I Run Like A Girl

Ever since we moved back to San Francisco in April, Joe and I have really enjoyed staying in the city on weekends. After taking our sabbaticals last year, I felt done with traveling for a while and wanted to enjoy SF when we returned.

After 7 months of this, I’m starting to catch the travel bug again. Last weekend, I mentioned to Joe how I wanted to take a day trip somewhere further than our usual weekend driving tolerance, and so we planned a little day trip to Santa Cruz!

Santa Cruz is a popular tourist destination in Northern California, known for its beaches and surf culture. I have been to Santa Cruz a few times before (see my travel recaps HERE, HERE, and HERE). Each time, I usually hit up the Santa Cruz boardwalk, but we wanted to do something different this time as Joe and I agreed the boardwalk is kind of the worst part of Santa Cruz. 😛

We decided to start the day with a hike at Wilder Ranch State Park. It’s one of the most popular parks in Santa Cruz, and I visited once in the past. We chose the Old Landing Cove Trail, a 3-mile loop with scenic views of the coastline and inland farms of Santa Cruz. The weather was absolutely perfect, and immediately as we started hiking, I felt my mood improve. To be honest, I had a pretty stressful week, and a big reason I wanted to take this trip was to destress and get out of my head. Sometimes, it just takes getting out of my usual routine to generate some positivity.

The hike was gorgeous! It had a low effort-to-reward ratio – my favorite kind of hike. The highlight was the 1-mile stretch along the coast. It felt more natural and rugged than the coastal hikes closer to the city. We watched as the large waves crashed into the tall cliffs.

There was wildlife all around us. We saw pelicans resting on the clifftops.

We also saw a large group of sea lions! They were so cute. Very unique seeing them in the wild like this. We spent some time admiring them from the top of the cliff.

After our hike, we ate lunch at Cafe Brasil. This was out of the main restaurant strip of Santa Cruz, and it was nice to explore the local scene. We parked a few streets away and walked through the residential streets filled with colorful, quaint homes – truly beach town vibes. Although the cafe had an upbeat vibe, we thought the food was just okay.

After lunch, we picked up coffee at Starbucks. Usually, I don’t need a second dose of caffeine in the afternoon, but I have a second cup as a treat on weekends. Starbucks was filled with students from UC Santa Cruz as we were close to the college. Something about being around college students again made me feel so old.

Then, we drove to the campus and walked around the UCSC Arboretum and Botanical Garden. This was my second time visiting UCSC, and it’s one of my favorite college campuses. It’s super scenic and well-integrated in nature – I dream of reliving my college days here. 🙂

Given the time of year, the garden itself was pretty dry as plants were starting to wither. Nevertheless, we enjoyed walking on the trails and enjoying the massive garden. It felt good to take a leisurely stroll to walk off our big lunch.

And that wraps up a successful outing! We drove home and vegged out the rest of the day. Even though this trip took more effort than a usual weekend activity, I got so much out of leaving the city. I woke up feeling even more energized than usual today. Sometimes, a change in scenery is all you need. 🙂