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After some rainy days, finally the sun came out and we ventured out to find the barking seals in the dockside area of Crescent City, California. We could hear them barking from our trailer about a quarter of a mile away. We explored the dock area and could see seals and sea lions flobbed out on the floating docks. Some were barking and jostling for position, but most of them were basking in the sunshine and sleeping. The fishing season was over. Someone on the campsite had told us they had been able to buy tuna straight off the boat the previous month. Alas, we did not find any fishing boats loaded with tuna, so we had to make do with visiting the restaurant for some hot, deep fried fish and chips with lashings of salt and vinegar, but no curry sauce I am sad to report. Gorgeous weather and beautiful views! Lush!
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 On the northern tip of Monterey Bay lies the ultra-cool, hip and trendy Santa Cruz, California. We were all excited to explore the laid back seaside city famous for its cultural history of surfing, skateboarding and cycling. And of course, its utterly iconic Boardwalk. We were already familiar with the skateparks in the city as we had visited them back when Kim took his Sabbatical in 2008. Henry wanted to revisit the full pipe looping tunnel at the Ken Wormhoudt Skate Park at Mike Fox Park. While we were in Santa Cruz, Henry later discovered on Instagram that Nyjah Huston had been skating at the park earlier in the week. The last time we saw Nyjah Huston was when he was competing as a teenager in the X Games in LA and we were sorry to have missed him. Skateboarding is legendary in Santa Cruz and boardshops are everywhere.  Our adventures began on Santa Cruz Wharf, the longest wharf in America at 2,745 feet in length, roughly about half a mile, extending out into the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Really it is a very long pier but it was misnamed as a wharf due to a naming error written in to the bond measure. Typically, a wharf runs parallel to the water's edge, while a pier juts out, perpendicular to the water's edge. Santa Cruz Wharf is definitely a pier! 
We strolled past small shacks advertising fishing tours, whale watching tours, cycle tours and more. Then we hit the restaurants over looking the ocean with all the seafood options you might expect. Oysters, shrimp, scallops, clams, lobsters in tanks and the fresh aroma of salt, lemon, seafood and a hint of white wine hit the senses. We were all slavering! Then we were distracted by the barking of sea lions that drew us further down the wharf. They were loud as their cheerful chatter echoed beneath the wharf as they sat and jostled for space on the wooden frame below. They were comical as they plopped and flopped into the water then scrambled to get back up again to bask in the sunshine. We stayed and watched for a good long while. We mooched around the surf and skate shops, and we decided we had to buy souvenir t-shirts with the Santa Cruz logo from Nolands to support the local business.
Later we ambled over to the Santa Cruz Boardwalk. Before we got anywhere near it, we could hear the delighted screams of the thrill riders on the Typhoon, Cyclone, Fireball and of course the star of the Boardwalk, the old "woodie" roller coaster, the Giant Dipper. The Boardwalk was a heaving mass of families having a whale of a time. The gorgeous ice cream pastels of the Sky Gliders leisurely passed over our heads as we were happily assaulted by the vibrant sights and delicious smells of fairground food; cruzin' crepes, sweet and salty kettle corn, ocean blue slushies with bendy straws, powdered funnel cakes, deep fried Twinkies and Oreos, beach tacos, chowders, churros and floats, cotton candy clouds, soft serve ice cream "SANDaes", tater twists, walkin' waffles and so much more. Of course I could not help but to think back to one of my favorite 80's movies, The Lost Boys, that was filmed on the Boardwalk. Do you remember that fabulous soundtrack? I loved the remake of The Doors "People Are Strange" the best. 
We finished the afternoon with a lazy cuppa at Steamer Lane, watching the surfers dodge the currents and the cliffs at Point Santa Cruz and ambling around the Santa Cruz Lighthouse then up the coast a little to see the natural bridges jutting out from the cliffs. The Californian brown pelicans kept us company. Lovely lazy day. Sigh. 
We have had a restful few days here in Orange, but we still managed to squeeze in a visit to some of our favorite haunts. Henry and I adore aquariums so we headed for the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach. We have been members for years and Henry and I have done behind the scenes tours of this thoroughly modern facility that is focused on conservation, rehabilitation and protection. The facility is enormous and displays over 12,000 creatures. Our favorites are the shark lagoon, the sea otter habitat and the lorikeet forest. The puffins and penguins were the stars on this particularly day. So comical!
From a distance we saw the Queen Mary, another of our favorites. We have so many happy memories on board, particularly with my dear cousin Pippa and her family when they came out to visit, a good few years back now. She swears she met a ghost on board after getting lost on an upper deck. The ship has definitely got spooky vibes!
We went to eat at Kim's favorite place, Port O'Call Village at the fish market in San Pedro, right on the wharf. Unfortunately the whole place had been demolished, including the restaurant, so we ventured off to find another place to eat. it was delicious but not the same as picking out your own fish and having it cooked right in front of you. These pics are from the last time we were there.
Happily, we found somewhere else for lunch in the nearby Marina.
Later we went on to Cabrillo Beach where we lazed around for the afternoon. It is one of my favorite beaches in the LA area as it is a hag stone beach. Hag stones are sedimentary stones found on beaches, rivers or lakes, that have naturally formed holes in them. They are believed to have magical, protective properties that ward off negative energies and are sometimes called Witches Stones or Fairy Stones. I had a relaxing afternoon mooching amongst the rocks happily finding the hag stones.
Later we went to enjoy the sunset, fly our kites and enjoy the Korean Friendship Bell at Angel's Gate Park, up on the hill, overlooking the Pacific. Another easy breezy evening.
After our visit to Hearst Castle, we stopped at Moonstone Beach looking out over the Pacific Ocean for a fabulous lunch. Oysters, lobsters, calamari and the best cioppino we have ever tasted. Delish! Henry had a tried and trusted burger. After lunch we walked along the beach with the wind whipping at our smiley faces. Lots of driftwood to play with due to the Spring tides. We were the only ones there. Kim and Henry had to drag me away. 
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AuthorLaura Barnes is a retired educator. Mostly she loves books, travels and mischief. She dabbles in writing. 
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