Sunday Morning in Santa Cruz

We went to Santa Cruz the other morning to go for a walk. There is a trail that runs from downtown by the boardwalk up a few miles to the north, along the coast the whole way. It was a beautiful day and we got there just as the fog was heading back out into the ocean.
We ran a couple miles, then walked down to the boardwalk, and to the end of the pier, and split an order of fresh calamari before heading home. For us it is a great half day trip to get away, and do something fun (and inexpensive).
There were tons of people out and about, and the beaches were packed with volleyball players, families, and picnic-ers.
I don't really go to the beach here much. It's not because it's not beautiful...but I think I already fell in love with a beach and an ocean, and it happens to be in South Florida. There is certainly nothing "wrong" with the Pacific or the California coast, but it's just not quite the same, and I don't feel as drawn to it as others might. (I do love the Sierra that way though. They are "my" mountains.)
But even so, I can't help but feel in awe of the seals and otters, the HUGE beds of stinky kelp, and the bluffs that hang over the ocean and offer such marvelous views. And Monterey Bay itself is quite pretty, and framed on three sides by mountains. You sometimes get the feel that you are looking across at islands. And of course the cool breeze off the ocean when the rest of the Bay Area is sweltering in the triple digit heat of mid-summer seems almost miraculous.
Here are a couple pictures from out Sunday outing:)