I went to Santa Cruz

Back in the 70s when I grew up in erstwhile Bombay, now Mumbai, there was a burb where the planes flew from and it was called Santa Cruz.  It was almost synonymous to locals as Bombay's airport.  There was probably sketchy international service back then and all of domestic traffic operated on the two runways.

Fast forward to California and I found a town on the Pacific coast also by the same name.  This one named by a Spanish explorer and labeled to mean the Holy Cross (Santa Cruz).  Well actually I had found it many moons ago and have visited often but this past Thanksgiving it was another day of R&R that found the familia doing familiar things and celebrating nature around us.  Thanking the good earth for the beauty it has to offer, our way of Thanksgiving.  The only bird(s) we enjoyed were the brown pelicans on the coast.

So going back to what was special this time around was a visit to two regional parks operated under the State Parks jurisdiction.  Unlike the NPS which is responsible for humongous tracts of wild land in the continent, this is a state funded affair part subsidized by visitors like us who also pay a fee for admission.  It was worth it.

What did we see?  Well below are some vistas that show all things beautiful about California.. coast line as vast as 840 miles from top to bottom where it meets Mexico is the third largest in the US (of any states) and is amazing every inch of it.  I love to drive the PCH or Pacific Coast Highway when I can.

We visited 'Natural Bridges State Park' along the coast and then after a lunch break went east into the hills to visit a redwood acreage called 'Henry Cowell State Park' named for a philanthropist who bought the land and saved it for posterity.

Natural Bridges is so named because there were three natural limestone arches that formed when the nearby hillside eroded of which only one is left.  It serves as a home to migrating wildlife, pelicans and cormorants the most.

No lifeguard when cold

Within the Natural Bridges park is an area where the migrating monarch butterflies make home during winter.  Danaus plexippus, cluster together in bunches to keep each other warm and are a sight to see.

Within few miles of the park is a good spot to taste some good vino - I prefer dessert kind and found some port inspired late harvest zin.  Nice balance and lingering sweetness.  That along with some warm sandwiches made with salted cured meats and we were ready to take on the redwoods another 20 miles up the hill.

Porky outside a Charcuterie serving some good salami

Narrow Gage steam train takes visitors from Cowell Park to the coast

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Old Covered Bridge in the park

Good way to digest some of the protein intake earlier in the day we finished hiking as dusk settled in and then drove home glad to be alive another day!