Glamping at El Capitan
I have been dying to visit El Capitan Canyon ever since seeing a tantalizing spread in Sunset Magazine several years ago which showcased romantic pictures of luxury tents with fluffy beds bathed in candlelight and cozy costal cabins with roaring bonfires in front. Romantic pretenses were actually not what finally got me to El Capitan last month. Instead it was a bevy of girls for a Bachelorette weekend!
Eight girls made the trip to this idyllic spot set back from the beach just north of Santa Barbara. We packed into two cabins that each had a queen bed and two twin mattresses in a loft, so everyone had a bed. Most importantly, cabins come equipped with all the comforts of home: a shower, bathroom, microwave, refrigerator-- serious "camping," right? We ordered BBQ supplies from the front desk on our first night and cooked burgers of all kind over our own bonfire pit. We also feasted on garlic bread, salad, and chicken before making s'mores and then crashing our neighbor's fire pit, as it was still roaring. Sadly for this couple, their romantic vision of fireside ukulele strumming and canoodling now included 8 uninvited, slightly tipsy girls. They embraced our unexpected descent by cleansing our auras (welcome to Cali!) with the most massive bundle of sage I have ever seen. Cleansed, I made for my bed before our female neighbor began reading angel cards....
The next morning, the bachelorette insisted we get up in time to "hike" to see the goats on the property. We enjoyed breakfast delights at the El Capitan Market before setting off on what is really more of a stroll. After visiting with the goats, we hopped in a van to do some wine tasting throughout Santa Ynez and Los Olivos-- an area near and dear to us Firestone sisters as our most fun branch of the family owns and operates Curtis Winery and the Firestone Brewery. As I'm off on yet another Bachelorette weekend to the area this weekend, I will regale you all with wine tasting adventures next week...
So El Capitan wound up not being the romantic weekend I'd envisioned when it first made it onto my radar, but rather the perfect place for a fun and low key getaway with the girls. Next time, perhaps romance.
Cheers to the weekend!