March 22, 2022 Goleta Park Beach, Santa Barbara Zoo, Douglas Family Preserve & Arroyo Burro Beach

Goleta Beach Park

We started our day at the Goleta Beach Park. 

We just hiked south of the pier along the beach.

Having fun with shadows...

...and sea weed.

It looks like a tumbleweed on the beach

Someone is living on the beach here...

....I'm pretty jealous. This place was pretty damn sweet. I could live here. 

Walking on a beach is a great way to start your day.

This lady that seems to follow me everywhere I go agrees with me.

A funky rock or shell on the beach.

An old-school wooden pier goes far enough into the ocean for really good fishing.

The beach continues in both directions from the pier.

Santa Barbara Zoo

Christy wanted to visit Kasha, an Amur Leopard she used to take care of at Brookfield Zoo. So that is why we took this trip up the coast. The following pictures were taken by both of us. I lost Christy right after we entered the zoo. I found her when we met several zookeepers that took us to see Kasha in the off-exhibit area. Note: There are no pictures allowed in off-exhibit areas. So no pictures of Kasha.

 

I loved this Australia exhibit. You walk through with all the animals roaming free.

This zoo is right on the ocean. You can see the water in the background of this photo.

Christy wasn't paying attention and freaked when she saw this fake cat in the tree.

After eating lunch, we walked along Santa Barbara's East Beach to Stearns Wharf.

Our next stop was the Douglas Family Preserve

We hiked along the trails high above the Pacific Ocean.

I stepped off the trail to check out this memorial in the forest. That is where I met a very friendly golden retriever. He followed me back to the trail and we eventually found his owner. He quickly told me the dog is very friendly. I laughed and said I already know that. We talked about our dogs, living in California, and the joy of living near the ocean. 

Eventually, we found the trail that leads down to the Arroyo Burro Beach County Park.

This side of the beach allows off-leash dogs. This is where we hiked along the beach playing with every dog that came up to us.

Another beautiful day in Paradise. Now we have to hike back up the cliffs to get to our car. To be honest it wasn't that bad. It feels so good to spend an entire day along the Pacific Ocean shoreline.