Location, Lompoc, CA
We are parked at the Lompoc
Elks Club for 2 days.
We came here to see our
friends John and Laralie who live next to the Elks Club and to have a Jalama
Burger. Everyone’s Bucket List should include a trip to Jalama Beach for a Jalama Burger.
We arrived yesterday from Morrow Bay,
parked, and immediately drove to Jalama Beach which is about 5 miles from Lompoc on Hwy 1 and then a 14 mile twisty, windy road to
the ocean.
Our friend Michelle from Fillmore
was here over night so she went with us. I should explain that Clyda, Michelle,
and Laralie all were high school classmates and have remained in contact over
the years.
There is a $10 fee to drive
into the park which is part of the Santa Barbara County Park system. There is camping, cabins to rent and of
course The Store.
We all ordered Jalama
Burgers which cost $6.25, fries extra. It really is a good burger, cooked to
perfection, with sauce, tomato, pickles, cheese, and lettuce. A real meal in
itself. Needless to say, we didn’t need dinner last night.
There also is a Jalama
Burger Restaurant here in Lompoc
on Ocean Ave which features a more extensive menu. We may need
to try that out next time we are here.
The main thing about Jalama Beach is the wind. It always blows. Yesterday it really was a mild wind
until later in the day when white caps started showing up on the ocean. The
view up the coast is toward Pt. Arguello and the old light house. Very nice
yesterday.
The drive itself is nice
this time of year with the green rolling hills, plowed farm fields, some grape
orchards and also a few California Poppies blooming.
Today we took a drive out
to the ocean at Surf which is on Vandenberg Air Force Base property. I have not
been to Surf since my Navy days when we flew target drones for the Marines from
Twenty Nine Palms. It is still a very windy place and home of the Snowy Plovers
and as such, is closed from March 1 to October for the nesting season.
We then drove to Orcutt and
stopped at the New Far Western Tavern for a look see and a libation. It is a
very well done building which includes the original back bar as a setting for
the informal bar.
