From Monterey we headed north to Santa Cruz, on the other side of the bay. We camped just a bit north of the city in the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains, in a town called Scotts Valley.
A few general comments about Santa Cruz before we continue. I’ve never been to the area, other than to drive through on Hwy 1 heading north many years ago. The city itself is about twice the size of Monterey, and has a significantly more urban feel to it, by which I mean, traffic is much heavier, tourist areas are much more crowded, and there are many more visible homeless people. I probably did a bit less research on Santa Cruz than I typically do about places we visit, so some modification of our general plan was to be expected. Still, we seemed to encounter a greater number of obstacles and disappointments than usual, and I suspect it impacted my impressions of the place during our visit. You may find this post less enthusiastic than my typical entry; it may or may not be an accurate reflection of Santa Cruz, but it does accurately reflect my impressions of it.
We arrived on a Friday and quickly realized that weekends in the summer are not the best time to explore downtown Santa Cruz and the beaches. After enjoying an absolutely wonderful lunch at Gabriella Cafe in the downtown area, we found ourselves stuck in really bad traffic down near the boardwalk and main beach, so we chose to surrender and retreated to the serenity of an uncrowded wine tasting room. Storrs Winery operates a tasting room in the Old Sash Mill, a former saw mill and lumber yard which has been converted to a mixed use commercial property. Their wines were generally good to very good, and I was particularly fond of their Petite Sirah, which was deep and slightly inky, as Petite Sirah should be.
Sunday morning we headed out for a hike in nearby Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park. Dogs are allowed on the paved Pipeline Trail, so Fiona was able to join us. The trail followed the path of the San Lorenzo River through the forest, occasionally connecting with a narrower, dirt path right along the banks of the river that provided water access but didn’t permit dogs.
There is a steam train that operates from a nearby park and passes through Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park periodically, traveling over the train bridge seen below. Although we did hear the train whistle in the distance a few times, we never saw the train.
Monday morning, we once again headed to the Beach Boardwalk and Main Beach, the main tourist attractions in Santa Cruz. We parked in the lot just outside the Boardwalk entrance, not knowing exactly what to expect but able to see the amusement park rides and the beach and ocean beyond. I purchased a ticket for the roller coaster, and as the ticket booth attendant fussed over Fiona, she pointed out that dogs are not allowed inside the amusement park, which means, as it turns out, that they are not allowed on the boardwalk either. She also informed us that dogs are not allowed on the Main Beach. Some of these restrictions were in conflict with the information I had gathered from multiple websites during my research, but there was nothing to be done, so we moved on. I decided to come back another time on my own to ride the roller coaster if I was still so inclined.
We continued down Beach Street to check out what we could see of the beach and the wharf, before heading north to explore downtown and an area I had read about on Pacific Avenue. Along the way, we passed some beautiful old buildings and some interesting hotels.
A few beautiful examples of Victorian architecture just west of the main beach.
This particular hotel was just on the edge of the Boardwalk/Beach/Wharf area and we fell in love with the Mid-Century Modern look of the sign and entryway awning, so I had to go inside and sneak a few shots of the lobby.
Pacific Avenue was recommended by multiple sources as the place to go to see funky shops and restaurants and do some quality people watching. We headed there directly from the waterfront area, but unfortunately we had to pass through what I can only describe as a “dead zone” which went on for several blocks. In this area, most of the shops appeared to be closed or shut down at 11:30 am on a Monday and the smell was absolutely overpowering. It was shocking to see several blocks of a main downtown thoroughfare essentially abandoned by everyone but homeless people, several of whom approached us as we walked by.
A few blocks north, things were completely different. Pedestrians were visible; a shopping mall, which looked fairly new, was open for business; the Walnut Avenue Cafe, where we had a wonderful lunch (and which I heartily recommend) had a half hour wait for tables before noon on a Monday. The contrast from just a few blocks down the street could not have been more extreme. And sad.
We took the River Walk back to our car, to avoid having to walk back on Pacific Ave. It was a much more pleasant experience. Then we drove to a wonderful tasting room in a sort of industrial park that houses several tasting rooms not far from US Santa Cruz. MJA Winery had some really good wines, and we ended up purchasing a case of a reserve Cabernet Sauvignon that was priced to move, which they will ship to us in November when the weather in Palm Springs cools. We had a great time hanging out with the owner and the winemaker. Stop by if you are ever in the area.
Tuesday was a bit of a bust. We set out to find a nice, dog friendly beach, but those we most wanted to visit were no longer allowing dogs. We ended up driving about 20 minutes to a beach that we didn’t really care for and didn’t stay long.
Wednesday was our last day in Santa Cruz. In the afternoon, I went to another winery in the same industrial park as MJA, called Santa Cruz Mountain Vineyard, which had very good wine and a great variety. In addition to lots of the more common California wines, they had several Spanish and Portuguese varietals as well. After enjoying my tasting and purchasing a few bottles, I returned to the Beach Boardwalk to ride the roller coaster before leaving Santa Cruz behind.
I took several photos with my phone of the park and the Giant Dipper, most while I was waiting in line to ride. The Giant Dipper is the 5th oldest roller coaster in the United States; this year marks its 100the birthday. It is a typical, classic coaster; the downhills are thrilling, the curves are jerky, and you can’t help but scream and giggle throughout the ride. One of the many things I still love, no matter how old I get.
The “train” comes into the station 
The roller coaster is known as The Giant Dipper 
The view of the beach from inside the amusement park 
The roller coaster as seen from the street outside
Your photos of the San Lorenzo River make it look like peace on earth. What a beautiful place!
Nolia,
That park and the river in particular was lovely.
Whenever we travel, I’m always pleasantly surprised by just how many people are out and about, visiting State, Local and National Parks. They really do get used by huge numbers of people, especially families with children. Such a wonderful investment we have chosen to make in preserving these beautiful places and making them available to everyone.
Leslie
I love Santa Cruz, but as you see, but it is in high demand in the summer. I used to have two accounts on the Boardwalk that I would service during the summer months. Yes, I have ridden the rollercoaster..it a hoot.
Larry,
I thought I would love Santa Cruz, but I think it was just a bit too big, busy and chopped up for me. I think I”m spoiled by spending time in smaller, easier to navigate places like Palm Springs and Monterey. Still, I’ll probably give it another try sometime. Just not in the summertime.
And the roller coaster was a hoot…I screamed and laughed the entire time, as I always do.
Leslie
Sounds and looks like y’all made the best of your situation and still found some nice walks, wines, and food!