Friday, March 11, 2016

Lompoc, CA - a quiet town in the Santa Ynez Mountains

Each Friday my posts have been taking you on our adventure across the country from Wisconsin to California. If you have missed the last couple of weeks, you can find the start of our journey here and last weeks post telling the story of landing in sunny CA.

After spending a few weeks in Oxnard, CA. We decided to go north. With no employment prospects in the picture, we knew that it would be more affordable in smaller cities located inland and off the coast a bit. We set our sites on Lompoc, CA.

Field of flowers, Lompoc, CA
Lompoc was much more my style. With just over 42,000 people, Lompoc is quiet; almost reminding me of home. It is best known for being the seed and flower capital of the world. Because of its cool Mediterranean type climate, Lompoc was the perfect place to grow flowers and extract their seeds. Almost any type of exotic flower could be grown in its hilly countryside. Pictures of that time show a very beautiful city nestled into the valley between the surrounding mountains. Today, with the drought that started about four years ago, flower fields have been replaced by crops of cabbage, strawberries, broccoli, and other vegetables.

Vandenberg Air Force Base
In addition to the flowers, Lompoc also sits on the outskirts of Vandenburg Air Force Base. The base has a large space launch complex and is the main site of rocket launches for satellites on the California coast.

White Oaks Inn, Lompoc, CA
We found ourselves at an extended stay hotel in Vandenburg Village, a part of Lompoc named for its proximity to the base. When I say that this hotel was affordable, that is exactly what I mean. In its heyday, it may have been a beautiful location. Today, it leaves a bit to be desired. It was clean, so that's all that really matters, right?

Ocean mist coming into Lompoc
The first thing we noticed about the hotel is that there is no air conditioning. In fact, that could be said of almost any hotel in Lompoc and most of the houses. Having the evening mist come up over the mountains and settle on the Lompoc Valley cooled off the temperatures enough that just a fan was needed. At first I had my doubts, but after a short time I grew accustomed to opening the doors at night to bring in the cool air and then closing the curtains early afternoon so the hot air stayed outside.

Looking down over Lompoc Valley
Hiking in the Lompoc Valley was beautiful! La Purisma State Park has some awesome trails. Many of them go up into the hillside so that one can see the Lompoc Valley below. Hiking became a great stress reliever which I definitely needed mainly because I still didn't have a job.

Bridge on the San Marcos Pass
It was at this hotel that I finally got my first job - working for a temporary placement agency at a realty office in Santa Barbara. The pay was less than desired and it included an hour commute, but it would at least bring in some money. I learned very quickly, commutes on California's Central Coast can add up quickly! There is usually no road that goes straight from point A to point B; rather, the road goes up into the Santa Ynez mountain ranges and through the San Marcos Pass. Trips that should only take 30-40 minutes end up taking 65. But, again, I was blessed with a job after eight weeks of praying, worrying, and wondering if we had made the right decision about coming to California. Don't get me wrong, the drive was beautiful. It was also very time consuming and not a road I wanted to drive on when tired.
Tunnel on San Marcos Pass Road
 We had a roof over our heads, we had food, I now had a job, and things started to feel a little less strained. We both knew that in order to actually rent a house, I would need a permanent job; one with a temporary placement agency would not work. We had resigned ourselves to be living in the hotel for at least six months or until the company I was working for would hire me on permanently. All the while continuing to pray that a permanent position would come along.

Thankfully, God showed that blessings happen in his own timing. While out hiking, I received a phone call from another temporary agency.  They had a position in my field and the company wanted to interview me. Although this position paid more, it was still as a contract only position. I agreed to the terms. Then at the very last moment, the agency called  back and said the company had changed their mind -- they wanted to hire me directly! This was the opportunity we needed!

Within a week, I was working for my present employer and we were looking for a house to rent in Santa Maria, CA - 10 minutes from my new place of employment.

It had been a very frustrating time, but maybe this brave adventure was finally turning the corner.


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