In the warm California sun!
Jeff had a week off around Memorial Day and we loved every minute of it. We ended up spending the first couple of days working on the house and doing things for Em's birthday. Although it was nice and felt great being productive we really wanted to get away at least for one day. So we decided to head to Santa Cruz. Not to far, but far enough and filled with tons of fun things to do.
We started at the boardwalk of course. Needless to say we were all pretty excited, especially the kids. They thought it was the coolest place ever. It didn't take long before they were walking around like they owned he place.
We ended up getting the kids wristbands and got us a few tickets for the rides they needed us to go with them. The kids seriously had a blast and went on almost everything they could go on. Even Riley got to go on her first ride all by herself. We weren't planning on it but the worker offered and so we did it. There were times she got kinda nervous but overall she loved it!
Most of the rides Riley eagerly watched P and Em ride. You could tell she wanted to be a part of the action too, especially after she did ride. One of their very favorite rides is the Ghost Blaster ride. They went on that one many many times.
Sometimes I like to pretend I'm good at taking pictures and snap random things. I love the timeless look the Boardwalk has. I mean, it has been around for over 100 years. They keep it up so well considering. But I especially love the classic rides like this. I mean, look at the detail on there. They don't make them like this any more. Love, love, love it!
You cant go to the Boardwalk without going to the beach. We spent a little while letting the kids run and play in the sand. P even built a sand castle that quickly got destroyed taking out P and Em with it. They were soaked. Luckily they didn't mind too much. The beach really is our happy place.
Here is a pic of the kids on their very favorite ride. I kid you not, they went on it at least 15 times in a row. And then we came back 2 other times to go on it again. We stayed until the rides closed. We were bummed they weren't open later but it wasn't summer yet, so I guess it made sense. The kids actually did a happy dance on our way out. Not because they were happy we were leaving, just because they were happy. :) Sure to love days like this.
Instead of driving home that night we decided to stay the night in Santa Cruz. We got a little hotel which was quite the ordeal. We asked for two beds, they told Jeff they didn't have any left so we decided to just make do. Walked into our room to discover it was TINY and had hard wood floors. So we threw the kids in the bath (a must after any beach excursion) and I headed down to ask for a hide-a-bed or something for the kids so they didn't have to sleep on the hard floor. In which he told me they had rooms with 2 beds and he would be happy to move us but we had just used the bath. Grrr. So we got a mat for the kids to sleep on and luckily they didn't mind one bit. But Jeff and I were sure glad it was only for one night.
Henry Cowell Redwoods
In the morning we headed to Henry Cowell Redwoods for a little hike. It was the perfect little hike for young kids and it was BEAUTIFUL!
These trees are simply magnificent! We saw a tree stump that had been labeled and aged all the way back to BC. Crazy! The kids had fun running around and looking for the next marker. I had fun marveling at God's beautiful handiwork. And we of course hunted for Banana Slugs because that is just a must when you go to Santa Cruz. We found a few, this one was huge! Almost as big as em's foot.
After we finished the trail we decided to see where another little path led and it lead us right into Roaring Camp. We had been there once before but it was a LONG time ago. We were too early to see any trains, but the kids still had fun browsing and running around. It is such a fun place.
The Mystery Spot
Jeff had never been to The Mystery Spot so we decided to head there too. Seriously such a weird, crazy place. Jeff thinks it is all fake, but it still blows my mind every time. I mean really, how does water run up? Not to mention the queasy/dizzy feeling and these height differences on a level board.... WEIRD!
We ended up having a couple of tickets left from the day before so we decided to go mini golfing and then finish them off. And we of course got a treat too. Ice cream cone for P, frozen chocolate dipped banana for Em, and filled churros for me and Jeff. YUMMY!
We decided to take the scenic drive home and drove through Big Basin State Park. It was beautiful!
Aside from the hotel fiasco, it truly was a perfect mini vacation. The kids are still talking about it. We will have to do it again soon!
We Love You Santa Cruz!!!
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