June 29: San Francisco to Santa Cruz

Dear Friends and Relatives,

Writing you this evening from an Air B&B in Santa Cruz--in a lovely room furnished with interesting textiles, and on a street which showcases many a carefully planned and executed restoration of Victorian after Victorian mansion.  It is good to be here.  

The day started very foggy, with little promise of sun.  Maureen and I had bagels with honey and Greek yogurt, and fortified ourselves with coffee.  Then we packed for the next two days, which was easily carried out, and Maureen also packed some cherry tomatoes, celery sticks, three different types of cheese, several types of crackers, and fruits such as Washington cherries and grapes.  They were to be eaten for lunch or dinner, whichever struck our fancy.

In foggy conditions we made our way to Highway 1 and the town of Pacifica, a popular getaway for anglers, hikers, and mountain bikers.  We stopped by to see the fortress-like Sam's Castle, towering over the town, and then returned to the beach road to walk a bit of the pier, where fog was still quite thick, seagulls were huddling against the wind, and anglers were casting for fish.  It has the reputation of being the finest fishing pier in California for salmon and striped bass.  

From there we were off to see the Sanchez Adobe, which the administrative magistrate of SF, Francisco Sanchez, had been awarded land for his service to Mexico.  It was quite a sophisticated adobe abode, two stories high.  We didn't take a tour, but watched, fascinated, as a female deer and her little one appeared from the adjoining woods, and just as quickly disappeared, shy in our presence.  

From Pacifica, our next stop was Half Moon Bay, its rugged coastline bordered by sandy beaches, perfect for sightseeing, fishing, and whale watching.  While there we  paid the Ritz-Carlton a visit, as it was situated right at the shoreline.  We decided to stop there for lunch and take in its beautiful setting at the same time.  We ate at an outside restaurant there, and both had an excellent black bean soup, shared guacamole and chips as well.  

Fog kept following us down the coastline.  Pescadero and the Pigeon Point lighthouse were next, and we stopped to take pictures of surfers kitesurfing.  Soon after that the fog began to lift and blue skies began to predominate.  By Santa Cruz, the sun was out full-force, and light breezes created a perfect setting.  Our next stop was the Seymour Marine Discovery Center at Long Marine Laboratory.  We were there in time for the 3:00 p.m. tour by a very knowledgeable gentleman, a former engineer and now a volunteer with the organization.  It is a research and educational facility of the University of California, Santa Cruz.  The lab serves as a base for field research in Monterey Bay and the ocean beyond.  We saw the skeleton of a blue whale, learned about sea lions, and visited a lagoon for migratory sea birds.  

By the time the tour ended, it was 4:00 p.m., and we found our B&B in Santa Cruz.  Taking our things inside, we quickly freshened up, ate some cherries, and then proceeded on a car tour of the boardwalk; the Mission Santa Cruz and the elegant Victorians that surround a park, and downtown Santa Cruz, where we went into a bookstore and then a sock shop, listened to different street musicians, and enjoyed the lively scene of people populating the sidewalks.  

And then we returned to our B&B, and have just finished our dinner, furnished by all the good things Maureen brought along.  It is lovely and quiet here, and it has been a good day!  Best wishes, Sylvia 

Sylvia M. Venable, PhD

Instructor, German

St. John's Episcopal School

Dallas, Texas