Home

Day Six, Lompoc to Solvang - 24.2 miles

Route: Easy riding with a few D hills. South on Hwy. 1 from Lompoc, turn left on Santa Rosa Road. Ride to the end of Santa Rosa Road to where it turns north and changes names to Avenue of the Flags. Avenue of the Flags will take you into Buellton and intersect with Hwy. 246, Turn right on 246 and ride to Solvang.

    We had been lazy the night before and had neglected to do any laundry. We were on our sixth day of the trip and had run out of clean clothes. The Super 8 Hotel featured a guest laundry and so we decided to take the morning off to wash. Jeanette loaded up the washer and I went into the office and used the free internet connection for half an hour, catching up on my mail. Fifty minutes later the laundry was done and we packed our panniers and loaded up the tandem. The hosts at the hotel allowed us to park our van in the lot until we were able to return on Saturday so we were ready to go.

    The route from Lompoc to Solvang is not part of the Adventure Cycling route so we had to plan our own route. The easiest would have been to ride straight on Hwy. 246 from Lompoc through Buellton to Solvang. However, we saw a minor road that seemed to run along a river south of Hwy. 246 that looked less trafficked and more interesting, Santa Rosa Road. We decided to take our chances on this unknown route.

    We headed south on Hwy. 1 from Lompoc and soon reached the Santa Rosa Road turnoff. The road almost immediately dropped down into a small agricultural valley that was practically deserted. We rode along in the late morning sunshine, enjoying the quietness of the day and the lack of traffic. We encountered a few hills and even had to stop once or twice on some of the steeper ones to catch our breath but none were overwhelming.

    After twelve miles or so, Santa Rosa Road turned north and took us into Buellton where we rejoined 246. Because of our late start, it was lunchtime and the Burger King near the intersection of 246 and Hwy. 101 was too tempting to pass up. After lunch we continued on into Solvang, reading about summer theater on the roadside bulletin boards. As we entered the town we saw a Tourist Information booth and stopped in to find out whether any plays were being offered that night. The host pointed out that, unfortunately, summer and the summer plays were over but gave us information on next year's shows. While there, we asked about our hotel, Svendsgard's Danish Lodge. He said we'd love the place and gave us directions, saying it would be easy to find at the corner of 246 and Alisal Road. 

    We continued on and were at the hotel within ten minutes. The owner was bicycle friendly and provided us with a downstairs room that we could wheel the tandem into without even taking the bags off. We also asked about the mission, Mission Santa Ines, and he pointed across the street and said, "There it is." We were pleased as could be, we seemed to be right in the center of the action in a nice hotel with lots of time to look around.

    We changed into street clothes and headed for the mission. We found that the mission was a working church but had suffered the same indignities that almost all of the missions had, disrepair, secularization, abandonment, and finally restoration. Santa Ines was the nineteenth mission built and somewhat off the path of the El Camino Real. Visitors were few and much celebrated when they came. The restoration work has restored the vitality of the mission and it appears to be an integral part of the community.

    It was still early and we had plenty of time to walk around the numerous courtyards of shops decorated to look like alpine half timbered structures. While attractive, the difference between this artificial village and those of Alsace in France was very evident to me. The town seemed to suffer from an excess of boutique shops selling anything from clothing to art to crafts to Christmas decorations. I made the comment to Jeanette that a person could shop for hours in this town and end up with nothing but a pile of "crap," something she laughed about but probably disagreed with since she kept walking into these places and browsing from counter to counter.

    I spied a liquor store and proposed another bottle of wine, half to be consumed before dinner and half after. It took no convincing for Jeanette to join me in the selection of a vintage. She picked what we thought was a local Cabernet Sauvignon which we took back to the hotel, only to find as I opened it, that it was from very near Lodi, where we lived. It was an excellent wine and I had to force myself to leave half the bottle for after dinner.

    Jeanette wanted to eat at a pricey, fancy restaurant that was a few blocks away while I wanted to have chicken curry over noodles at the Mustard Seed Cafe at about half the price. She won and I ordered a sirloin steak that I have to admit was cooked to perfection and presented just as perfectly. The $50 price tag for two dinners was a little steep but it was her vacation as well as mine and I've learned that letting go every once in a while is important for family harmony.

    It was nippy outside when we left the restaurant. We were back at the hotel by 8:30 and had planned to jump into the outdoor hot tub but Jeanette was just too satisfied with herself and her dinner. We finished off the wine, (as good as the dinner) and tucked ourselves in bed, ready to watch TV for the rest of the evening.

Recommended:

Svendsgards Danish Lodge
1711 Mission Drive
Solvang, CA 93436
800-695-8284
Double with king sized bed, $59 (Internet price). I know this is pricey but from what I've learned about Solvang, $59 is a bargain and about half of what the majority of the hotels in town charge. The hotel is four star rated and features a pool and hot tub, both outside. The rooms are equipped with hair dryer, ironing board, and refrigerator and are fairly large. Jeanette believes this is the nicest of the hotels we stayed at while on the trip. A continental breakfast is included in the price.

Day Seven, Solvang to Santa Barbara - 48.6 miles