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The
Santa Ynez Mountains make for lovely sunset photos. After
you pass Santa Barbara where the beach sunsets are fine, heading north on Highway 101, the gently sloped
Santa Ynez mountains create a defining point, geographically speaking.
You can get close and personal with the mountains by driving on Highway
154, which takes you up steep slopes past Lake Cachuma, then back down
again. The drive can be slow when trucks and farm vehicles are on the two
lane road, but it is a very scenic inland route.
The easier drive which adds a few extra miles to your
odometer, is Highway 101 (pictured above). The sunset and sweet country
air provide such a soothing experience for city folks accustomed to Los
Angeles or San Francisco rush hour traffic. Golden sunsets are common
along this route and the traffic is usually fairly light (relative to the
city, again). There are many pretty mountain sunsets throughout California,
but this drive and the time of day provide one of our
favorite experiences worth contemplating.
Beyond this location traveling north are two separate,
clean and well kept, roadside restroom facilities. One is for northbound
traffic. The other is for southbound. Just beyond the restrooms heading
north is the tunnel which takes you right through the mountain. This location
is an historic spot known as
Gaviota Pass. A battle for California's
independence was fought at this location.
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