My recipe for a successful day trip includes a sunny day, plentiful snacks, and a road trip partner who will endure — and even encourage — a plethora of photo pit stops. I had all that plus my canine sidekick, Scout, along for a recent visit to Carrizo Plain National Monument .
There are a couple of route options to get from Santa Barbara to Carrizo, and it’s about a three-hour drive either way: north to Santa Margarita and over Highway 58 to the upper entrance of the monument, or down through Ojai and Highway 33 to the south entrance. Either direction makes a lovely loop with varied views and terrain. We chose to take Highway 101 up the coast to start our trek, giving us the beach/mountains/plains trifecta all in the same day.
It was foggy as we left town, but as we crested the Nojoqui Grade and headed down into the valley, the clouds parted and the mist gave way to blue skies in one of those magical Technicolor Disney moments. Cachuma was fuller than I’ve ever seen it, and the hills were amazingly green.