A walkabout

Hello,
As of this update I have been in Santa Cruz for a month. I have gotten settled into the house properly, taken a nice (and lucky!) job at a Patagonia outlet (a cool place with awesome people, more pictures to come), and have spent a good deal of time walking or biking around town. Santa Cruz is all and all and pretty small town and from our place on Pearl Street I can walk to just about anywhere within an hour, and bike just as about as fast as I can drive (huzzah for Cal's bike friendly roads). So, to save money and to get into summer beach swimwear shape, I have shunned the truck and have used green alternatives to getting around. The photos on this post are from a typical walk down to the Lighthouse and back from the house, about a 3 mile round trip. And like so many days since I've been here (and all on the west coast know what I am taking about) it was a cold and wet day. The first shot is of the eastern side of the Boardwalk (an historic family amusement park) from the tressle bridge crossing the San Lorenzo River (which runs through SC).




On the other side of the tressle bridge, a look at the famous wooden roller coaster - the Big Dipper. No, I haven't ridden it yet but it looks awesome.

















Keep on going a mile down the beach, past the boardwalk and the dozens of volleyball courts, and up west cliff and you come to a wide walkwalk overlooking the wharf and Cowell's break. This is where I went surfing for the first time. Cowell's is the beginner's break in town and I was lucky enough one day to be offered a free board and wetsuit rental. I said "hell yes, please!" and walked it down to the beach looking very fine in my tight wetsuit and longboard. After that point, I'm afraid the coolness stopped as I proceeded to learn the hard way how to surf by getting thrashed (well, as much as you can on waist high waves) and then not making that mistake again. However, by the time I was too tired to paddle anymore I had successfully stood up several times and even executed a small bottom turn. Not bad for teaching myself. It really was an awesome time and I've met a few people since then that have offered to take me out again, but the opportunity has not been there yet. Hopefully I'll snag someone to take some shots.




The end of the wharf. I like to walk down to the tip of the wharf and look down the holes cut in the decking to see the sea lions perched on the platforms. They climb up there when the tide is in and then relax while the tide is out.
















Continue walking down west cliff and you come to Lighthouse Point and the famous surf spot, Steamer Lane. Anyday there will always be someone out there surfing, and its fun to go hang out and watch the action, though hear that the surfers call them vultures. The Lighthouse is actually a surfing museum and along the walkway there are memorials to both those that have died surfing Steamers and those who have excelled at it.



And here's a set at Steamer. Looks like so much fun.....









A few other updates:
* I have registered for summer school at UCSC and am now working the dance to find the best hours for work and school.
* Just the other day I rode my bike up to Henry Cowell Redwood State Park and walked among the famous redwood grove. A beautiful place.
* Right now I am at a fellow Patagonia employee's residence catsitting. I'm using her wireless and it is amazingly fast for uploading pictures. Not a wild Friday night in Santa Cruz, but I have to work in the morning and was up late last night having a dinner party with a few friends. Only in California will you work 4 hours to make and eat organic lasagna (It was delicish).

All for now. Take care!

Erin