When we arrived in Jalama the evening before, we decided not to sleep at the campground, but to sleep in this shelter someone had built on the beach.

I was warm and toasty in the cramped quarters – the first night I wasn’t kept awake by my frozen feet! And it was wonderful to wake up to the sound of the ocean and such a gentle sunrise.

We spent most of the morning admiring the plants. The salvia was blooming and covered entire hillsides.

And I got to see my first giant coreopsis. The timing was perfect – they were all in full bloom.

We finally dragged ourselves away from Jalama. I was almost disappointed we didn’t run out of gas on the way up to the main highway (a very real possibility). But the Santa Barbara Botanic Gardens were definitely worth it.