The last of our summer trips included a beach camping trip to Refugio State Beach. Ben remembered camping here as a kid, so I figured we'd go re-live a little bit of his childhood.
We are always looking for good, authentic taco shops, and a reliable friend had told us to visit one in Santa Barbara. There was a line out the door when we got there, so we knew it was good. It was very tasty. By the time we got to Refugio, it was already dark. The campsites were right next to each other, and the place was packed. The beach was pretty close, and as you can see, pretty rocky. We set up camp, ate dinner, and then read some Chronicles of Narnia to the kids. Everyone went to bed not long after. There were plenty of people being loud late into the night, and Ben eventually walked over to another camp and asked them to pipe down.
A pretty beach, but it holds a black secret.....
We left after breakfast and drove up to Solvang, a Danish town 30 minutes northeast of Refugio. Ben had visited this town when he was a kid as well. Solvang was definitely our favorite part of this trip.
Second breakfasts at a bakery.
We visited the Mission Santa Inez, and were able to take a tour of the inside and the grounds. It still functions as a church today. Evelyn has spent fourth grade learning about the missions in California, so this trip was a good kick-off to what she would be learning about in history. This mission was one of the earliest industrial sites in California, founded in 1804.
It was neat to step inside the sacred structure of another faith and learn more about it.
The mission functioned as a church, school, and fort. The Native Americans in this valley learned agriculture and were taught Catholicism by the priests who lived here.
Courtyard. To the left of here, there is a cemetery and it was interesting to see the different grave stones and old dates. There was a wide open field on one corner of the mission property, and Gordon quipped, "This must be the mission field! Where do the missionaries live?" We explained the difference to him, which I'm not sure he got, and all had a good laugh.
Solvang didn't exist until a group of Danish immigrants came to the Santa Inez Valley in the late 1800's and decided it would be a good place to re-establish a town that mimicked the architecture and values of the towns they had grown up in Denmark. We both have Danish ancestors, so we told the kids this was a good lesson about where some of their ancestors had come from.
We learned quite a bit about Danish history and culture on our short visit. This fun timeline on the side of a shop illustrates the royal bloodline, beginning with "Gorm the Old." The current Queen Margrethe is a descendant of Gorm.
We visited the Elverhoj Museum, which originally was a home built and designed by a Danish couple. The kitchen was hand-painted by the wife, and the design was typical of Danish homes in its time.
There were so many exhibits to look at, including exhibits on the Vikings (very early Danish history). There was a dollhouse built like a large Danish home the kids enjoyed looking at, along with several displays of traditional clothing and other items.
We had heard about this place. Round, Danish pancakes are what aebleskivers are. They are topped with a yummy raspberry sauce.
Hans Christian Andersen, whose stories Disney has made millions from, was Danish. A small museum above an old, fun bookstore is dedicated to him and his stories.
We ate lunch at the Red Viking Restaurant, which had an official smorgasbord (buffet) full of traditional Danish fare. In the end, the kids really only liked the mashed potatoes and a bite of jello. The didn't even like the meatballs. We visited Ingeborg's chocolate shop and each of us got one specialty chocolate.
We visited a cuckoo clock shop. It reminded me of every movie or show I've seen based in old Europe.
In the afternoon we hit up this very cool playground in Solvang. It was all viking-themed, with castle turrets and the viking boat. The kids (and Ben) had a lot of fun being serious Vikings. Solvang was a great semi-educational experience.
Back at Refugo in the late afternoon, we headed to the beach. Initially the kids were just throwing rocks, but then became a little more industrious and built this small rock enclosure. We were out here for an hour or so before we realized there was thick, black tar stuck to the bottoms of the kid's feet and the soles of everyone's shoes. Dish soap didn't even phase that stuff. Jilly was convinced her flip flops were ruined forever. A very nice mom next to us noticed our plight and offered us the use of mineral oil, which she had read was the only way to get the stuff off. It worked, and we did not have to sleep with our feet outside of the sleeping bags for the night. The shoes however, sat on the front porch for a month before I chipped the tar off so they could be worn again. It suffices to say that we will most likely not be staying at Refugio again. Too many people, too few bathrooms, and too much tar.
On the way home. We stopped for a picture by the Pacific and drove through the UC-Santa Barbara campus, which is right on the ocean. All in all, it was a fun trip up the coast.
