Twenty five years ago we drove past this unremarkable parking lot whenever we took a scenic drive to San Francisco.
Here we are in Pacifica, a coastal town just south of San Francisco suffering under cloudy skies and 60 degrees dropping to 55 overnight. Overnight? Yes indeed, it seems this paid parking lot during the day becomes a place for motorists to rest for free overnight. Years ago we drove by, frequently, tonight we sleep here! A change…Not romantic, not even terribly picturesque but good enough to break up our journey.
If you haven’t yet experienced the joy of marine inversion this place is even better in showing you how to live in a November fog in August. Now you know why I was desperate to relocate to Florida. Every summer afternoon like this does not make me happy.
Cold sand is not my idea of beach fun. However this is another beach where dogs are permitted in a state park in the always restrictive California. Locals let their dogs off leash illegally, but Rusty was nervous in their company and stayed close to let me know he wanted to be tied to me.
We left Santa Cruz after lunch. Layne had a Chinese chicken salad with girlfriends. I had a burger with my memories.
I used to stop by Jacks burger stand before going to watch a foreign movie at the Nickelodeon theater next door. The Nick has closed, apparently permanently but Jack’s has extended their opening hours from 2pm to seven in the evening.
It was a delicious $14 lunch. The fries are thick and crisp and the burger is delicious between two crispy buns. Simple and perfect. I indulged with a cookie and soda to fuel my memories of matinee movies before videos and streaming and at home viewing.
We left Santa Cruz without fanfare after 16 days. We reconnected with friends and made our bonds stronger. I enjoyed being back after a decade away but we are both excited to be driving north. We have friends in Seattle next on the list and there’s lots to see along the way. More foggy coasts I hope, cool temperatures and gorgeous scenery.
We stopped at Pigeon Point Lighthouse, a turnout from Highway One, with a decommissioned light now run by the state parks.
We skipped the structure and parked along the beach. This was a day of light winds and low wave drama. Still, I felt no desire to swim in the frigid roiling surf.
He loved the wind and the smells it carried:
Layne took a nap while we walked and played on our impromptu stop.
Hardly any development on this coast.
I don’t know when we will be back in our former hometown but it was a great visit and we have a bunch of new memories and cheerful gatherings. After my burger I took a walk with my bud and snagged a few more pictures.
The sign above used to include “no dogs” where there is a gap. A good change!
I overheard conversations about legalizing dope and the changes that had made. All that fuss about arresting people for using marijuana and yet the sky is nowhere near falling thanks to legalization.
Old photos showing how Pacific Avenue once looked. I remember the Hihns Building.
It was a warm afternoon for Santa Cruz, over 80 degrees.
A landmark statue devoted to a former street artist playing a musical saw, Tom Noddy.
They have free tickets to attend music festival rehearsals and after Covid we would enjoy that. We knew as the Cabrillo Music Festival. The summer Shakespeare Festival has dropped spacing and mask requirements too, which was a disappointment. I don’t have fond memories of not being able to breathe and long Covid would wreck our plans.
Too many water bowls are now set out where dogs were once banned. Rusty checked them all out. California is coming to terms with pet ownership in public spaces. They used to be banned everywhere.
Covid has helped increase outdoor seating.
The Post Office used to be the location selected for protests of one sort or another. I guess the post office got tired of it and stuck up a fence.
The only other federal building would be the social security administration but it doesn’t have the natural amphitheater offered by this spot.
The Spanish built towns and missions all over the place celebrating the Holy Cross. Put “Santa Cruz” in your Google maps search bar and check how many come up. More than one!
The Nickelodeon Theater closed apparently never to reopen. I got a job janitoring the theater which got me reciprocal free passes to any movie theater in town. That was gold in the era before VCRs and downloading and winters are long cold dark and wet in Santa Cruz. Movies were my escape from my home on a boat.
Typical Santa Cruz old timer I thought. He’s actually living in an Illinois registered mini van. A hobo like us perhaps. I should have stopped to talk to him but my arms were full of cooling hamburger and fries.
More musical sawing:
The Crepe Place’s policeman has a message I shall pay attention to:
