Dreamy redwood forests, the goofiest pack of elephant seals, and baked potatoes

The California lifestyle is sweet, slow, and full of color. It is so colorful here. Colorful flowers, colorful buildings, colorful sunsets. The homes in our Santa Cruz neighborhood are all pinks, blues, and pastel colors with little nautical touches. Every driveway seems to have an antique car just waiting to be fixed up. The pinkest roses I’ve ever seen are spilling over our neighbor’s fence onto the sidewalk while their wetsuits hang to dry alongside them. It’s such a treat to have so many things still blooming here in November. The succulent plants are thriving and gorgeous and everywhere. Cacti stand tall in front yards between flowers of red, purple, and orange. The streets are full of life. Its mostly surfers lugging their boards to the beach, with their sun-bleached hair and sandy feet. There's an oceanside walking path just a short walk away where you can watch them, sooo many of them, bobbing in the waves waiting for the right moment to catch their ride. From a distance, it looks like there are a hundred seals playing in the surf. I’ve never seen anything quite like it. So many surfers out there in the waves, just floating. It’s a way of life though, for certain. Bikes fixed with a rack to hold your surfboard. Poke bowl shops on every corner. Somehow everything is just a touch warmer, brighter, and more energetic here. It’s like someone carefully placed a sepia filter directly over Santa Cruz. Or perhaps more appropriate, rose-colored sunglasses. 

Sunset stroll on West Clif Drive, Santa Cruz (zoom in--those little black dots are surfers!)

Family Sunset shot on West Cliff Drive

We got to explore Santa Cruz for one week with Sue and Jim! When we arrived on Saturday afternoon, we took a long stroll along the boardwalk that is a quintessential part of the Santa Cruz skyline. Its rollercoasters and Ferris wheel were stationary this late in the year, but still pretty to look at, especially with a sunset backdrop. We walked past arcades and beach volleyball courts with seals swimming in the ocean behind. There was a long, old wharf lined with restaurants, shops, and some very noisy sea lions at its end. This was where we stumbled upon a ten-out-of-ten seafood dinner I still think about sometimes.

The jetty splash that almost claimed Jim

Redwood timeline display

Exploring Henry Cowell State Park

Redwood treetops at Henry Cowell

We took a walk down to the beach and lighthouse Sunday morning, and the ocean almost took Jim out to sea. I managed to sprint out of the splash zone in time, and Matthew, honestly, I’m still not sure how, stayed completely dry. But Jim was in the wrong place at the wrong time and got totally soaked by the splash of an incoming wave against the jetty. So much for our peaceful morning stroll. After a change into dry clothes for some of us, the Patriots kicked off our day with bloody marys and game day snacks, but my favorite part of that day was the magic we found in Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park that afternoon. We took the most popular loop trail through the largest of the redwoods and we all strained our necks as we gazed at the tree tops and tried to look where we were going at the same time. Even more impressive than the height of the trees was how big around they were. Sometimes three or four of the trees would grow together and span the size of a small car in width. Some were hollowed out and filled with tourists taking shelter for a selfie. The sun was streaming through their heavy green branches at just the right angle to give our walk a touch of whimsy. Mom’s favorite part (I think) was the display they had with a slice of an old redwood trunk, cut in a way where you could see all of its rings. Each ring was labeled with an important historic event (ie: 1 AD Jesus was born, 105 Chinese invented paper, 1104 Lewis and Clark’s Expedition begins, etc), so you could really get a sense of how long these wise, old trees had been around. Some tasty sandwiches were waiting for us at the trail’s end, where we had ourselves a nice little picnic in the sunshine. That evening we decided to check out downtown Santa Cruz and popped into a brewery for some drinks and a tasty little dinner.

Whale watch day!

The crew all agreed that they wanted to see some whales, so we hopped aboard a whale watching tour Monday morning on a chilly, but sunny day. We saw 7+ whales, all humpbacks, some otters, and many seals/ sea lions. We learned that you can tell the difference between seals and sea lions by their external ears. You can see a sea lion’s ears on the outside of their little heads, while a seal has more of an ear flap that does not stick out from their head. We also became very close friends with two humpbacks that kept coming up again and again, closer and closer to our boat. They are incredibly majestic when they arch their backs and dive deep into the ocean, their tails waving a good-bye at the start of their descent. The sheer magnitude of their size left me speechless. I could have watched them all day. But, the tourboat had to get us home at some point. We explored Monterrey, had a nice lunch and found the Ghiradelli chocolate shop for a treat afterwards. 

The following day it was nice enough for us to take a little cooler to the beach. We read our books and watched the waves crash into the sand at our feet. The water was warmer than I expected, but not warm enough to swim. We enjoyed a little beach picnic and then took the short walk back up to our little beach house. That night we went back into downtown Santa Cruz for dinner and a stroll. We may have stumbled into a cookie/ice cream dessert shop.

Matthew taking in the views at Point Lobos State Park

More from Point Lobos

...and one more

Cold beer and views from Nepenthe in Big Sur

After we said our goodbyes to mom and pops, we still had one more week in Santa Cruz to explore. We moved over to the Capitola neighborhood, which was similar in its beachy, energetic vibes. Folks parked their cars on our side street, took their surfboard off the tops of their cars and hit the water. I ran along the coast and watched them surf the waves. On Saturday, we decided to drive up the California coast and see why everyone recommended we check out Big Sur. The drive itself definitely had that ‘What is life? Am I in a movie?’ kind of feeling. There were sweeping ocean views, of course, and dramatic cliffs you could see in the distance while driving the winding roads. The ocean splashed itself up against the shore sending its striking white spray into the air, ocean birds were gliding through the sunny skies, and that fresh, salty sea air felt so good in our lungs. We rolled the windows down, turned up our ‘Surf Rock’ Spotify playlist and enjoyed the ride. We stopped at Point Lobos State Natural Reserve to get a closer look at the impressive cliffs we’d been driving alongside. The turquoise water itself was a stunning display, churning constantly and splashing against beautiful rocks covered in birds. We walked through shady cypress groves and followed the shoreline in the sun. We stopped for apple, cheese and hardboiled egg snacks–we’ve really dialed in our hiking snack game as of late. And it’s on point. And after a long, sunny hike, we decided to drive up to the town of Big Sur and check out a restaurant a friend had recommended. The landscape changed surprisingly quick and we were suddenly in dense redwood forest again. I love this. The stunning California coast, but then this majestic forest so close by. We went to a restaurant called Nepenthe. The views from its outdoor space were unparalleled. We soaked up the stunning ocean, mountain and cypress tree views, while enjoying a local beer. 

Half marathon finish line at Avila Beach!

Big smiles! No more running!

That next weekend, we made our way on down to San Louis Obispo, for our next month long stay and a half marathon. We had impeccable timing and arrived on the only two rainy days we’ve had since being here. So, we ran for two hours in the rain. Rainy or not, the terrain was beautiful and it was a great way to see the town for the first time. The race took us through the streets of downtown SLO for the first few miles, past the iconic Madonna Inn, and through some quiet farmlands before connecting to a paved bike path that took us to our finish line on Avila beach. We drank our free beers even though it was 9am and then quickly made our way back towards SLO to warm up and eat breakfast! We went to Louisa’s Place, a classic diner-style breakfast spot in downtown SLO. We found two spots at the bar, somehow got our tired legs up onto the red vinyl stools, and savored the warmth of our coffee mugs on our cold hands. I had french toast and homefries and eggs. It was heavenly. Matthew had a ginormous omelette and a biscuit with gravy. This place does it right. After a shower and a nap, we went out to celebrate our accomplishment with Sean. We bounced around to a few breweries and had ourselves a day. All in all, it was a great first weekend in SLO. 

Hiking to Valenica Peak in Montana Del Oro State Park

Bluff Trail views from Montana Del Oro State Park 

Our first free weekend in SLO we stayed local and explored our new home for the month! Saturday morning we found ourselves at Montana de Oro State Park. It was a beautiful, sunny day and the trail we chose had gorgeous views of the ocean all the way to the top. We extended our hike along the Bluff Trail to check out the ocean cliffs up close and then drove up the coast a few miles to explore Morro Bay. We shared a very tasty fish and chips lunch, walked thtough town and hit up Three Stacks and a Rock Brewing. From the top of Valencia Peak earlier, we could see the three massive smoke stacks and Morro Rock, making the town easy to spot from afar. The stacks once were part of a natural gas facility and Morro Rock is part of a chain of volcanic mountains in the San Louis Obispo area called the Nine Sisters. We've hiked two of the nine so far. Morro Rock is surrounded by ocean, so that makes it a bit hard to get to the top of. 

Views from Reservoir Canyon Loop, San Louis Obispo, CA

Matthew and Sean leading the way at Reservoir Canyon

Matthew at San Simeon State Park

Ashley in her natural habitat- how cool is this tree though!?

Monterrey Cypress Tree Tunnel

The elephant seals!! Look at those big boys. (Piedras Blancas Elephant Seal Rookery)

Sunday morning we did another local hike up Reservoir Canyon with Sean before the boys went into town to watch the Patriots and I found a coffee shop with pastries to read and write this blog. Monday morning we did a little coastal drive up Route 1 and stopped in Cayucos, Cambria, and San Simeon. This drive is an absolute dream. I totally understand why everyone wants to rent a convertible and cruise down this road. The winds in your hair, the suns on your skin, and there are endless little towns to stop and explore, paths to walk, and animals to observe. We took a gorgeous walk through San Simeon State Park that follows the iconic California coastline, but also boasts a path lined with Monterrey Cypress trees on either side forming the worlds coolest tree tunnel. And then, as if that weren't enough, we saw a bunch of cars parked on the side at a certain viewpoint, so we stopped to check it out. We found a breeding spot for elephant seals! You could walk right up on the boardwalk to observe them. We saw only the males all laying on the beach waiting for the females to come and oh my gosh were they goofy! They are the most hilarious animals. They're just flopping around on each other, making the craziest honking sounds. And they're ginormous! One of them was 2,000 pounds.

We spent Thanksgiving in LA, and were lucky enough to catch a jazz show featuring one of Matthew’s oldest childhood friends in his absolute element. The venue, The Baked Potato, was delightfully unique; serving classic dinners piled on top of enormous baked potatoes. Imagine a mound of chicken alfredo cascading down the sides of the biggest potato you’ve ever seen. The music itself was phenomenal—fun, excellent, and just plain captivating. It was incredible to witness someone actively pursuing a career that so clearly brings them joy. The following day, we got to join Aaron for a round of disc golf at the very first disc golf course ever.

I usually start Thanksgiving day off with a snowy, rainy or just plain cold morning run, but this year was a bit different. It was a gorgeous 70 degrees outside, not a cloud in the sky, and we went for a lovely little hike up the Victory Trail. We got to meet baby Natalie and join her on her first ever hiking adventure! Bryan and Rachel were wonderful hosts and we enjoyed a day full of delicious food, drink, sunshine and stories. We ate Thanksgiving dinner outside, another first. Enjoyed a game of cornhole in the sunshine and wrapped it all up with some pie and a movie that night. We did another slow coastal drive back home from LA, stopping in Ventura Beach, Carpenteria, Santa Barbara,.

We're leaning into the slow life in SLO this month. Sunny afternoon hikes, slow strolls into town, and home cooked meals. Looking forward to some family time in San Diego for Christmas with the Jennings. And then...drum roll please...we're off to Hawaii!