Lompoc Murals Parking

The first mural in Lompoc was painted in 1990 on the side of the Odd Fellows Building. It was the beginning of a successful campaign to revitalize the historic old section of town and promote tourism. There are now about thirty large murals and dozens of smaller ones.

 

The murals are painted by professional artists and the detail work is outstanding.  

 

We parked in a city lot on Cypress Ave and I Street. The lot is large enough for any vehicle. Most of the murals are within a few blocks of the lot and the sidewalks and curb cuts are in good condition. Murals   34.63765, -120.45883

Refugio State Beach

This is what the coastal campgrounds look like on the weekends in the spring. In the summer they look like this all the time! We were happy to get a site even though it was just for one night. The trailer in the site behind our RV was delivered to the campgrounds by 101 RV Rentals. There are five beach campgrounds that allow people to reserve a campsite then have the rental company deliver a trailer.

The group campsites were full too. 

 The main reason we wanted to visit this park was to walk/roll along the Aniso Trail that goes from Refugio Beach to El Capitan Beach about 5.5 miles out and back. The trail is not in very good condition. Just a short way in we came to this spot where the trail was sliding down the hill. We skirted around it like everyone else.

The trail was a little overgrown but the wildflowers were abundant.

 

Reports say the trail is washed out at the 2 mile mark. We turned at the beginning of a very steep downhill so we never came to the washed out spot but we must have been very close to it. 

 

Due to the steepness of the hills most wheelchair users will need assistance. Campground   34.46316, -120.07013  Trail

 

Gaviota State Park Campground

Gaviota is small with 39 campsites in one loop. The layout is unusual because the parking areas, except four of them, are shared. Cars or RVs are parked side by side with the picnic tables at the ends of the parking spaces. 

The park was fairly empty in the middle of the week but by Friday large family and friend groups had set up tents everywhere. The change was pretty dramatic. Two cars squeezed into the space beside us. We found this was the case at most of the coastal campgrounds. It's not very hard to get sites on the weekdays but weekends can be booked solid. 

 A small sandy beach is a short walk from the campground. There's also a pier that's been closed since 2014 due to storm damage.  California State Parks and the California Coastal Commission haven't been able to form a plan for a safe repair that also protects the environment. Another interesting sight, at the south end of the campground, is the 80 foot high, 811 foot long train trestle that spans the canyon cut by Gaviota Creek.

 

None of the sites are designated as accessible but most are usable.  Campground   34.47239, -120.2286

 

Santa Barbara Historical Museum

The exhibit cases in this excellent museum showcase artifacts that trace Santa Barbara’s rich history from the early Native American settlements to the 20th century. Visitors can download an audio tour for additional information on many of the artifacts. 

The museum is accessible.

RVs cannot be parked on the streets in Santa Barbara so we parked in the designated RV spaces in the Garden Street lot and walked/rolled along State Street, then followed De La Geurra two blocks northeast to the museum. State Street is a entertainment and retail district with 10 blocks closed to traffic. All of the curb cuts are very good and the business have accessible entrances. Once off State Street the curb cuts are steep. Care should be taken when crossing the railroad tracks on State Street to avoid getting stuck.   Museum   34.42158, -119.69744

MOXI - Museum of Exploration + Innovation

Like many science museums this one is geared towards young children. We usually visit science museums even if the exhibits don't delve deep into scientific topics because admission is free with our pass and we enjoy playing with the exhibits. Unfortunately the elevator was out of order during our visit so we only saw the first floor. 

 A long ramp accesses the entrance. About 2/3rds of the exhibits are accessible to some extent.

RVs cannot be parked on the streets in Santa Barbara so we parked in the designated RV spaces in the Garden Street lot and walked/rolled along the paved path that follows the beach before turning onto State Street. All of the curb cuts are very good.  Museum  34.4136, -119.69135