In our trip to the Reagan Library we had a couple of stops on the way. The first was the very famous Andersen’s Pea Soup restaurant. The restaurant was established by Danish immigrants, Anton and Juliette Andersen. Although farming was their original intent, they migrated from New York to California, and opened what became Andersen’s Electric Café. Because of its location, it became a popular resting stop for travelers along Highway 101. The name was later changed to Pea Soup Andersen’s Restaurant. The restaurant at one time purchased one ton of dried peas per year. They now purchase several tons of peas a month. That, my friend, is a lot of bowls of soup. Highway 101 has been changed so as to by-pass the area. This offers the traveler a welcome respite from the traffic and unlike many bi-passed businesses this change has added to the popularity of the restaurant. On the other hand it doesn’t hurt to have quality food and be located at the gateway to many of the areas that are popular tourist destinations. This includes the Hearst Castle and the Reagan Library.

One of those tourist destinations is Solvang. It was founded in 1911 as a Danish – American colony on a portion of Rancho San Carlos de Jonata. It has become one of the principal tourist attractions in the nation. All of the downtown area’s buildings are replicas of Danish homes and businesses. There are tours of the town as well as three museums. The Elverhoj Museum is a replica of a Danish Farmhouse. The Hans Christian Andersen Museum was one of Bev’s and my destinations, as was the Santa Ines Mission. For those interested there is also a Vintage Motorcycle Museum consisting of a unique collection of rare classic and vintage motorcycles. Of late Solvang has become more international. We had breakfast served with Danish dishes with a Mexican waiter and cook. I was so hoping for one of those blonds that have braids down to their navel to serve the meal.

Santa Ines is one of the better-preserved missions in the California chain. More than likely the preservation hinges on its continued use as an active Catholic congregation. As with other missions the gardens do not represent what was here during the missionary years. We are still working on that part of the story. The interior is one of the best preserved with the original Native American art. Our companions on the journey seemed more interested in the national pastime of shopping than absorbing some of the history of the area. I thought you could shop anywhere. I guess Bev and I are some sort of nuts.