Travels with haRVy

 We continue to be astounded by the miles and miles of sandy beaches on California’s famed Route 1. It would take years to visit every one of them!

Along the way we made a brief stop to visit Pigeon Point Lighthouse, which is awaiting restoration.

We pulled into Santa Cruz on a busy Saturday afternoon and what a spectacle it was! A juvenile surf contest dominated the scene with a professional announcer calling all the plays over a loudspeaker, but the parade of people passing by also provided plenty of entertainment. Cheery homeless bums and colorful skateboarding kids joined wealthy dog walkers and families… we watched them for hours. I’m only sorry I didn’t video tape some of it. Could certainly make a movie about the California lifestyle here on any sunny weekend afternoon.

With some trepidation, I sent an email to a couple we met briefly at a campground in Death Valley over a year ago. They had said we could camp at their Corralitos, CA home if we ever got to the area. They responded positively and accepted our visit graciously. We spent three nights perched in their driveway overlooking Monterey Bay and the vast Pacific Ocean. Views don’t get any better than theirs! It’s even too big to fully capture in a photograph.

 Marti and Peter gave a us an afternoon tour around the Santa Cruz area. This is the beach at Natural Bridge State Park.

Creating sand art has become quite popular out here.

 A raft of seals and the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, California’s oldest surviving (1907) amusement park.

Never seen so many hummers in one place before!

Goodbye Marti & Peter. We had a great visit with you. Thanks for everything! Hope our paths cross again somewhere down the road.