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Published: September 21st 2016
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Santa Cruz can be chilly in the summer. Our first day was going to be the warmest day so we decided to go to the beach. We had lunch first at Tacos Moreno, 1053 Water Street, Santa Cruz. This is a small local spot and there was a line out the door but it moved quickly. Despite it's name the place is known for their burritos. We bought beer at the gas station across the street and headed to Seabright Beach. There is no parking but we found street parking nearby. This is not a great beach if you have children because the beach drops off. The beach has a bathroom but no other amenities. We enjoyed our lunch, read, napped and our adult kids and girlfriends enjoyed the cold water. Mark and I walked 1.7 miles towards the boardwalk and main beach, past the pier until the beach ended where the surfers paddle out. The Main Beach was packed and I am glad we were not there.
We rented a three bedroom house through Airbnb one half block from West Cliff and we can see the ocean and pier from the living room. Joining us on this trip are
Wilder Ranch
Chris, Rachel, Christopher, Shelby, Christie & Brad all three of our kids, Rachel's husband Chris, Brad's girfriend Christie and Christopher's girfriend Shellby.
We start day two slowly with some going for walks and coffee. Verve Coffee is the coffee of choice in Santa Cruz and they have a location not far from our rental. After a lunch of Greek food we head up to UC Santa Cruz. We had planned a visit and hike but the strict parking rules only allow us to park for one hour at a time. We visit Stevenson and Merrill Colleges and walk in the forest to spots only students visit (Check out the pictures).
Next onto wine tasting at MJA, our favorite winery in the world. Red or mixed red and white wine flights are $15.00. We sit outside in comfortable chairs and enjoy our tastings. Visit Santa Cruz Mountains Wine Growers Association for a list of wineries in the area. Tonight is dollar night at the Boardwalk, all rides one dollar what a deal. The kids enjoy the rides but Mark and I enjoy playing old video games at the arcade.
Today we head to Elkhorn Slough in Moss Landing to kayak. We rent kayaks from kayak
connection, no reservations are needed and they are open every day. Single kayaks rent for $35 and double kayaks rent for $55 for four hours. If you want a guided tour the cost is $60. This is easy kayaking, not ocean and hard to get lost so only take a tour if you want information regarding the wildlife. It is a great place to see otters, seals and birds, we have never seen so much wildlife while kayaking. We had a great day until we get back to our car and find someone has smashed our rear passenger window and stolen Shelby's purse. We are all starving so we go to Phil's Fish Market restaurant, 7600 Sandhold Road, Moss Landing. This is a order at the counter and eat at picnic tables place and the prices are not cheap, Halibut Fish & Chips $19.95. The serving are large with fives pieces of fish so Mark and I split a fish and chips and a order of fried artichoke hearts with dipping sauce. We all agree this restaurant was a good choice.
Day four, we brought bikes but are short one so we rent a bike from Epicentee Cycling, 1730
Mission St. There are multiple bike rental shops in town. We ride north along West Cliff, cut through Twin Bridges Park then head towards highway one to the bike path that takes us to Wilder Ranch. Wilder Ranch has 35 miles of trails but my favorite is along the coast. The path is not paved and one of the bikes has a blow out. No problem we walk the bike back to the parking lot and I wait while Brad and Christie ride quickly back to the house to get his truck. He and Christie return pick me up and we are back to the house before everyone else. Tonight is movie night at the Boardwalk, Goonies is playing and the kids were surprised to see how popular this event is, can't pass up a movie on the beach.
Today is pub crawl day. After a morning of the kids going out to breakfast at Sea Brezze Cafe we were off to Santa Cruz Ale Works. This is a small brewery with food. The beer was good but not great. Next stop is Sante Adairius Rustic Ales in Capitola. This is also a small local brewery and the beer
here is great, thanks to Chrisie for recommending it. Next we pick up pizzas and a brown beer in a growler from Santa Cruz Brewery. After dinner we spend the evening playing Cards Against Humanity with the game ending in a tie between Brad and Rachel.
Another slow morning with Chris and Rachel taking a walk before we head to Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park in Felton. The park has miles of trails and redwoods. It is a Friday and we have the trails all to ourselves most of the time. After our hike we are all starving so we head to downtown Santa Cruz for a late lunch/early dinner. We split up some going for burrittos, some burgers and some for unusual grilled cheese sandwiches. After food it is off to Pacific Cookie Company, Mission Creamery and Penny Creamery, who says you can only have one ice cream a day. Tonight the kids head back to the boardwalk for the beach concert, peewee golf, games and maybe a ride or two. This is our last night in Santa Cruz and it has been a great week. There is so much more to do here but that will have
to wait for another time.
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