. It did not disappoint, providing great beer and delicious food, with outdoor seating. Unfortunately, we did not have much time to relax there, as we needed to get on the road before traffic got increasingly worse. We must've beat some of the traffic, since it only took us 2 3/4 hrs to get back.

Endearing inappropriateness

I am currently a manager at a busy Toys R Us store in a Los Angeles neighborhood and was working the closing shift on Saturday night. It had been a busy day, but everything was winding down the way its supposed to, until . . .

I was informed by a flustered guest that there was a woman walking around the store with no pants on. I requested more information by saying, "What?!". I proceeded to the area where the guest directed me. My immature boy's dream of a supermodel kicking it half-naked in my store came crashing down around me as I took in the scene. Half-way down the aisle stood an adult woman wearing only an oversized t-shirt featuring airbrushed kittens. In stark contrast to the smoothing effecting the airbrush had on the kittens (or on super hot super models), this "lady" was rough. Pale, chunky, and obviously not someone that gets a lot of cuddling. She was even sporting a medium sized band-aid on her chin. I mustered what remained of my patience and professionalism and asked if she was alright. Of course, she said she was fine. I took a deep breath and decided it was going to be that kind of conversation. I told her that I was sorry, but her state of undress was inappropriate for a children's store and that I would need her to leave. She started to argue and say that her "companion" was going to meet her shortly. I informed her I could ring her up if she wanted to purchase an item, but she would not be able to wait for her companion in the store. She begrudgingly agreed to come with me to the service desk to purchase her barbie item.

I started ringing her up and attempt to act as if she is just another guest, asking "Do you have your rewards card?" (Really going through the motions here. Trying to act like Officer Barbrady "Nothing to see here. Move along") Just then, I hear "Catherine . . . Where are your pants?" I looked to my right to see what had elicited this response from someone just walking in the door to find a short, professional, middle-aged women staring, slack-jawed at my half-naked guest. Realization smacked into my brain a half-second later when my guest responded to the question with "They got wet; I had to take them off. . . . I'm sorry." Apparently, my half-naked guest's "companion" had arrived.

I knew after she arrived that this older woman would be taking the half-naked one off my hands. And for that I was immensely grateful, because, looking back, I'm not sure how I would have felt about kicking this lady to the curb half dressed. The older women, who at this point, I'm guessing is either the younger one's mother, caretaker, or both; continued to look at "Catherine" in disbelief. I continue going through the motions of the sale, trying to wrap up the transaction and the whole ordeal. The "companion" turns to me with a look that says, "Did you notice that she doesn't have pants on?". I flash her my best smile and turn to ask Catherine if she needs a bag for her Barbie. She says yes and her caretaker asks to have a couple more to prevent the carseats from getting wet. I happily oblige. I hand Catherine her change and thank her for coming in, apologizing for requiring her to leave. The older lady gives me one last look, like she can't believe I'm not blind, decides instead to thank me for the way I handled it and leaves with Catherine (who is happy that she purchased her own Barbie, but feels bad that she disappointed her mom) in tow.

I let out a long sigh and looked up to see the guest who told me about Catherine in the first place. He thanked me for taking care of the situation. I told him that is what I am there for, which is not usually true, but in this case, I guess it is. He then informs me that he first spotted her when she came out of the MEN'S restroom. That just topped it off for me and I finally lost it, laughing for a solid minute.