Day 47 (June 5): Santa Barbara, CA -- 0 miles biked

(Written from Barton and Vicki's beautiful house, Santa Barbara, CA)

Miles biked: 0 ( 1,706.5 overall )

I woke up Friday morning to the pattering of rain on top of my sleeping quarters for the first time in over three weeks...

And I was perfectly OK with it.

That's because, of course, I was under an actual roof. Instead of having to step out of a soaking tent into a rainy morning, my only duty was to walk outside, for about 26 seconds, and move the 520 under the side of Barton and Vicki's house.

And then I crept back into my super comfy bed and fell back asleep.

Oh, the luxurious life. For a day, at least, I lived it in Santa Barbara. Among the highlights:

1. Vicki prepared a delicious breakfast for me made up of eggs, English muffins, bacon, cantaloupe, blueberries and tea.

2. I relaxed during the morning, reading the New York Times and browsing an assortment of magazines while reclining in extremely comfortable chairs while watching the rain hit the pool outside.

3. Around noon, the sky cleared and Vicki and I headed out to meet Carol, who roomed with my aunt Sallie at Brown and knew the Myers as well. We met Carol and her husband, Ken, at a world-famous Mexican restaurant called La Super Rich close to downtown.

From the look of the place, you'd never guess it's world-renowned and is a common place for celebrities to eat at. It's a one-story building with a green-tile roof on the corner of an uninspiring neighborhood. But when I saw the line snaking out the entrance door, I knew it was legitimate.

As Ken described, the food served was southern Mexican as opposed to the northern Mexican burritos I'd experienced farther north in spots such as San Fran and San Jose. Carol and Ken, regulars at the place, ordered us a bunch of plates -- enchiladas, tostadas, chicken, beef, guacamole, mild and hot salsa, etc... -- and we sat down in a crowded outdoor dining room to eat.

I felt like I was in a greenhouse as I sipped a delicious rice drink called Horchata. The food was just as good, not to mention diverse, and I left the place after taking a few pictures to commemorate my visit.

After that, Vicki took me downtown to State Street and we walked around for a little bit. I admired the Spanish-style buildings with their tile roofs as Vicki told me how part of the main downtown area had been rebuilt, in a style similar to its original form, after a deadly 1925 fire.

The buildings and the backdrop of 4,000-foot mountains combine to make Santa Barbara quite the appealing small city on a hill (and I didn't even mention the ocean).

4. In the afternoon, after a much-needed nap, I woke up and was treated to another absolutely delicious, filling meal prepared by Vicki -- steak, peas, salad, corn, white and red wine, and ice cream and berries for dessert. Not only was the food good, but I got to share the meal with Barton, who was back from a work trip.

We talked a lot about the Lloyd and Myers family histories, attempted to put together family trees -- I had a hard time remembering some of the names -- and chatted about sports and architecture well into the evening. Barton is a famous architect, so it was neat just listening to any stories or opinions he had because I knew he was making perfect sense.

It was a great-tasting, relaxing, informative night that I capped off by looking out over the ocean toward an almost-full moon. Oh, and the oil rigs out on the water provided a little light as well.

This setting is perfect, really. It'll be hard to leave when I get back on the bike.