2023-11: Cachuma Lake Campground, Santa Barbara County Parks

Milestones:

• 11th time in 11 months to go camping. SHOW ON MAP
• 7th county in California solo-camped.
• 1st time taking astro-photograph
• 3rd time biking and 1st time camping in the Solvang, California area. My other 2 biking trips were:

  • January 2022 – Solvang, California

  • October 2022 – Solvang, California

ANCIENT HISTORY

On March 20, 1985 – My friend and roommate, Matthew P. Cheek and I went to K-Mart and bought a blow-up raft, an anchor, and oars (financial records are available to substantiate this). Our immediate task was to test out our “water-craft” as well as gain some skills in seamanship. So, we inflated our plastic boat, and initiated it in the HOA pool where my condominium was located (1778 Avenida De Los Flores, Thousand Oaks, CA 91362). It all seemed good. We were captains of the pool.

After contemplating all the places we would go, Matt and I chose to go to Cachuma Lake on May 1, 1985, with that same raft. We launched it out on the water, and it started to leak/sink. I think we really didn’t get very far from shore. I don’t remember how long we stayed or what we did to console ourselves over our obvious failure as “men”. I’m sure we figured out several reasons why we weren’t really at fault. I was 22, Matt was 19 or 20… we were adventurous… and not very experienced. But, we were “living“.

THIS TRIP

38 years after first visiting Cachuma Lake, I returned to that same place… which gave me so many great memories. The campground has almost 500 campsites with views of the Santa Ynez and Rafael Mountains.

I picked my campsite because it was farthest away from everyone else, and it was right on the water. It turned out that #480 is the “PREMIER” location on the whole campground for fishing and sightseeing. I arrived at 1:55pm, and checked in. It was a little hard for me to find my site because the signage was a little confusing. I asked one of the park “hosts” where #480 was, and she had no clue. It turned out to be 200 ft away from where she was standing. Maybe it was her first day.

But, the view was gorgeous

I saw 2 groups of Geese (honking) in a “V”-formation headed out along this direction. The wind was pretty stiff in the afternoons and early evenings. My $100 Coleman tent held up perfectly.

I got up Saturday morning and drove over to my favorite starting point for bike riding around Solvang,… “Sunny Fields Park”. I got a great parking spot, and I gratefully utilized the above average “bathroom facilities”. I have learned to appreciate this aspect of camping a lot more as the years go by.

Immediately after I got on the road (Alamo Pintado), I was impressed by all the signs of the Autumn season. A field of 200 pumpkins… obviously picked over after Halloween.

Next, I saw a field of corn advertised as a “maze”… obviously no longer in use… just a field, coming to its end.

I also saw some giant sunflowers planted next to a vineyard…. There is a story behind my awareness of sunflowers. In 1994-95, I had a friend named Julie Stambaugh. She and I attended First Baptist Church of Rancho Cucamonga. She would always tell me that when she saw sunflowers, she thought of God’s Grace. I never forgot that. So on my bike ride, I appreciated the amazing grace of God, when I saw these huge flowers.

I went up Ballard Canyon Rd. It is home of the Ballard Canyon AVA which has been considered the premier wine growing appellation in Santa Barbara County. The Ballard Canyon AVA also boasts as it is America’s only Syrah Focused Appelation. The Ballard Canyon AVA has also achieved this prestigious recognition and official status, as receiving its very own federally recognized American Viticulture Area.

I then saw a longhorn steer. My parents/grandparents were raised/settled nearby the Chisholm Trail in Oklahoma, and so, I never pass up a chance to take a picture of a “longhorn“.

This was the view from the top of the hill, looking southwest.

Prickly Pear Cactus in bloom…

Vineyards and roses…

Olives…

I rode only 18 miles, but by the time I got back to my campsite, I was tired.

Prior to my trip, I had done some research on using my iPhone 14-Pro to do astro-photography. I discovered that where I was camping had minimal light pollution. I was determined to see what I could achieve. At 12:43 am I got up to pee, and decided to take a night sky picture (10 second exposure, ISO 8000, 24mm lens, f-stop 1.78). This was my first attempt.

This was my second shot. I’m pretty happy with the results. I’m a newbie, so I get to be happy with puny results.

The first afternoon I arrived, I met my camp-neighbors. They were three guys (Mark, Brian, and Rich) in their near-60’s who had grown up together in the same neighborhood in Fullerton. They were hard-drinking, big-cussing, weed-smoking guys with all kinds of physical/family drama. They liked me, I felt comfortable with them and we enjoyed our companionship. We had a bond, by simply being “humans” who grew up in Southern California in the 60’s and 70’s. Back in the day, they made their choices, and so did I. We have all paid the price or reaped the benefits for what we did in our 20’s.

I care about all 3 of them. We enjoyed a campfire together. I had coffee with them 2 mornings in a row. They looked out for me. As a Christian, I wanted to share my joy/faith in God with them. As a Human, I respected their right to choose for themselves what to believe, and so I didn’t want to offend them. In 48 hrs, we connected together because of our humanity. That was enough.

As I was driving away, I regretted not saying more to them about spiritual things. I knew it would be hard. And, gaining trust is the most difficult part of any relationship. So, how was I supposed to talk about my faith in Jesus Christ? I’ve never been good at that.

I looked in my rear-view mirror and realized that when we took our last picture, I was wearing my beanie: