sbrobert
By Robert Bernstein
Snow in Santa Barbara! This only happens a few times in a lifetime! Here are my photos!
My wife and I walked out of our Goleta condo to some magnificent views of snow. Here was the view from our street, by Albertson’s.
And my wife posed nearby in the parking lot of Camino Real Marketplace.
I decided to drive up into the mountains to see how far I could get. I was pleasantly surprised to head up Painted Cave Road with no signs of closure and not much traffic. Until I got all the way up to Camino Cielo, where it got a big slow. But it was a nice break just before the top, as children playfully threw snowballs at me.
I found out later that the girl is the grandchild of a friend’s partner.
It was not too difficult to find a safe parking spot along the road. The roads were clear of snow and ice.
Some cars had snow on them, but I am not exactly sure why!
This father was clearly happy to have fun with his son in this unexpected winter wonderland.
Some people hiked up a bit to explore this new landscape.
I grew up in cold, snowy places back East and in Europe. I even took my first driving test in the snow. But it was still a rare treat for me to enjoy it here at home in Santa Barbara.
Kids were having fun sliding down the hills and making snowmen.
Snow actually began falling at this point!
I decided to head out at this point as my camera was starting to get wet and more people were arriving.
I headed back along Camino Cielo to 154. A bit of traffic, but nothing terrible. I was surprised to see a “Road Closed” sign for people coming the other way, entering on Camino Cielo, near Painted Cave Road. The roads were in perfectly good condition and clear of treacherous snow and ice.
Most people in our community do not have the resources to travel to faraway ski resorts. This is a rare experience in our area. Yes, there can be some hassles with traffic. But, can’t people be allowed to have good, safe fun? Plenty of roads get snow in California without them being closed.
If authorities want to post warning signs, that is OK. I might even be OK if they wanted to limit traffic. But it is dishonest to close these road sections, claiming they are unsafe. This undermines credibility.
I will note that the only real problem I saw was a car off the road on 154 all the way down near Foothill Road. Two young women who looked to be okay, but a bit shaken. And that area of road was open. I will refrain from speculating how they went off the perfectly clear road.
We already have a credibility crisis, with private property owners apparently illegally blocking public right of way and parking access at many local trailheads. How can ordinary people be hit with large fines for playing in the snow… Yet people with money can use heavy equipment to put boulders in the public right of way and get no fine or punishment at all? This has gone on for two years and the boulders haven’t even been removed!
To quote Cat Stevens: “Where do the children play?”
Just like Robin Hood criminally enjoying the King’s Snow. I need to post my pictures too. We can be in the stockade together in front of the courthouse.
Robert: Thank you so much for posting your photos and video. We took a few “snaps” of our trip up there, but your pix are much more extensive. You are right about the so-called traffic….not the nightmare that some predicted. Everyone was polite and let you turn around or pass by without honking/scowling. Who knows when this will happen again, but when it does we are heading up for another snowball fest! We love the snow and want others to enjoy it as well.
ROBERT – thank you. These photos and your words make me so happy to see there are folks in this town who care about those other than themselves. It’s refreshing. I have yet to hear of any major accidents or incidents stemming from last weekend’s snow adventures. The roads look clear and easily drivable. It’s a shame so many, even here on Edhat, were so upset by this. Children playing in snow in their own hometown is priceless.
Robert -the shot of the girl catching that snowball in the air is great.
Thanks for posting the photos and for the well-reasoned comments.
Recalling the year when there was actually snow on the ground (not hail) on the new San Marcos High School campus.
Thank you all for the very kind words. And thanks to Edhat for publishing my article as written. We are very fortunate to have Edhat as a community meeting place.
CHICO BERKELEY The girl was actually throwing the snowball at me! She turned out to be the grand daughter of my friend’s partner, but I did not know that at the time.
Today we went out Figueroa Mountain Road. We found a trail that won’t get people fined for daring to enjoy nature. But it definitely had some challenges! Hope to write it up in the next week or so. So many articles in my queue right now. And I am behind on writing for my paid gig at Montecito Journal!
I remember over my 50 years we had snow in our mountains.