There are, perhaps, few moments finer than a sunset at Moran Lake Park Beach (https://www.californiabeaches.com/beach/moran-lake-park-beach/), a few miles south of the Santa Cruz Boardwalk (https://beachboardwalk.com) and a few miles north of Capitola (http://www.cityofcapitola.org), a sleepy seaside town. Walking down the beach, with a wispy cloud or two in an otherwise clear sky, before the fog inevitably rolls in from the Pacific, one quickly forgets that just over the Santa Cruz Mountains lies Silicon Valley and to the north San Francisco, always on, hurtling towards the sun, indifferent at times to fellow travelers.
From where the picture above was taken, the beach continues north for about half a mile; turn around and it continues for about a quarter of a mile, until it meets immovable rocks. Unsurprisingly, the beach, like most, is less than perfect, with significant undertow (at times), a few sharks (I am sure, but probably not too close to shore), and water that at around 60 degrees may be refreshing at best. Of course, this did not dissuade me from a brief swim and taking advantage of an infrequent opportunity to unplug from the world around me.
In some sense, this was the summer that never was. I am reminded of at least a few times, when growing up, I might have taken a nap in the late afternoon, with the plan to stay up late, only to wake up the following morning, refreshed but cheated from what I thought I would see or experience the night before. I had taken my last vacation in December, and the three days in Santa Cruz, while appreciated, did not exactly rejuvenate me.
That said, I did find time for my usual morning run, past the eucalyptus trees on the southern end of Moran Lake Park to Esplanade Park in Capitola, and then back, as well as first time visits to the Mystery Spot (familiar perhaps to those who have seen the ubiquitous bumper stickers) and the stunning UC Santa Cruz campus, nestled in the redwoods on a bluff overlooking the Pacific. Exploring the campus, I imagined a life in academia, replacing a cubicle (and 20+ years in the corporate world) with an office facing the majestic redwoods, books to the ceiling, a desk full of papers (but not so cluttered as to be unusable), rays of sun flitting through the canopy or perhaps the fog rolling in and settling down on the trees, present but not too heavy, researching, reflecting, writing, and otherwise contributing to the general discourse on things that mattered (at least to me). Like most, I am fond of counterfactuals, and this was one of the more interesting, and provocative, ones. I had not considered this as a viable option while in college, but my thinking on this subject has become more refined over time. Like most paths, this one is not completely infeasible.
As expected, three days was not long enough to enjoy all of my favorite places and activities, including enjoying ceviche at Margaritaville in Capitola, overlooking the lagoon where Soquel Creek empties or a tall cup at Verve Coffee Roasters, on 41stAvenue, after my morning run. In the meantime, I will plan for my next trip to Santa Cruz and make a conscious effort to take more frequent vacations.
Comments welcomed.
The Peninsula Hiking Club 