It was another beautiful day here in southern CA. We got off to a late start, had a quick breakfast at Starbucks and left for Solvang, CA, just a few miles to the east of where we are staying on CA 246. Solvang is a small town (about 6,000 population) that claims to be the Danish capitol of America. It was originally settled in 1911 by a group of Danish Americans who wished to escape the cold climate of the upper Midwest. They purchased about 9,000 acres of land from the Rancho San Carlos de Jonata. In 1947, they began building Danish styled architecture and it has become a major tourist attraction.

Being Memorial Day weekend, Solvang was crowded with tourists. There is lots to see and lots of good things to eat – and, of course. lots of souvenir shops. Among the good places to eat were several Danish bakeries, loaded with unimaginable treats. Peggy and I treated ourselves to a humongous chocolate eclair, the first one I have had in many, many years.

After roaming around the town for a few hours, we stopped at a restaurant for the all American dinner – the hamburger and a chocolate milk shake (a real one, not the kind that comes out of a machine).. Afterwards, we went exploring back roads that went off into the distance, some of which ended and one which took us through the woods and back to US 101 and ultimately back to our abode..