It's hard to believe that this time last week we were basking in the warm California sunshine- this morning I'm sitting here sifting through the photos of our trip and reliving the entire week- unsure exactly where to start. One of our favourite parts of California was our visit to Santa Cruz with our friends- my dear friend Dea knows how much we like to get outside and so had planned a tour of some classic California spots. Our first stop was to visit the monarch butterflies at Natural Bridges State Park- we followed a path down into a ravine and at first didn't see too much- then we noticed dense clumps of leaves moving- not leaves at all but butterflies!
After the magical butterfly grove we went on a little hike through the Eucalyptus trees- the smell was amazing- over the hills all the Littles trouped until we came out onto the most stunning beach. Blue skies, pounding surf, pelicans and sand that was ever so clean and soft. The jewel of this beach however is the natural bridge that has been carved out of stone by the ocean- the tide was just coming in but that didn't stop me from running out and experiencing a natural cave.
The sea life clinging to the rocks was plentiful and stunning- mussels, anemone and a variety of different kelp that we hadn't seen before- apparently this beach is also great for viewing octopus and migrating whales. The water was lovely- cold by California standards- only a few intrepid surfers in wet suits- and us- were wading in.
Of course our family could have stayed at Natural Bridges all day- between the butterflies and the beach there was so much to see and do- but breweries and lunch called and off we went. It was such a treat to have our shoes off and our feet in the water- sunshine on our faces with friends by our side- this was surely a day to remember!
I like this post. Makes me really be grateful that we have this so close to us. Trixie was so upset that day that we left so early. But she was excited for a double beach day. Natural bridges is my favourite, it's so lovely and cool in the summer, and the lagoon is warm. Although it can get crazy windy.
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