California Dreaming — Part Two

The next day, we drove to the Natural Bridges State Beach and Park. It was extremely foggy, so we could barely see the natural wonder. We walked to the beach to see a naturally occurring arch made of rock. There used to be three, but now only one stands. We also got to see some tide pools.

Then we walked back onto the Natural Bridges Monarch Trail. There was an informational plaque that gave information about the monarch butterfly’s migration and life cycle. Apparently, this park is where a lot of butterflies gather every year in the fall to escape the cold northern states. In January or February, the butterflies leave the park to embark on their 1,500 mile migration to the western states. We were at the park in June, and I cannot remember whether or not we saw any butterflies there.

We then drove down the coast stopping every once in awhile when we saw an open parking spot to look at the pretty views. It was still very foggy, so we were hoping the fog would lift so David could try surfing again in the afternoon. We tried to visit the Santa Cruz Surfing Museum, but it was closed. Their website said they would be open, so that was disappointing.

When we got back to our hotel, the fog had lifted enough for it to be safe for David to go surfing on his own. While he surfed, I enjoyed the hotel pool all to myself by swimming and reading my book. David survived surfing on his own and we went back out to the wharf for dinner.

The following day, we drove to the Seymour Marine Discovery Center where we saw jellyfish, a skeleton of a whale, and other sea creatures. We also got to touch a shark, and it was swell! It actually was a swell shark! And we got a sticker confirming this feat! We also learned that whale vomit is used in some perfume! It’s called ambergris, and it makes scents last longer. It might not necessarily be vomit, but it’s an animal byproduct of sperm whales, that scientists think pass with fecal matter. Sounds gross! I do not buy perfume often, but if I do in the future, I’ll make sure I don’t get perfume with ambergris in it! We then went on a short tour of the center to learn more about their research.

Afterwards, we drove to the Big Basin Redwoods State Park. It was extremely hot out. Some of the trees looked like they had been burned. Apparently a fire had come through the forest earlier in the year. We then drove to a hotel in San Jose where we dropped off our rental car and prepped for an early flight out the next day back home.

We really enjoyed our vacation, and it was nice that David got another chance to go surfing! He did find a place in Indiana where a park has a flow rider that he can use to go surfing. It’s not the same as surfing on a real wave, but it’s a good substitute until we travel again to a beach!