Alisal Ranch

View from horseback

Last week the Wrangler and I and some good friends headed out of the OC and up to the Santa Barbara area for horseback riding, spa services (for the girls), and golf (for the boys). It was my first trip to Santa Barbara, which was more beautiful than I'd expected. I loved every minute of our drive up the 101--the wildflowers were blooming, goats grazed on grassy rolling hills overlooking the ocean, waves crashed against rocky shores, and clouds covered the tops of the gentle, distant mountains.

The Alisal Ranch is just outside of the town of Solvang, a strange little town that consists of (1) kitschy Scandinavian-themed tourist fare and (2) wine tasting rooms. (It's the town featured in the movie Sideways, which now is just that much funnier to me.)

We had sunny skies and temps in the mid-70s while we were there, but it snowed just one day after we left! The views from horseback were spectacular. At the sight of all those trees and green grass, I was this close to driving back to Laguna Beach, throwing all our stuff in a U-Haul, and moving up to Solvang--kitschy Scandinavian-themed tourist fare-be-damned. But, like anyone suddenly finding herself in a magical paradise, where the sun glistens off a silvery lake, nothing can be heard but the sounds of a bubbling brook, and baby deer dance just yards from the horse trail, I was skeptical. "Does it always look like this?" I asked our wrangler. "Like, what happens in July?"

"We've had an unusual amount of rain this winter," he admitted. "It's usually pretty dry and brown 'round these parts."

I knew it! I looked back at the Wrangler, who was riding a Clydesdale-mix with furry feet. "No need to get that U-Haul just yet," I informed him. But I just can't seem to reach that itch to move to greener pastures...