One Tank Gang: To Santa Barbara or Bust….

I actually had a better title than “To Santa Barbara or Bust….” , I now cannot remember what it was.

This little adventure involved just two of us One Tankers.

I was running a little early. As a paranormal investigator at heart, I took the extra couple of minutes to take a look around Hollywood Forever Cemetery before I picked Terrie up.

Running along the back gate of Paramount Studios, Hollywood Forever is the home to many Hollywood icons including but not limited to Douglas Fairbanks, Mel Blanc, Demille Family, Peter Lorre, Tyrone Power, Rudolph Valentino, and Johnny Ramone. I just read that that Paramount Studios was originally part of the undeveloped cemetery land. I definitely need to return with a team and some equipment.

Every time I drop by Hollywood Forever Cemetery I see at least one gravestone or famous name that I did not see before. Toto was a surprise to me on this trip. I am not certain how I missed him before.

Hollywood Forever Dec 2012

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After scooping up Terrie, we headed to Ventura area to meet up with an acquaintance. Once our meeting was completed we followed whim and headed to Santa Barbara for a late lunch.

Now we could not be that close to a historical site such as the Old Mission Santa Barbara and not take a peek!

Now those of us that spent our formidable elementary school years in California were likely to be forced to study missions in the fourth grade. When I was a kid a three-d scale model of one of the missions was required to accompany the written report. My nephews, however, were required to complete a coffee can project on the missions. I have been unable to wrap my head around the coffee can concept.

For those of you who missed the California Mission history in school here goes my condensed reiteration: King Charles of Spain enacted a plan to control the fertile land and create safe harbors for Spanish ships. The Russians were heading southward and threatened to take over this valuable land. Father (Padre) Junipero Serra was tasked to settle the missions. Padre Serra is often given credit for all the missions. However, Santa Barbara Mission was the first to be founded by Padre Fermin Francisco de Lusuen, who raised a cross on the site where the mission stands and made the first converts from the local Chumash people. Don’t get me started on the treatment of the Native people.

Mission Santa Barbara

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The only real problem is the speed at which you can exit Santa Barbara heading south…and the death of my GPS, called “Dori”—I killed another one. I think Dori checked out for a vacation before she crashed.