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On
Highway
101 between Los Angeles and San Francisco, you'll find a sign that says,
"Exit 88, Santa Claus Ln
| Padaro Ln Exit 1 Mile". It is a place that in the heyday of
road stops, enjoyed a hefty crowd with parents and kids wanting to
stop at the eternal Christmas location. A shopping center with
a restaurant, and some tourist shops once had a building topped with
a huge Santa. Santa was going to be destroyed. Can you imagine?
Some kind folks down in Oxnard saved Santa, however, and as you pass
by the 101 in that region heading north, you'll see the
red-dressed guy smiling, sometimes with
his spectacles and sometimes with sunglasses.
one of America's favorite state
beaches exists just a short drive from the freeway and location just
south of the popular destination, Santa Barbara. Carpinteria
is growing rapidly as a tech area, though its roots are in farming
and flowers.
Once a year
the Avocado Festival is held here, and throughout the year, the
state park and state beach is open to the delight of travelers and
local residents..
Highway 101 in this
location is pretty interesting. You lose your view of the Pacific
Ocean as you com from the south and cross the Ventura County Line at
Rincon Surfing Point, then arrive at Carpinteria. You'll not
see the ocean again except for glimpses at Summerland, then beyond
Santa Barbara.
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