Scheduled trip: -
Actual trip: -

Doing the laundry
The CBs were essential; the trip simply wouldn't have been the same without them. They gave us the comfort of two cars without hindering conversation between the four of us. Unfortunately, by this point in time, the Mustang's antenna, the one with the longer range, had given in to the constant wind pressure of the last several thousand miles. Instead of standing straight, it bent 90 degrees at the magnetic base. Duck tape had solved the problem for some time but this solution was only short-lived. Furthermore, the CB in the Camaro started to blow its fuses at a rate of one every few days. Dave and Marco decided to get a new antenna and fuses so we went back to Sta. Barbara in search of a Radio Shack. While Mark and Dave went shopping, Manuel and Niels stayed behind at a beachfront cafeteria.

For a change it was an overcast day; in fact it was a bit chilly. Occasionally the sun broke through the clouds and gave the few beach visitors a welcome reminder that it indeed was Southern California. While waiting for the others to return, Manuel and Niels passed the time writing postcards and talking basketball. Chicago was to play that same night against Orlando in the Eastern Conference finals. So far the Bulls were up 3-0 and clear favorites to advance to the finals.

Next stop was Solvang, a Danish settlement and major tourist attraction. We arrived before 11 AM and even thought the place was crowded, we easily managed to find parking spaces. After visiting a nearby visitors' center, we went exploring.

Solvang is not a typical Danish town. In fact many of the buildings looked like something you would expect to find in Germany. Maybe the surrounding landscape contributed to the notion that this wasn't Denmark. Rolling grassy hills and few trees characterized the landscape. But despite the fake feel, Solvang was quite pleasant. The town was nothing but bakeries, souvenir shops, and restaurants... and of course tourists. As the sun finally defeated the clouds our stomachs started to growl. Initially we searched the restaurants for smørrebrød, open-faced sandwiches, a Danish specialty, which Dave had raved about. However the search was fruitless so we picked a place that wasn't too swarmed.

Whatever the course consisted of is erased by time. It was neither Danish nor American but most likely a mixture of the two. Still it was a nice replacement for fast food, in which we had indulged too much.

It was mid-afternoon when we were back in Lompoc. Having reached the halfway point of our trip, we had accumulated a great deal of dirty laundry. Thus we decided to do a thorough search of Lompoc to find a Laundromat. As we pulled out of the motel's parking lot, we noticed a sign announcing that our motel offered a laundry service. What a good fortune! We didn't need to go anywhere.

<<May 26, 1996<<

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