Alice Keck Park Memorial Gardens

PhotoCredit: http://www.conejovalleyguide.com/dosomethingblog/alice-keck-park-memorial-gardens-in-santa-barbara.html
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 1

One of my favorite parks in Santa Barbara is Alice Keck Park Memorial Gardens. I have grown up going to this park and it brings back so many childhood memories of playing hide and seek, looking at the fishes and turtles in the pond, and just experiencing nature.

The park consists of well-tended gardens surround a man-made pond with coy and turtles. There is almost always a group of children gathered at the gazebo watching the enormous orange fish gliding through the dark water. It consists of one entire city block, bounded by Santa Barbara, Micheltorena, Garden, and Arrellaga Streets.

The real estate and an endowment for its conversion into a park were a gift to the city, from an anonymous donor. The mystery existed for two years until it was revealed to have been given by Alice Keck Park, the daughter of William Myron Keck, the founder of Superior Oil Company. The revelation was not made until after her death, as she wished. The City subsequently named the park in her honor.

Alice Keck Park Memorial is a great park and if your in Santa Barbara you should definitely go check it out.

The Santa Barbara Zoo

Courtesy of:http://www.cityprofile.com/california/santa-barbara-zoo.html

Courtesy of:http://www.independent.com/news/2012/dec/19/santa-barbara-zoo-open-christmas-day-first-time/
Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Photo By:http://www.touristbee.com/2009/04/santa-barbara-zoo-is-the-perfect-place-for-a-family-trip

http://gocalifornia.about.com/od/toppicturegallery/ig/Santa-Barbara-Pictures/Santa-Barbara-Zoo.htm
Photo By: Betsy Malloy

The Santa Barbara Zoo is a great place to go if your in SB. It offers great animals and is in an ideal location across the street from East Beach.

The Santa Barbara Zoo is home to 160 species of mammals, reptiles, birds and insects. More than 400 animals are exhibited in open, naturalistic habitats. There are endless exhibits at the Santa Barbara Zoo including the Cats of Africa, The Crawford Family Penguin House, The Elephant Walk, the Monkeys, and the Snow Leopard.

The penguin house opened in June 2006, this exhibit of warm-weather Humboldt penguins offers both above-ground and underwater viewing, as well as nesting boxes built-in for breeding. These penguins are found along the Pacific coast of South America from Peru to Chile. The adjacent aviary features Inca terns and will soon be home to more birds native to the South American area.

In the elephant walk, two female Asian elephants who have resided here since summer 1972. When Sujatha and Little Mac arrived, they stood four feet tall – but as the girls grew, so did their need for space. The height of the barn has been raised twice as the elephants grew to maturity. A renovation completed in 2005 extended the yard, enlarged the pool, brought the surrounding pathways into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, and developed a beautiful Asian botanical setting. An “enrichment wall” provides the animals with a variety of stimulating activities; animal care staff can hide food in various cubbyholes. A new dynamic exhibit of Asian pond turtles has been built adjacent to the elephant exhibit; visitors cross a bridge between the two new exhibits.

The Ute Part: 4

On the last day of being in Utah we got up a little earlier to pack up. We ate quickly to maximize our time on the mountain. We did the same routine as we’ve done the past couple days. The slopes were fun as ever and we were all sad when the lifts closed and we had to do our last run of the break.

When we got back to the cabin, we ate and gained some more energy to go exploring. We ended up finding this cool little spot a short walk from the house. It had this huge hill that ended with a huge stack of firewood that was covered in snow. We snowboarded and sledded down it and then hit the firewood as a jump and landed in fresh powder. We had a big dinner and relived some of the highlights of the trip and had a couple good laughs. To finish off the night we had a big spoons tournament where the loser had to do snow angels naked.

Utah was a great trip, it’s mountains, terrain, and views are great, you should definitely try to visit there if you ever have the chance.

The Ute Part: 3

Chairlift

So hot out we went down shirtless

The Back of Bryce Canyon

We ended the day with dinner and the traditional fooseball tournament and fell straight to sleep. The next day we woke up and went through the same routine until we got on the chair lift. Today we started off with a black diamond and it was super icy so we were sliding a good amount. We did slope after slope and explored the back country of the Mountain weaving through trees and jumping rocks and logs. We also hit up some park and did some jumps and rails for a couple runs. Since it was so hot  we did a couple runs with no shirts. Every slope we went down we got cheers and yells from the other skiers and snowboarders on the chairlift.

We ended the day at 4 exhausted and ready to fall asleep. Instead of going back to the cabin, we decided to do a little sight seeing and headed to a peak to see the backside of bryce canyon. It was this huge, beautiful canyon with bright orangish redish rock and snow glistening on it.

Next post will be the final post about Utah

 

The Ute Part: 2

Sunset

Again, there was so much to write about this trip I decided to put it into 2 and maybe even 3 parts.

Brianhead ski resort was opened in 1965. It has a yearly average snowfall of 360 inches and two connected mountains, Giant Steps and Navajo. Nestled in the two mountains, the Resort features 71 ski runs and over 650 acres of available terrain. Each of the two mountains has a full service base lodge facility.

So we woke up in the morning, filled up with a huge breakfast, stretched out, suited up, and were ready for an action packed day. We were staying on the mountain so it was a very short 5 minute drive. We got on the chair lift and got hyped about our first run. All of us got off the chairlift threw our bindings on and started hitting the slopes. The first run was a little weird cause all of us haven’t snowboarded in such a long time. We had to get used to it and figure out the kinks the first run. The second run all of us went all out and booked it down it. The snow was sub par but it didn’t affect how much fun we were having.

Stay tuned for part 3

Ledbetter Beach

Photo By: http://letsgosantabarbara.com/santa-barbara-best-beaches/leadbetter_beach/
DECEMBER 31, 2010

http://www.travelgrom.com/surf-spots/santa-barbara/leadbetter-point-beach
Photo By: Evan Thomas

Bodyboarding Meets Skimboarding

Ledbetter Beach is not the best beach in Santa Barbara but considering how many hours i’ve spent my time their I had to write about it.

Ledbetter or “leds” is located on Shoreline Dr on the Mesa. Most of my friends live on the Mesa so a good part of my life has been spent there. In the morning after I spend the night at someones house we would skate down to leds and go skimboarding, bodyboarding, or surfing. Leadbetter is a City beach and park between the Santa Barbara Harbor and Shoreline Park and across from Santa Barbara City College. Reservable picnic and barbecue sites, outdoor showers, restrooms, and a grassy lawn are other factors the beach has in addition to the beach sand. Beach lifeguards are also stationed at this beach to insure safety.

Windsurfing, sailing, and standup paddleboarding are very common at the beach. Since the beach is right next to the harbor sailors are frequently sailing on the coast of the beach. Another attribute this beach has is Shoreline Cafe. Shoreline Cafe is a great restaurant that serves the classic burgers, fries, shakes, mexican food, fish and a whole lot more.

Ledbetter is a great beach and you have to see it to get a taste of Santa Barbara’s great culture.

Zion National Park Part 2

With over 90 miles of trails, 37 designated backpacking sites, several at-large backpacking areas, and 124,400 acres of designated wilderness, Zion National Park offers a variety of unique backpacking and hiking opportunities. Other activities include bicycling, canyoneering, hiking, and river trips.

I took the half day trip to Zion with my friend and his dad. When we pulled into the national park we took a little drive and explored it out. We ended up driving through the The Zion Mount Carmel Tunnel. It is 1.1 miles long that goes straight through a 3,000 foot cliff of sedimentary rock. They had to cut holes in the tunnel for light to come in because it was so long.

We went on three different hikes and only got a preview of all the amazing things to do in Zion. The first hike we went on was called Emerald Pools. It was only 3 miles but we ended up dropping off the trail into a stream and climbing up stream jumping from boulder to boulder until we got to the pool. Another hike was called The Grotto and was a jagged trail right along a steep cliff. Since 2006 9 people have died on trail. Lastly, we went on the narrows trail. The Narrows is a great little hike which consists of this huge stream going through to huge cliffs.

If you have the chance, definitely go check out Zion.

Zion National Park Part 1

Photo Courtesy: http://www.nps.gov/zion/historyculture/people-of-the-past.htm
CWA Archeology camp and party members

Photo By http://www.ccnationalparks.com/zion/

So this post has nothing to do with Santa Barbara, but over Spring Break I went to Zion National Park and I felt inclined to share the experience. Zion National Park is located in Springfield, Utah and is one of the most praised national park’s in the United States. It gets almost 3 million visitors each year. The park is 229 square miles. The highest elevation there is 8,726 ft at Horse Ranch Mountain. Zion National Park includes mountains, canyons, buttes, mesas, monoliths, rivers, slot canyons, and natural arches.

The Historic period begins in the late 18th century `with the exploration of southern Utah by Padres Silvestre Vélez de Escalanteand Francisco Atanasio Domínguez The padres passed near what is now the Kolob Canyons Visitor Center on October 13, 1776, becoming the first people of European descent known to visit the area. Before them the area was established by Native American Tribes. In 1825, trapper and trader Jedediah Smith explored some of the downstream areas while under contract with the American Fur Company. In 1851, the Parowan and Cedar City, Utah areas were settled by Mormons who used the Kolob Canyons area for timber, and for grazing cattle, sheep, and horses. The United States Congress established the monument as a National Park on November 19, 1919. 

Ty Warner Sea Center

http://www.planetware.com/photos-large/USCA/california-santa-barbara-ty-warner-sea-center.jpg
Photo By: Lana Law

Photo By http://weldonexhibits.com/experience/aquariums-zoos/ty-warner-sea-center/

Photo By: http://www.sbnature.org/twsc/2.html

Photo By: http://www.sbnature.org/twsc/2.html

The Ty Warner Sea Center is a great place to go to see, feel, and learn about marine life. The sea center is located on Santa Barbara’s historic Stearns Wharf, an ideal location for studying marine life since they are literally on the water. The museum reopened in 2005 with the help of Ty Warner, the facilities major donor. Ty Warner is a billionaire business man who is the CEO and owner of the company Ty which manufactures and sells beanie babies.

There are so many things to do and learn at the sea center. You can work like scientists, sampling and testing ocean water, studying animal behavior, and examining microscopic marine life. There are live tidepool animal encounters, a theater showcasing the wonders of the Santa Barbara Channel. You can crawl through a tunnel inside a 1,500 gallon surge tank to see the life of the ocean. Observe sea stars, urchins, limpets, and much more. Be an oceanographer for a day. Take ocean samples and view sea life close up through video magnifiers. Test your ocean samples to determine water quality. Learn about ongoing scientific research and get an update on marine mammal sightings. There are also multiple touch tanks which consist of sandsharks and much more.

The first time I went to the Sea Center was in 2nd grade on a field trip and it opened my eyes to how cool the ocean is and how great the marine life within it is.

The Botanical Garden

http://www.latimes.com/travel/deals/la-trb-santa-barbara-botanic-garden-20130823-p-006,0,2859193.photo#axzz2w8zlQlds
Photo By Tom Politeo

Map

http://blogs.presstelegram.com/LBcrime/2009/05/07/long-beach-firefighters-save-santa-barbara-botanic-garden/
Photo By Tracy Manzer
May 7, 2009

http://www.lotsafunmaps.com/gallery.php?id=2135

http://www.letsgoseeit.com/index/county/sbarb/sbarb/loc02/sbgarden.htm

The Botanical Garden is a great park in Santa Barbara with numerous trails to walk on and get close with nature.

The History: In 1926, local philanthropist Anna Dorinda Blaksley Bliss purchased 13 acres in Mission Canyon for the Natural History Museum, with views spanning from  the mountains and the ocean. In 1939, the Botanic Garden incorporated as a separate organization and was renamed the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden. The garden is 78 acres and contains over a thousand species of indigenous plants.

Their are so many trails and places to explore at the garden. One of my favorite parts of the garden is the Redwood Forest. Even on the hottest summer day the Redwood Section is always shady and cool provided by the numerous trees that tower over you. The Redwood Trees can grow up to almost 400 ft. The oldest tree in the forest was planted in 1926. Another landmark at garden is the Mission Dam. The dam was built in 1807 by the Chumash Natives to supply water to the Santa Barbara Mission and the padres. Another section of the garden is the Arroyo. The Arroyo is situated in an oak-shaded drainage along a seasonal stream. Special features of the Arroyo include the “dripping rock” display, which contains herbaceous plants that require constant moisture, and the Heuchera display, a collection of over 30 species and cultivars.

On May 7, 2009, part of the Botanic Garden was destroyed in the Jesusita Fire including Porter Trail. The fire also took out the garden’s library and the director’s house. 

In 2nd grade my class took a field trip to the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden and I have been going back ever since.