In-N-Out of Santa Barbara

Our final morning in Encinitas began early as we prepared for a long journey to Santa Barbara (our bus + morning L.A. traffic + seaside distractions = a full day’s drive) . We said goodbye and thank you to the Kennedys and as has become typical on early morning drives, Lucas drove while the rest of the crew slept. We made a quick detour to Malibu to drop off dear Kate for a visit with a friend, and then continued to travel north on beautiful Route 1 along the coast. Although the air was cool, the waves tempted the bussers to stop for a quick run into be waves before continuing on. With a growing afternoon hunger in our stomachs and Chris yelling “Barf want burgerrrrrr!!” from the bunks, we began our search for an In-n-Out Burger. There, Esther, Merritt, Lucas and Chris all lost their In-n-Out innocence for only $4 per person – we love California!

Our first official event in days was to take place at University of California, Santa Barbara with 60 high school students participating in the Research Mentorship Program. We rejoined the chase car carrying Frances and Colleen and cleaned the bus, set up our displays and divided into groups to educate the youngsters. Unfortunately, their plans changed and they were only able to spend one minute outside before moving on. This was slightly disappointing, but it meant that we get to save our rested A-game for another day. After a hour of random bus work including a run to Kinko’s and finally installing the quarter-rounds on our EcoTimber wood floor, we headed into the hills to stay with Carly Silverman, Dartmouth class of 2010, and her family for the night. There we were treated to a wonderful barbeque dinner and great conversation before we settled down to watch The Italian Job. A perfect end to an awesome day – thanks Silvermans!

- whitney

Merritt digs into a double-double, animal-style.

Fact-o-the-day: For those who have never had the pleasure of an In-n-Out dining experience, you’ll be happy to know that all fries are cut from potatoes in-house and their meat is also fresh, never frozen. We also discovered the joys of the secret menu thanks to Hayley’s expertise in the area and agreed that ‘Animal Style’ is the way to go with any burger.