Out of Town
Solvang, Ojai, the Channel Islands, the mountains and the coast road.
Solvang, a Danish village in oak country
An hour over the mountains from Santa Barbara, windmills turn above the oak hills. Solvang began as a Danish farm colony in 1911 and became a storybook town on purpose.
Ojai, and the minute the mountains turn pink
Over the hills from Carpinteria, a small valley town keeps an old ritual. At sunset the cliffs above it glow pink, and half of Ojai stops to watch.
The islands across the channel
On clear days they float on the horizon behind every Santa Barbara view. A guide to reaching the five islands of the national park, and what you find when the boat leaves.
Also in Out of Town
A day on the wild coast west of Goleta
Past Goleta, the houses stop. For thirty miles the coast is ranches, railroad, oak-filled canyons and beaches. A day spent following it west, from El Capitán to Gaviota Pass.
Up the mountain behind the city
The Santa Ynez Mountains rise straight from Santa Barbara's back gardens. Seven trails into the front country, with honest notes on heat, rattlesnakes, fire and where to park.