We left Kernville and made a long drive to Santa Cruz, CA. The KOA there was really nice with reasonable sized spaces and many activities for families to enjoy. They were pretty strict on the rules, but we are finding that to be true everywhere! Once again the golf cart patrol was quick to tell us if we had an extra car in the space or if the dog had gotten out of the RV without her leash on.
This was the fanciest KOA we have seen. They had activities scheduled for most days, including one yoga class which I enjoyed. There was a small, semi-outdoor bar/restaurant and a nice playground. The vibe was positive and it was great to see so many families enjoying the activities available on the beautiful, shaded grounds.
Happily, Hunter’s place of employment was close enough to our RV spot that he chose to commute to work from Temporary Digs. We missed Clayton, but were glad to have the extra time with Hunter.
The days were filled with activity; biking, surfing, kite boarding and exploring Santa Cruz in between walking the dog and hanging “at home.” Unfortunately I didn’t take many pictures, but I’ll share some I did take.
This double track leads uuuupp to the start of some trails in Santa Cruz.
I mentioned that Hunter had finally been bitten by the mountain biking bug as is evidenced by this picture of him with his new “toy.” A big shout out to Scotts Valley Cycle Sports where Hunter made his purchase. This is an excellent bike shop with nice stock and excellent customer service. We highly recommend them!
Love this retro van which is as old as I am!
Speaking of toys, take a look at this vintage van we saw in Santa Cruz. This is the first time I have seen a Chevrolet Greenbriar which was built between 1961-65. Pretty cool looking. We spotted it outside of the Santa Cruz Bicycle Factory.
We took a tour of the Santa Cruz Bicycle factory, which was interesting, but the guide would benefit from a script to include more facts and information. 🙂 (No pictures were allowed.)
The town of Santa Cruz was surprisingly interesting to us. It has a population of around 65,000 and there are many outdoor activities to enjoy. Because of its size, there are plenty of restaurants, bike shops, surf shops, grocery stores, etc, so we didn’t lack for anything. We were even able to have routine maintenance on our truck while in Santa Cruz.
A blustery morning in Santa Cruz.
The morning we had our truck worked on, we brought out bikes and toured the town while the truck was otherwise occupied. It was fun just to tool about and take in Santa Cruz. We had the unusual experience of needing a jacket! What a delightful change from the temperatures we always had during summer in Texas.
As if great biking, surfing and kiting possibilities weren’t enough to make us enjoy Santa Cruz, there is a marina as well!
Perhaps one day we will come back in our sailboat?!
Our RV site was about a 45 minute drive from Santa Cruz, but we found ourselves returning to SC almost every day. If possible, the next time we visit this area, I would find an RV site closer to Santa Cruz even though the Costanoa KOA was a very nice place.
The Fourth of July Holiday fell during our time in Santa Cruz and Clayton was able to join us for the day. We celebrated by, wait for it…… riding bikes!! SURPRISE!
Pics from our rides in Santa Cruz:
Frank is a tree-hugger!
Maybe not everything is bigger in Texas.
We did branch out (haha) a little from Santa Cruz when we visited Google in Mountain View, CA. Working “conditions” are certainly different from when I worked in downtown Dallas. My employer did not provide any of the perks that are standard at Google…. onsite places to eat (for free), bicycles to commute between buildings, entertainment on site, green space to “refresh” your energy, etc.
Google was empty due to the July 4th holiday.
We also drove to San Francisco to see the city with Hunter as our tour guide. Rather than contend with parking, we took our bikes on the subway into the SF and spent the whole day puttering around.
Lunch spot, Mission Delores Park – we were the only ones with this idea!
Hunter found us a spot in the family friendly section of the park which is pictured here. This section was full of interesting sights, like the camping tent with a big “30” on top for a birthday celebration, the guy carrying a h-u-g-e python around his neck (which apparently is a chic magnet?!), a little girl walking a cat, a few games I was unfamiliar with and a wide variety of dress styles. The other side of the park was a little more revealing in terms of skin and lifestyle choices. All in all, very interesting. It was very fun to see so many people out enjoying the fresh air. (Side note, Frank and I were slightly above the average age in the park!)
Hunter and I enjoying a view of the bay…. or maybe I was resting at the top of a hill?
What trip to SF is complete without seeing this icon?
This picture was taken from Crissy Field, a spot where many people hang out and is fairly popular with kiteboarders as well. Unfortunately kiters here often need to be rescued because several factors are less than favorable: gusty winds, currents, ship traffic, etc. We were only at Crissy Field for about 15 minutes but we saw one kiter returned to shore by the SF Marine Police.
Hunter and Frank considering the kiting possibilities?
Although we didn’t hit all the highlights of SF, since it was only a one day visit, we did see quite a bit of the city, including Fisherman’s Wharf. The Wharf itself was overrun with people!! Even on bikes it was hard to move through the streets and weave between the tourists. I was glad to see the area but was happy it wasn’t a major part of our agenda.
Gratuitous photo of the bike trails because they are pretty.
We spent a lot of time on these pine needle strewn paths, listening to the sounds of the woods and getting a little exercise during our time in Santa Cruz. With so little time in Santa Cruz, we were only able to scratch the surface of available trails for mountain biking or hiking, but the trails we did ride were very fun and had enough variety to satisfy me as a cautious rider and the guys who are much more adventurous.
I don’t know what wintertime is like near Santa Cruz, but I wouldn’t mind spending more time here if the weather is mild. I’m not sure our Caribbean spoiled bones would survive snow and I know we don’t have the clothing for freezing temperatures but perhaps we will consider returning here before the new boat is delivered.
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Ticket to Ride 