Circus Vargas

The circus is in town! I haven't been to the circus since I was a kid and that was a long time ago. This new and improved circus does not include animals, but all the classic human acts you remember. We won free tickets through a contest by Macaroni Kid! There are three shows Saturday (1, 4, and 7:30), three Sunday (12:30, 3:30 and 6:30) and one on Monday (6:30), so you still have time to go!

The show was 2 hours with a 15 minute intermission. The preshow started 30 minutes before the circus start time with activities for the kids to learn juggling, balancing and magic. There were all the foods you remember from the circus: popcorn, cotton candy, hotdogs and more.

The main event had a "Dreaming of Pirates" theme and started with music and dancing telling the story of a young man who wants to become a pirate. The storyline continues between acts (for time to set up). Acts included tight rope walkers, acrobats, a choreographed trampoline routine, contortionists, magic acts, juggling, trapeze artists, and motorcycles in a round cage (!). My kids were in awe and I thought it was pretty cool too. 

Prices are Adults: Bleacher $25, Arena $37, Ringside $57 and VIP $72; Kids Bleacher $15, Arena $27, Ringside $47 and VIP $62. I have two free kids passes (with a paid adult) to the first person who asks. 

I am including some of my photos, but there are better ones on the Circus Vargas website. 

Acrobats

Trampoline

Contortionists

Contortionists

Tightrope Walker

Flying Trapeze

Juggler

Contortionist/Gymnist

Motorcycles

Grand Finale

Carpinteria Bluff Nature Preserve

The 110 acre Carpinteria Salt Marsh Preserve is broken into two parts. This larger section is on a bluff overlooking the ocean close to the seal rookery. There are many paths to explore. One possible path leads across the train tracks and to an area that overlooks the ocean. The beach is closed December through May, but you can view the seals from above all year round. When you enter the seal preserve, you will need to choose trails to the right to get to the seal rookery, then cross the rail road tracks at a gap in the fence. You do walk along the tracks (to the right) for a bit to get to the seal viewing.

Disclaimer: Only you know the conditions when you are there. Cross safely and walk cautiously. If walking near the tracks concerns you, skip this one.

Directions: Take the 101S to the Highway 150 exit (84). Turn right onto Rincon Road and head into the preserve parking lot.

Trail Rating: Easy
Distance: 1.2 roundtrip to the seal rookery and back
Time: 45 minutes
Nearby attractions: Carpinteria State Beach, Tomol Interpretive Play Area and Carpinteria Marsh Preserve
More information: http://www.carpinteriacoast.com/salt_marsh.html

Miles of walking paths

Railroad Cross to see the seals

Seal Viewing

Hundreds of Seals

Cross at a gap in the railing 













Carpinteria Salt Marsh Nature Park

The Carpinteria Salt Marsh Nature Park is 110 acres of ocean front prime real estate saved as open space for walking trails and preservation. One end of it is a small park with walking trails that is adjacent to the UC Reserve that can only be accessed with permission. There are public tours currently on Saturdays at 10am. The other end is a larger set of walking trails I will review separately.

Directions: Take the 101S to the Linden exit. Turn right onto Linden Ave and follow it through the downtown area. Just past the Spot burger stand, turn right onto 3rd St. Turn left onto Ash Ave an park along the road there. There are several entrances.

Trail Rating: Easy
Distance: .9 miles to do the whole trail and back
Time: 1/2 hour with exploring time
Nearby Attractions: Carpinteria State Beach, Tomol Interpretive Play Area and Carpinteria Nature Park (Part 2)

More information: http://www.carpinteriacoast.com/salt_marsh.html

Truly Toddler Friendly Parks

Bath Street Pocket Park

When I first started my park quest, I had a 1.5 year old climber. When she learned to walk, she went from walking to running to climbing faster than her coordination could keep up. So there were certain parks we went to and left very quickly for my sanity. Eventually as an off site PEP coordinator, I learned which parks were good for my kid and early toddlers in general. Here are some I would recommend for those early walking days.

Santa Barbara
Bath Street Pocket Park
Eastside Neighborhood Park
Elings Park (Upper)
Escondido Park
Hidden Valley Park
Hilda McIntyre Ray Park
Los Baños del Mar
Mackenzie Park
Shoreline Park
Willowglen Park

Santa Barbara County
Manning Park (Montecito)
Rhoads Open Space

Goleta
Evergreen Open Space
Tierra de Fortuna

Summer 2018 Quest

Summer approaches, y'all. It is time to share my 2018 quest. (Drum roll, please.)

This summer I will be sharing easy day trip activities from Santa Barbara. This is one I have wanted to do for years, but since I have no nappers, this feels like the summer for it. But this summer I am also moving and so I don't expect this to go smoothly. I like my quests now though so I have a fun goal and I will share what I have time to find. There is some overlap with previous posts on parks and hikes too. Here are my ideas:

Carpinteria
Tarpits Beach (tidepools)
Carpinteria Salt Marsh
Carpinteria Nature Preserve (Seal Viewing)
Tomol Park
Carpinteria State Beach
Canzelle Alpacas
Padaro Beach Grill (Summerland)

Beyond Carpinteria
Lake Casitas Water Park (Ojai)
Sky Zone
Golf N Stuff
Pump It Up
Playplace Pacific View Mall (Ventura)
Splash Pad at the Collection (Oxnard)
Chuck E Cheese (Ventura or Santa Maria)
Marina Park (Ventura)
Kellogg Park (Ventura)
Ventura Aquatic Center

Santa Ynez Valley
Knapp's Castle (off 154)
Riverview Park (Buellton)
Sunnyfields Park (Solvang)
Ostrichland (Buellton)
Quicksilver Miniature Horse Ranch
Santa Barbara Blueberries (Buellton)
The Farmstead (Buellton)
Noquoi Falls (Buellton)
Solvang
La Purissima Mission
Seein Spots Farm

Beyond the Valley 
Lompoc Aquatic Center
Santa Maria Discovery Museum
Avila Farm
SLO Creek Farms
Chuck E Cheese (Ventura or Santa Maria)

Did I miss anything? What would you add to my list of ideas?

Related posts: 2017 Summer of Hikes, 2016 Summer of the Beaches, 2015 Summer of the Parks,

Climbing Parks

Dwight Murphy Climbing Area

I met a mom recently whose big kid wants to climb. So for Melissa, here is a list of Santa Barbara climbing parks. Some of these have one climbing feature (like Tucker's Grove has a climbing tower separate from the playground, look across the field), some have more (like Shipwreck Playground) and most parks have some climbing features (like the rock wall at Goleta Beach Park).

Chase Palm Park (Shipwreck Playground)
Alameda Park (Kid's World)
Ortega Park
Oak Park
Bohnett Park
Steven's Park
Rocky Nook Park
Tucker's Grove
 Dwight Murphy Fields
Wallis Park

Did I miss any? Share your favorites in the comments!

Spring 2018 Snapshot

* This was my April 2018 post which got derailed by a child.... and bubbles.... and my laptop. Big oops. ( I do try to post at least once a month during the school year and this is my first miss since May 2016!)

Life Hack: Getting Gas
I have chosen a time in my week that is not rushed where I am out and about with my kids, I always get gas at this time every week.  For me it is Sunday morning--the gas station is not busy. This sounds simple, but it means I am almost never rushing to the gas station in a panic and making me late to something else.

New Product I Love: Trader Joe's Facial Wash
I was looking for a mild face wash and this one is awesome. It has tea tree oil which smells amazing and most of the ingredients are natural things I can actually pronounce.

Last Book Finished: Little Paris Bookshop
This was a charming 3.5 star book for me. Jean Perdu runs a unique book shop where has prescribes books like medicine for the people who visit his boat on the Seine shop. His success hides the secret that he is hiding from his life and emotions. When a new friend forces him to read an old letter. He sets off on a journey to find answers from long ago. His journey gathers new friends and healing from old wounds.

Life Project: Decluttering
We have a move coming up. I started the year doing the 30 day #declutterlikeamother challenge with Allie Casazza. It turned into 90 days with 15 trips to the thrift store and 36 grocery bags donated (I didn't even attempt to keep track of trash.) It has been amazing. I don't talk to my stuff like Marie Kondo, but it has clarified what I need and what I don't and will for sure make it easier to move in a couple months.

Related Links:

Fall 2020 Snapshot

Summer 2020 Snapshot

Spring 2020 Snapshot

Winter 2020 Snapshot

Fall 2019 Snapshot

Summer 2019 Snapshot

Winter 2019 Snapshot

Fall 2018 Snapshot

Spring 2018 Snapshot

40 Year Bucket List