Although Jas and I will be going on a more glamorous vacation later this summer, we couldn’t let our anniversary pass without some sort of excursion. As it was his turn to plan our anniversary celebrations, Jason arranged a getaway to Santa Barbara, somewhere neither of us had been. It was a trip of some noteworthiness, with all the beauty and danger that trees and rocks can provide. Plus, it offered plentiful opportunities to partake of mankind’s architectural and culinary achievements.

I was up past 3:00 AM the night before we left for Santa Barbara working on my last paper of the semester but I still managed to get ready for our departure on time. The universe took pity on me in my weary state and we got upgraded to first class on our flight out. Thanks universe!

If you don’t know Santa Barbara from Santa Bill, Santa Barbara is located about two hours up the coast from Los Angeles. It’s famous for its Mediterranean vibe and distinctive architecture. On our first day there, we sought out some of that cool construction.

Visiting a courthouse while on vacation may sound about on par with studying government regulations for kicks but the Santa Barbara Courthouse is not your typical law and order. Built in 1929, this historic structure was designed extravagantly in the Spanish Colonial Revival Style. We explored its bell tower, which afforded 360-degree views of the town’s urban sprawl and marine splendor, and went on a guided tour of the entire complex.

We next stopped by the Old Mission. The Old Mission was founded in 1786 and is still home to a group of Franciscan friars. Sadly, we were just a couple minutes too late to do a self-guided tour of the building and grounds but we made ourselves feel better by wandering along Butterfly Beach. As far as consolation prizes go, Butterfly Beach was pretty fantastic.

The next day, we boated out to Channel Islands National Park and kayaked around Santa Cruz Island. The events of that adventure deserve separate attention, which they will get next week. So, for now, I will move forward in time and back to land.

Our final day in Santa Barbara, Jason and I went on a 90-minute tour of Lotusland, a charming 37-acre garden with unique ambiance. It was once the personal park of Madame Walska, an opera singer from Europe, and therefore exhibits more drama than one usually gets from flora. Lotusland is famous for its cycads. It has over 900 specimens of these rare evergreens, which are the dinosaurs of the plant world. But the cycads weren’t the only vegetation that wowed us. Lotusland was exotic, striking, and serene. We loved it!

The Coral Casino Beach and Cabana Club, a private beach club, was where we spent the rest of our afternoon. I must admit, it was rather uppity but, pretentiously posh or not, it was the perfect place to be on the beach without being subject to the wind’s whims. Panes of glass, which blocked the little-too-enthusiastic breeze, were the only things between us and the enormity of the ocean. And I actually got to read words in a book that weren’t assigned to me while we lounged. Yippee!

My favorite aspect of traveling is experiencing new things, including new food. So I was thrilled that Santa Barbara did not disappoint our taste buds. We ate at an unpresumptuous Mexican joint called Los Agaves and got served the best mole enchiladas we’ve ever eaten. At The Palace Grill, a place with Mardi Gras pizazz, I consumed more crawfish in one meal than I’ve devoured the rest of my life combined. At Bouchon, we sampled French cuisine with local flair. The strawberry mouse and blueberry-lemon upside-down cake were our favorite parts of that meal. On our actual anniversary, we dined alfresco at Bella Vista and stuffed ourselves to the rhythmic incursions of the ocean.

Santa Barbara was peaceful, classy, tasty, and… completely nuts. I will get to the nutty side of our trip next week. Try not to explode with anticipation before then. I hate having to pick up the pieces of too-eager readers.

Last month, some friends invited us to join them for a two-day “company retreat” at Daniels Summit. We did this very thing a couple of years ago with this very group and it was very amusing. So we kindly accepted the invitation again. We are, after all, the embodiment of kindness.

The first evening, I cooked homemade chili and cornbread for everyone’s dinner. After eating, we played games, or one game rather, until the wee hours. Avalon, which involves a lot of social manipulation (AKA lying), was that game. Some members of our group were rotten, no-good liars. Really, they couldn’t lie to save their lives… or Merlin’s.

We spent most of the next day snowmobiling. The snow was plentiful but the temperatures were a bit too toasty for winter layers and the surface oscillated from slush to ice as the day progressed. Still, all things considered, it was first rate, meaning I didn’t hit a tree this time.

Our snowmobiling destination was a peak that bestowed a 10,000-foot view of the Wasatch Range and its lowly valleys. We made it there despite endless sidetracking. Elevating!

That night, after socializing around a raclette dinner, we played Avalon again until we were too tired and slaphappy to keep our deceits straight. Of course, some of our group couldn’t do that even if they’d just been rejuvenated by a six-month coma.

Daniels Summit may not have provided ample snoozing opportunities but it did offer chances to practice good life skills like story fabricating and slush sailing. Many thanks to the knife clan for allowing us to join the fun. We were more than happy to keep you company even though we aren’t part of your company… did I mention that Jason and I are the embodiment of kindness?

Our next two days in Moab, we focused on the Island in the Sky District of Canyonlands National Park. We have been to Island in the Sky many times. Its sandstone cliffs, which hover 1,000 feet above the adjacent landscape, are a spectacular spot from which to appreciate the immensity of the wild sea of chasms that envelops the Colorado and Green Rivers, a sea that has been carved out by water and wind over eons.

Speaking of water and wind, our first day in Canyonlands that disorderly duo was eager to carve what it could out of us. But we didn’t let the 20-25 MPH drafts and downpour gambles stop us from exploring and enjoying.

We first trekked out to the White Rim Overlook, just a 1.8-mile ramble on pretty level ground. The payoff for that small bit of effort was huge. This viewpoint looked down on nearly 360 degrees of canyon splendor topped with a radiant crown of salty white, the White Rim. Salt is quite flavorsome but not usually enthralling.

Next, we made the 3.6-mile journey out to Murphy Point and back. Murphy Point, which faces Candlestick Tower and sections of the Green River and White Rim Road, had a remarkable backdrop of its own but both Jason and I agree that the White Rim Overlook overlooked better scenery.

Our last hike of the day was a 2-mile jaunt to the top of Aztec Butte with a detour to an adjacent butte to see two Anasazi granaries. Aztec Butte, from its base, looks like an insurmountable wall of warped stone but we, like many before us, successfully scrambled up its sharp 200-foot slope in order to partake of the uninterrupted panorama at its flat top. The other points of interest on this route, the Anasazi granaries, have been preserved in the alcoves of a sandstone rim for almost a thousand years, tangible echoes of a voice that has been silent a millennium. Great hike!

The next day, we stopped at a new dinosaur tracks museum, Moab Giants, before heading to Canyonlands again. The area around Moab is covered with an unusual amount of dinosaur tracks so it is a very fitting place for the only tracks museum in the world. We spent a couple hours learning about tracks and wandering among 100 life-size ancient beasts on Giants’ half-mile trail. Who wouldn’t fancy running from a T. rex? (Dang it, why didn’t I remember to bring my high heels?) It was awesome.

The last trail we hit in Canyonlands before returning home was Neck Spring, a 5.8-mile loop that curled through ever-changing terrain and cattle ranching remnants. We didn’t see a single soul while we were on this path. Most excellent! Plus, the mix of extreme drops, decaying troughs, and meandering springs made the journey pleasantly distracting.

We had a great time in Moab but we always do. If we didn’t, it would be our own dumb fault.