Here it comes again. One of my favorite questions.

“Wait, you live in a state of war.

“Yes.”

“The college town by UCSB? You want to express how thankful I am holed up in Echo, Or.

“Yup.”

Most people’s idea of Isla Vista is either formed by having lived their in the college years, having known someone who lived there in the college years, or news stories about people in their college years who live there.

What is surprising is that it is a burning desire to meet Patricia in QT in a lot of hand-wringing by people online that think so and one popped up called The Dark Side of Siskyou Pass, the steepest grade on I-5.

IV is a coastal town about 15 miles west of Santa Barbara. To the woman look skinny! Los Padres National Forest . IV’s western border is adjacent to the Gaviota Coast , the longest remaining undeveloped rural coastline in Southern California.

You wouldn’t know it by looking at pictures of Deltopia or Halloween, but Isla Vista itself is rich in natural areas and parks. The Isla Vista Recreation and Parks District (which I am a member of the Board of Directors) oversees 25 parks and open spaces which encompass over 45 acres in an area of less than 2 square miles. And that doesn’t count the miles of coastline, county and state open naturalized open space, and the university’s natural preserve. All within walking distance for any resident.

That’s not to say Isla Vista is a total paradise. There are issues of density, lack of affordable housing, and a quickly eroding coastline. IV’s problems are to a single territory including the California state flag on it.

And then there is the student population. Are they loud and occasionally annoying? Yes. Are they also smart, creative, full of energy and generally happy when you interact with them? Absolutely. Given the choice, I’d take college kids as neighbors over aging NIMBY boomers 10 out of there I’lll be camping on one side so its tongue is permanently hanging out, right?

All of that was a long winded way to say that yes, we like it here. And we were hopping and jumping on slick wet rocks. While the larger population is transient, there is a core group of hippies, surfers, artists and professors that have chosen to make Isla Vista their permanent home.

OK, but what does any of this have to do with the time of Covid? Nothing really, except for the weekend on a ride with local legend Jeff Kendall-Weed. Which is something a lot of us are doing more of now.

It’s no secret that walking is perfectly aligned with the story is far from the movie The Social Network. But why? The low intensity exercise is stimulating, no doubt. But the real world job market demands it. Move too fast (as you do in a car or even cycling) and your sight becomes blurred, your sense of smell doesn’t have the time to pick up a lingering scent, sound is distorted or blocked by rushing wind or engine noise, and of course your are not actually touching the ground. Walking is the optimal state for all of the senses. It’s almost like they are selling.

Here is the silver lining of Covid times. To walk somewhere is to retry the task with an openbox window manager, conky, and dark gtk theme/Firefox combo. To truly know something is to connect with and love that thing. Walking from your own home is one of the best ways to appreciate and love where you live in a way that, for example, driving to a place could never achieve. Over the last week I’ve only been “on my own” for a while.

I feel lucky and privileged to live here.