Stewart got a cold on Wednesday before we were to fly out on Saturday. After several sinus rinses and Zinc tablets he was feeling much better. With the wind direction and weather changes we thought that perhaps it was allergies. So Saturday morning we decided to go ahead with the trip. We caught an Uber to DFW airport for a 10am American Airlines direct flight to Santa Barbara. We setup Uber for 7:20am since we worried about the holiday coming up, the storms predicted in Santa Barbara, and the "government shutdown" that had been going on for several days. Like last time, we had opted to fly First Class, so checking in and going through security was super easy, only taking about 15 minutes from drop-off to sitting at our gate. Our flight to SB was an uneventful 3 1/2 hour flight despite flight reductions at DFW due to the government shutdown which reduced the number of air traffic controllers willing to work long stressful hours without pay. Luckily the shutdown had ended a few days ago and they tapered down the percentage of flights that had to be canceled to just 3%.

Anne spent nearly the entire flight time in forScore audiating Home Alone for our Joyful Noise holiday concert. We read, ate our custom lunch meals, and relaxed. Once in SB we picked up our luggage and Anne reserved an Uber. It was heavily overcast and spitting rain. Uber met us at an outdoor "bus stop" affair and shuttled us to the Hotel El Encanto in downtown SB. It was probably a very nice hotel but the rain had picked up and was pouring when we arrived.

The El Encanto is beautiful, reminiscent of Costa Rica with small cottage buildings scattered around the lush rolling hills. We discovered that Selena Gomez had gotten married here a month before we arrived. Guests included Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Taylor Swift!

Clearly the hotel was not designed for rain, rather the opposite, it is meant to be enjoyed in sunny, dry weather. Filled with little cottages, spead across the expansive landscaped grounds, it would be beautiful in normal SB weather. But the rain made things much less desirable. We got the farthest room from the lobby, #2906, a 5-10 minute walk, two flights of stairs, in the pouring rain . An Encanto staffer rolled all our luggage in a covered, wheeled cart and lugged it up the stairs to our room. Poor kid was totally soaked and his shoes were falling apart, flapping in the puddles as he tried to navigate.

We had a small covered patio area near the front door and another porch out back that was not covered (and not usable in the rain). Our bathroom had a heated floor, very comfy. And we had a gas-powered push-button fireplace, very nice. We got settled in, then opted to walk the grounds, wearing fleece under the hooded raincoats in the 55 degree temps. There is a lovely infinity pool overlooking the eucalyptus and palm trees cascading down the mountainside out to the Pacific Ocean.

The rain continued and due to Stewart's cold concerns, we headed back to the room and relaxed. Having gained 2 hours, it was still very early when we got restless so we decided to Uber into downtown and checkout the Sea Center, an aquarium on the wharf, thinking we would follow-up with dinner nearby. There were lots of restaurants lining the waterfront calling our name.

And the rain continued.

As we Uber'd to the wharf, the rain picked up, becoming torrential. Realizing that even a short walk to a likely open-air restaurant was far from ideal, we decided to fork over the exorbitant prices for dinner at the El Encanto and turned the driver around. We found out the next morning that there was street flooding so bad in Santa Barbara, people had to be rescued from their cars and roads were closed. Back at the hotel, the rain continued. We got reservations for 5:30pm and slogged back to our room. Another trip in the rain brought us back to the open air terrace for dinner and we decided to stay outside but under the heaters up against the building under the awning where it was not too cold and the rain could not get to us. The meal was exceptional. Anne got Veggie Ratatouille, a lasagna style layered entree of eggplant, zucchini, tomato and squash. Stewart got his favorite: mussels! They had just added this option to the menu and it came with fries which seemed a bit odd until he realized he could dip them in the buttery mussel sauce. Perfect! Another slog back to the room and we found out we were still on Dallas time, both nodding off completely by 8pm. Turn down service came at 8:30pm, woke us up and wandered off at our sleepy rejection of their service.

We got up Sunday morning to pouring rain. Set to meet the Trek Travel guides at 10am in the lobby we bundled up and trudged over to the lobby restaurant. We were going to sit on the covered area for breakfast but the wind and rain were too strong so we headed inside to a corner table with a beautiful view of the trees, ocean, and rain. Breakfast was very good, oatmeal, fruit, coffee, some muffins. But it was over $ 100 dollars (!!?). The two cups of coffee alone was $ 24. Oh my.

This was a recurring theme with the El Encanto. They had changed hands several months ago and wanted to charge us double what was quoted when we reserved the room for one day prior to Trek taking over. After a lot of haggling we got the correct rate, but restaurant and miscellaneous charges continued to astound us. We found out later that Trek Travel no longer will stay at the El Encanto.

We closely followed messages from Trek but none indicated the ride would be canceled despite forecasts of lots more rain all week. We decided then and there we were not going to "dress for biking" this morning fully expecting they would announce the cancellation at the first get-together with the tour group. On a normal start we would get fitted to our bikes, get briefed on the "rules of the road" and our guides, and do a short warm-up ride. But it was too rainy, and even if it cleared the roads would be treacherous. We trudged back to our room, got everything ready, and trudged back to lobby to meet the guides and other guests at 10:30am. There were 4 other guests, for a total of 6, with 2 guides, Caleb and Beverly. Everyone was super nice, with the guides working hard to plan alternate activities for us.

We ended up shuttling over to the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History and exploring the exhibits. They had a very nice planetarium. We gathered and watched the show about the star fields visible from SB and the Chumash Indian beliefs. Also, their bird and marine exhibits were excellent. One could spend a lot of time in the bird exhibit comparing raptor sizes and marveling at the variety.

Lunch was supposed to be at one of the many many outdoor restaurants of which SB is known. But with the rain the guides had found a little indoor place called The Cruisery where we could sit and talk and have a nice lunch. We sat at a long table and got introduced to "Cards Against Humanity". During all this Stewart's cold had worsened and he got severe Laryngitis. He had a complete loss of voice and was feeling miserable. At lunch with the group he was unable to talk at all. After lunch we headed back to the hotel and relaxed.

The weather forecast had rain continuing on Monday and Tuesday, clear on Wednesday, then rain again Thursday and Friday. That was our entire trip! The TV forecasters called it an "Atmospheric River". There were records being set all over southern California. It was here that we decided to cut our losses and come home. Anne checked the flights and found that there was a morning direct flight back to Dallas that was significantly less expensive than our original flight. She booked it for both of us. The $$ difference is on account at American Airlines for our next trip.

Dinner was set for 6:30pm at The Lark. We met in the Encanto lobby and shuttled through the rain into downtown Santa Barabara to The Lark. They served us several shared dishes, brussel sprouts, fish, beet salad, fried chicken, lamb ribs, donut holes. It was all delicious. However, the restaurant had the continuing problem of noise level. There were several groups of people that would have normally dined outside, now crowded into the same room the sound level was deafening. Stewart was unable to hear the conversations and unable to speak. So frustrating. On our way out we noticed a special "Party Room" that had been wildly decorated for Christmas. It was very cool.

After dinner we shuttled back to the Encanto. Here we told the guides and guests that we were leaving the next morning, said our goodbyes, and trudged through the rain back to our room. Stewart got a hot shower to warm up and get some moisture into his lungs while Anne watched a little TV in front of the fireplace. It was very relaxing.

We trudged to the lobby restaurant and had breakfast then back to the room to pack. Our flight out was 12:30pm so we had plenty of time for breakfast, to finish packing, and to check out from the El Encanto. Our Uber picked us up in the driving rain. Quickly, quickly the porter loaded our luggage into the SUV then off we went. Same at the SB Airport, rain rain rain! We quickly unloaded and ran inside. Anne had to change out of her dripping shoes while sitting in a pool of water on the floor. But the airport was pleasant and not crowded. We loaded onto the plane without issue. From our seats on the plane Stewart could see our luggage getting loaded. They were clearly not used to the rain. It was sitting on the cart in the rain getting slowly loaded. Our clothes were damp when we unpacked at home.

It seemed like such an eventful trip, even though it was only 2 days.

Here is the email trail between Anne and Becca at Trek Travel about trip insurance coverage.