The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

When winter settles into the Walla Walla Valley like it did this year, short days and frigid temperatures compound into cabin fever in a hurry. Luckily, southeast Washington is the center of the universe, making travel to warmer climes quick and easy.

Ali and I escaped to L.A. in mid-February and followed the coast north to Santa Barbara for a week of shorts and tees and walks on the beach. I was less than enthusiastic about making a trip to an unfamiliar major city, given my life's mission of fleeing human development, but Santa Barbara was worth the visit on its own merits. The food, bre...