Tuesday, October 31, 2006

AND IT'S OFF TO SOLVANG!

This charming Danish village is situated in the Santa Ynez Valley, not far from Michael Jackson's famous Never Never Land spread. Founded in 1911 by Danes looking to escape harsh Minnesota winters, they built a school and recreated the architecture of their native land. On the 25th anniversary of its founding, the king and queen of Denmark visited, commenting that it was more Danish than Denmark itself.

For the past six years, we've rented a cottage, loaded up golf clubs and bicycles for a mini vacation the first weekend in November. We do the 27 mile Solvang Prelude bike ride. There are two longer courses, but at certain points the three rides converge. It's great fun. And at the half way point you get bananas, water and COOKIES. These are not races, they're tours through beautiful wine vineyards, walnut orchards and horse country. You ride past miniature horses too.

The year we were there on Halloween, the costumed kids from a nearby elementary school paraded from their school to downtown. Problem was, it was pouring rain. Not soft rain, but a deluge. As a former school RN, I could just imagine how irate some parents were going to be because their kid's costume was ruined and their child returned home shivering.

One morning we play golf on the perfectly groomed public course there. For several years, if you teed off by 7:30 a.m. and played nine holes, you got a free breakfast. We always ate breakfast in the cottage and used their breakfast as our lunch. They've done away with that promo now. Last year it was bitterly cold and wet when we played. The sky was solid pewter except for where the sun broke through to blind us so we couldn't see where our balls landed. It was too nasty for enjoyment. However, tour day for the bicycles turned out to be glorious.

After my bicycle accident, we discussed cancelling. The cottages are too expensive to just go and sit and stare at each other. We could do that here at home.

But my fractured elbow and sprain were improving, and I'd be able to share the driving up and back. As for golf, I could just ride in the cart with my husband while he played. There's a lovely canyon where we always do an eight mile ride prior to the day of the tour, and we'd take his bike so he could get some riding in there. The upshot of the discussion was: We'll go!

One last thing about my accident. I was amazed that no one in the ER said, "What's a woman your age doing on a bicycle?"

Have a good day,
Dee Ann

Baseball is the better sport. You hit a ball out of the stadium and it's not only a home run, it's gone. You hit a golf ball off the course and you not only have to hunt for it, it costs you a stroke.
Posted by Dee Ann Palmer 1:31 PM 0 Comments:

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