# Advice for California Trip (starting/ending in Santa Barbara) **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Tags:** vacation-travel\ **Created:** [June 4, 2024, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-for-california-trip-starting-ending-in-santa-barbara/1002488 "2024-06-04T20:53:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2024, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-for-california-trip-starting-ending-in-santa-barbara/1002488/21 "2024-07-26T18:55:36Z")
> [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](#): > > One thing that surprised me was all the cattle grazing along the mountainside and near the ocean all up and down 101 and PCH. I never associated that setting with cattle raising. I can see how that would be surprising. Ranching has been a way of life in most of CA outside the urban areas, even along the coast, since it was Mexican territory. [Hearst Ranch](https://www.hearstranch.com/) - yeah, THAT Hearst. Also, sometimes you can see the [Hearst zebras](https://visitsansimeonca.com/what-to-do/highway-1-zebra-viewing/) from Hwy 1. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2024, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-for-california-trip-starting-ending-in-santa-barbara/1002488/22 "2024-07-26T19:24:29Z")
Cattle, wine, and strawberries are our bread and butter on the Central Coast. Cowhides used to be called “California dollars”. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2024, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-for-california-trip-starting-ending-in-santa-barbara/1002488/23 "2024-07-26T19:28:25Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > Cattle, wine, and strawberries are our bread and butter on the Central Coast Avocados and citrus as well. ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2024, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-for-california-trip-starting-ending-in-santa-barbara/1002488/24 "2024-07-27T03:05:34Z")
I saw it once, and also several signs for the town on the highway. Apparently a vineyard with the name as well. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2024, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-for-california-trip-starting-ending-in-santa-barbara/1002488/25 "2024-07-27T03:18:14Z")
We stayed there. Fun, but these days it seems very expensive. It’s been a while, but when we visited the urinal in the men’s room was amazing. When no one was there I invited my wife and daughters in to see. As for vineyards, Dopers of a certain age might be interested in Fess Parker’s winery near Santa Barbara. I used to go to a conference that met at his Doubletree on the Santa Barbara beach, south of the pier. Beautiful place especially when work is paying. One year our event was a wine tasting tour, stopping at his winery and a few others. Not a good idea to schedule a panel after this. Of course our many Indian and Chinese attendees had no idea of who old Fess was. He’s long gone now, so I don’t know what happened to the properties. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2024, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-for-california-trip-starting-ending-in-santa-barbara/1002488/26 "2024-07-27T05:44:09Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > had no idea of who old Fess was. He’s long gone now, so I don’t know what happened to the properties. Hilton took over. ---
**Author:** ![Pork\_Rind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pork_rind/32/111_2.png) [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2024, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-for-california-trip-starting-ending-in-santa-barbara/1002488/27 "2024-07-27T14:26:24Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > > [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > > > Cattle, wine, and strawberries are our bread and butter on the Central Coast > > Avocados and citrus as well. Gotta add weed to that list now. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2024, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-for-california-trip-starting-ending-in-santa-barbara/1002488/28 "2024-07-27T14:30:15Z")
That’s more of a North coast thing. ---
**Author:** ![Pork\_Rind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pork_rind/32/111_2.png) [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2024, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-for-california-trip-starting-ending-in-santa-barbara/1002488/29 "2024-07-27T14:32:16Z")
[Come visit Carpinteria](https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/jul/29/marijuana-farms-carpinteria-santa-barbara-california). On a warm day, it smells like the back of Willie Nelson’s tour bus. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2024, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-for-california-trip-starting-ending-in-santa-barbara/1002488/30 "2024-07-27T14:35:53Z")
I had no idea. I’m there or driving through every other week or so either surfing or on my way to see the folks in LA. I never noticed the smell. ---
**Author:** ![Pork\_Rind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pork_rind/32/111_2.png) [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2024, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-for-california-trip-starting-ending-in-santa-barbara/1002488/31 "2024-07-27T14:46:18Z")
For that bit of local charm, you have to drive along Foothill/Casitas Pass Road. All the flower-growing greenhouses back there have been converted to marijuana ops. Lots of lawsuits going on over the smell. Friends of ours have a small farm back there and it can get eye-watering not sure what smells worse, the weed, or the essential oil mist the growers spray to mask the odor. It’s supposedly even worse in the high school back there. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2024, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-for-california-trip-starting-ending-in-santa-barbara/1002488/32 "2024-07-27T15:38:59Z")
It used to be tulips and other cut flowers. It’s all weed now. Smell mitigation equipment is very expensive and the growers need long term permits to justify the cost. I haven’t followed the issue recently but they weren’t being given the permits which led to the problem. You can clearly smell it on the 101 if the wind is right. ---
**Author:** ![Pork\_Rind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pork_rind/32/111_2.png) [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2024, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-for-california-trip-starting-ending-in-santa-barbara/1002488/33 "2024-07-27T16:18:07Z")
I’m sure I’m missing a detail here and there, but I’ve followed this pretty closely as my friends are part of the lawsuit. Many of the growers didn’t even try for the permits for the carbon scrubbers because they were pushing the narrative that the oil sprayer was more than anybody would ever need. And some have the permits and are dragging their feet. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-for-california-trip-starting-ending-in-santa-barbara/1002488.md?page=1)