Surf cities, here I come!

SANTA CRUZ

I drive away from beautiful San Fransisco with a parking ticket (grrr) and a dead camera (double grrrr).  I didn't drop it, whack it or dip it into any liquids -- it simply refuses to turn on (and no, it's not the battery).  From now on, I must make do with my cell phone's camera; surprisingly, it's doing an OK job.

Images of this boardwalk have been seared into my brain ever since I first saw The Lost Boys. Appropriately enough, I found myself humming 'People Are Strange' all day. 

The atmosphere along the boardwalk was very retro and lively. I could easily have spent all day here with my family or girlfriends, eating cotton candy and riding the coasters until I puked.  It felt like an old-school amusement park, which I suppose it is -- it first opened in 1907 and is California's oldest.  

The classic wooden coaster on the beach, dating from 1924.

It was FUN!  I rode The Giant Dipper almost out of obligation; you just can't come here and NOT ride this old wooden coaster.  I sat in the last wagon in order to feel the pull and jerk of the train and whoa!  I was very pleasantly surprised -- my breath got sucked out of me twice and I lost the headscarf that was pinned in my hair. Good ride!

Santa Cruz pier

I didn't take many pics of Santa Cruz, despite having spent 3 days there. I really enjoyed this little city and returned each day despite the 40-minute drive from my campground.  It's a splendid spot on the California coast, with idiosyncratic charm, tons of fun shops and atmospheric coffee spots -- none better than Verve (below). Be sure to stop there on your way through!  Also worth mentioning: the boiled-then-baked garlic bagels at Bagelry and anything at Tacos Moreno. Yum!

I should have bought this for my future wine bar. Made of cut-up license plates.

Hear that, boys?

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CAPITOLA

This affluent little town is set around one of the most picturesque beaches I've seen so far.  A surfing haven set in a beautiful little bay, several rows of colorful beach houses give the place that 'Surfing USA' vibe that the Beach Boys sang so fondly about.

I would have given surfing a go in the beginner waves of Capitola, but I was only passing through for about an hour or two. Plus, there's something depressing about tugging on a wetsuit to go surfing -- which you must wear unless you want all your bits to turn blue. I think I got spoiled learning to surf in Australia and Kauai (Hawaii)... Feeling the waves and hot sunshine on your skin is such a big part of the awesome feeling of being on a surfboard -- the thickness of a stiff wetsuit would suck the fun out of it for me. So I forfeited any surf fun for today.   ; -(

Had a fantastic chorizo burrito at a little coffee shop here.... I've rediscovered my love affair with Mexican food in California. Sour cream and guacamole make everything taste better.

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MONTEREY

My reasons for stopping in Monterey had to do entirely with the Monterey Bay Aquarium; I've been hearing about this place for years now, from friends who'd rock climbed in California. Here's the little that I managed to capture with my phone camera:

Black sea nettles, my favorite creatures on display here. 

These orange jellyfish were mesmerizing to watch; the psychedelic meditation music they played in the tank room practically put me in a hypnotic trance. They are one of the most graceful creatures I've ever seen.

The Open Sea Tank, holding about a dozen 800-lb tuna, several hammerhead sharks, a few other species of shark and many other large fish along with turtles and rays. Holding 1.2 million gallons of sea water, it is impressive -- to say the least.  It is also the only place in the world that occasionally holds young Great White sharks (there were none at this time, unfortunately).

The Monterey Bay Aquarium is enormous: about 2,000 gallons of ocean water are pumped through its 100+ exhibit tanks EVERY MINUTE, day and night. In terms of the quality of its exhibits and the variety of species that call it home, it was a stunning visit.

Moray eel.  Ew.  These guys just sat there in their unblinking ugliness with their mouths gaping open. I appreciate their existence a little less.

The Kelp Forest, contained in a 333,000-gallon tank. The kelp grows about 4 inches a day, requiring divers to trim them down once a week. Here, a diver cleans the windows and chats to the audience (via a really cool microphone/scuba mask) about life under the sea.

This was the last photo taken before my phone camera decided to crap out as well. (What is up with me and technology???)  

*sigh*

So, no pics of the last half of my visit to the Aquarium. But if ever you're in Monterey, make sure you stop by to visit the otters, penguins, giant octopus, jelly fish, sharks, turtles, squid, tunas, rays, eel, seahorses etc.  It's a verra cool way to spend the day!

I have no camera whatsoever now and this simply will not do. So I drive to the nearest Best Buy to grab a cheap camera then head off to Cannery Row, which makes up Monterey's historic district.  John Steinbeck's novel Cannery Row detailed the sardine-canning industry that kept this town alive in the first half of the 20th century. Nowadays, it consists mostly of tourist shops and restaurants. I found a place that made garlic fries (garlic fries !!) and walked around a bit, stinking the place up.

I realize that the movie Forrest Gump was filled with historic events, but I honestly never thought this was a real thing.

Ha!

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There's a road that loops around the Monterey Peninsula, inventively named the 17-Mile Drive. Overvalued (in my opinion) but nevertheless scenic, one must pay a 10$ toll for the privilege of driving through some of the most exclusive golf courses in America. Golf fans may recognize Pebble Beach as home to pro/celebrity tournaments that take place every February. The Scottish-style Spanish Bay course is famous for the bagpiper that announces its closure every evening -- that would have cool to see, but I'm afraid they wouldn't have been pleased to see my dirty Yaris full of camping equipment pulling into their ritzy, valet-parking-only country club.

The Lone Cypress has been perched on its seaward rock for over 250 years now. 

Carmel-by-the-sea: Very well-manicured, and quite ritzy. Its payphones and garbage bins are shingled, and no neon or advertising is allowed anywhere in town.

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SAN LUIS OBISPO
Adorable little University town. I decided to change things up and stay in a hostel here -- I was getting bored and lonely camping on my own. First evening there, I met a lovely young German girl, Lisa, and we spent the next day chatting in the sun at Avila Beach.

My decision to stay in a hostel came back to bite me in the ass, though -- quite literally. I woke up during my first night with itchy legs and discovered a lovely bed bug between my sheets. I grabbed it and stuffed it into a Ziploc bag (to show the owner the next morning), but understandably had a hard time getting back to sleep. I wasn't particularly grossed out or upset, but suddenly my entire body felt itchy. Switched beds the next morning while the owner called the exterminators and washed my PJs/towel/backpack for me, and took off for Avila Beach with Lisa. 

We also checked out Pismo Beach, famous for car rallies in the 1950s, and for being James Dean's playground.  He died not far from here when he crashed his Porsche into a tree.

Pismo Beach was small, but had a fun retro feel to it.

Pismo Beach pier

Checking out the sunset at Morro Bay Beach


 Despite my mishap with the bed bugs, it was a welcome change to meet like-minded people. At supper on the second evening, Lisa and I met 2 German guys, Martin and Daniel. We caught a gorgeous sunset at Morro Bay Beach and spent a good 15 minutes taking shadow pictures with Martin's camera. All sunset photos are his -- they certainly weren't taken with my cell. Thank you, Martin!!

Aw. Lisa and I had ended our girl's day with a trip to Lululemon, which she had never heard of. She bought her first pair of yoga pants and wanted to strike a pose while wearing them. So Tree Pose it was!  Behind us is the sacred and volcanic Morro Rock, which only native Chumash people are allowed to climb.

Returned to the beach alone the following day, since Lisa, Daniel and Martin were all moving on. Driving from the grocery store that evening, I braked to avoid hitting a rather cute dog that had bolted onto the road to fetch its ball. A man driving behind me -- admittedly paying no attention whatsoever to his surroundings -- didn't see my tail lights and slammed smack into my car, going about 60 km/h. Luckily, I was as floppy as cooked spaghetti from having spent all day in the sun, so I wasn't hurt and there was minimal surface damage to my car (unlike his front bumper). But man, I'm really not lucky these days!  Mind you, if a ticket, two broken cameras and a dented bumper is the worst that will happen on this trip, I'll be grateful for it!

A drive through the splendidness that is Big Sur, and a visit to William Randolph Hearst's former home, are up next for me.

Hope everything is well back home. Love you all, xxx