I’ve been gradually blogging about my California Love Book Tour from March 2013. Here’s the other days, if you missed them:   Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, and Day 6.

Here’s the details about Day 7, March 21, 2013: (Disclaimer: This post might be sensitive at end if you’re an animal lover)

My hubby Jan and I ate a wonderful breakfast again at Hobbe’s near our hotel in Belmont, California. We checked out of our hotel there and headed out for the day’s adventures.

We decided to drive through Half Moon Bay again. There’s something about this town that feels like a vortex, pulling me in. We took the roads through there to get to the California Highway 1 (CA 1), deciding to drive the scenic route down to Santa Cruz. It had been a long time dream of mine to drive down the coast, so I felt the excitement building as we drove south, stopping along the way to check out some of the roadside beaches. I can’t remember feeling more energized or alive, in all honesty. Here’s some of the beautiful photographs we took:

 

When we entered the Santa Cruz county line, I was so excited for some reason! I couldn’t contain myself. We drove past more redwoods. I was struck by the beauty of the farmlands. I have to say that’s the thing that surprised me the most about the coast of California. There are so many farms and they are so beautiful!

My hubby Jan and I drove into the town of Santa Cruz, settling on checking out Natural Bridges first. This beach is stellar and so pretty. (I had to look away at a naked guy who was changing, ha ha ha! Luckily, he didn’t end up in the photos.)

Next stop was the legendary surf break Steamer Lane. (I say “legendary,” since it was Jack O’Neill who developed modern wetsuits and surf leashes and he surfed here (Google him ‘cause he’s worth your time!). The surfers had to jump off a small cliff with their boards to get down to this break. So, in photos, looking down, the surfers looked very close. You have to be good to surf here, just FYI.

After watching the surfers there, we walked over to the lighthouse nearby that houses the Santa Cruz Surfing Museum, which portrays the history of surfing. This is a small nook of a place, but if you’re a fan of surfing, it is so worth checking out.

My hubby Jan and I talked to some local surfers about beginner breaks. An older gentleman told us about Cowell’s Beach, Santa Cruz’s main beach. Hubby and I walked down there and rented him a surfboard (he brings his own wetsuit whenever we travel). I stayed on the beach to rest, journal, and soak up some sun. My hubby said it was the most fun he had surfing in a long time. He had increased his wave count due to the rolling, consistent nature of the break and had a blast riding there. I wished I could have seen him. You have to paddle out a ways to get to the break.

We went for dinner at a Chinese restaurant on the main drag in Santa Cruz. Afterwards, we walked around, checking out some of the music stores and book shops. College towns always are our favorite places to hang out and browse. I found a great book that fell off the shelf on me about yoga and music as healing (perfect for my path!). Hubby found a neat biography about Marc Bolan. We’re book lovers! Best part was finding an awesome guitar shop. My hubby found two books he had been looking for, one on Marshall amps and one on Les Paul guitars. This store totally rocks, by the way (pun intended!). Any store that has this sign gets our vote for awesome:

After shopping, we went to Starbucks in town, walking the pier and browsing in the shops there.

 

It was a bit before 8pm that we decided to drive to Monterey, our next hotel location. It was already dark, but luckily, we have a GPS to help us navigate, which was a huge help on this trip. Driving back, it was such a shock to us to hit a deer! After living in Michigan all of our lives and even traveling frequently to Northern Michigan in the summer, we’ve never once hit one. Also, it was well past dusk when we hit the deer, just outside Moss Landing off the Cabrillo Highway. We saw a group of them and all of us on the road stopped, but somehow, the one managed to hit the front passenger side of our car. We are both animal lovers and this really upset us. There wasn’t any blood on our car and the deer was nowhere to be seen. My hubby and I were both okay, but since we had a rental car, we had to call our insurance company and also, the rental car. We ended up having to have the police come out to do a report as well (per our rental car company’s rules). It’s a good thing that we opted for the rental car insurance, right?

We were both shaken. I think both of us were confused that this would happen after such a stellar day. We felt so at home in Santa Cruz and had so much fun. What an awful note to end the day on. I’m so grateful that my hubby didn’t swerve and that we were okay, but as an animal lover, I was so worried about the deer. Poor baby. I sent the deer love and healing from a distance.

We had to do a late check in at our hotel in Monterey. We both crashed hard due to our emotions from how the day ended.

Big California Love,

Lisa Marie Selow

About Me: I’m a life coach and motivational speaker that specializes in liberating women to live more authentic, courage lives. My self-empowerment book, A Rebel Chick Mystic’s Guide: Healing Your Spirit With Positive Rebellion is published by Hay House, Inc. It’s available for sale online and at physical bookstores too. Find out more at my website: http://lisaselow.com

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