Needing a break from the hospital and the frustration the pain my uncle was suffering from, I dropped my aunt at home and headed for the beach. South of the Santa Barbara airport is the Goleta Pier, which in turn is north of the outlet for the Goleta Slough. The Goleta Beach Park offers picnic tables and BBQs next to the sandy stretch of beach; the fishing is reported to be great. The Beachside Bar Cafe has good reviews, and a walk at sunset isn’t ruined by heavy throngs of visitors. Following this decompressing walk, I went into Old Town Goleta for some old-fashioned Mexican food.