Santa Cruz Wharf
Once again we headed for the coast. Last weekend we made the same journey but it was way too foggy. Our plan was to visit Franklin Point and go for breakfast at the Nuevo Southwest Grill in Santa Cruz afterward. When we arrived at Franklin Point, it was not only extremely foggy but very cold. We abandoned that plan and kept driving north. As the fog was still thick, we drove inland stopping at Duarte’s in Pescadero for breakfast and then driving home. It was a long way just for breakfast!
(Click on the images for larger versions)
When we set out conditions were clear and we remained optimistic but as we approached Santa Cruz we ran into fog. We headed for the wharf where we found a parking place. Although there was fog and we couldn’t see far out to sea, we could see the boardwalk behind us. It was not nearly as cold as last week so we took an early morning walk along the wharf.
Tom immediately started taking photos and I wandered around stopping to
look at things which caught my eye. My first stop was outside the Lifeguard Headquarters, where I studied the handwritten noticeboard outside. It contained all sorts of information about the air and water temperature, surf height, wind direction and velocity, swell direction, times of low and high tides and the UV rating and dangers. At the bottom was a Comments section and there was this interesting quote - “Understand happiness is not based on possessions, power or prestige, but on relationships with people you love and respect.” Profound words.
Behind me I could hear the bark of a sea lion so I took a walk across the road and looked over the guard rail. Down below on a pontoon were a harbor seal and two sea lions, one large one making all the noise and a smaller one. I watched them for a while before I set off again.
A small building attracted my attention. A sign outside said Venture Quest Kayaking. Outside were brightly colored kayaks stored in a wooden rack. In the window of the building were notices advertising prices and also details of their Nature Tours. The latter looked very interesting. Every weekend the tours start at 10 am, 1 pm and 5.30 pm. Single and double kayaks are available and the price of $55 includes all equipment, instruction and guides. Now that would be fun, especially to get up close to sea otters.
I heard the sound of voices and the creaking of machinery and headed back to the guard rail. A small fishing boat was being lowered into the water. Already on board was fishing equipment and as the boat bobbed on the water, four fishermen climbed in, unhooked the ropes that lowered the boat and set off into the fog for their days fishing. The boat rental company was doing great business as I watched three more sets of fishermen set out.
Back across the road I spotted a kiosk with a sign which said ‘Marcella Fishing Boat Memorial. On three sides, posted behind glass windows, was a series of 14 sheets of information giving the history of a small commercial fishing boat named Marcella which is displayed behind the kiosk. The history is written by Robert Podesta, who owned the boat for 30 years. There are several photos displayed as well. After reading all the history I went to look at the actual craft. It looked tiny, almost like a model. There was a small, glass cabin on the desk but the door was so small I’m sure only a child could have entered it.
I continued my walk along the wharf passing shops selling a variety of goods loosely associated with the seaside - shell boxes, T-shirts, shot glass with sharks painted on them, Santa Cruz mugs, ships in bottles, postcards, mermaid statues, surfing signs, cuddly stuffed sea otters and whales - to name a few of the things I saw. In Gilberts you can buy a UC Santa Cruz Banana Slug T-shirt, as worn by John Travolta in ‘Pulp Fiction’. In another shop I saw a poster advertising the Aloha Outrigger Races & Polynesian Festival which is to be held here at the wharf next Sunday - August 17, starting at 9 am. Fortunately all the shops were closed so who knows how much I would have spent!
Further along the wharf the restaurants and eating places start and there is quite a selection - Gilberts Sea Food Grill, Riva, Gilda’s, Miramar, Carniglia’s, Olitas, Marini’s, Stagnaro Bros and, right at the end, the Dolphin. I remember my first visit to the Santa Cruz Wharf back in 1999 with Tom where I had calamari for the very first time at the Dolphin, sitting outside on one of their picnic tables and listening to the sound of the sea lions.
I caught up with Tom and he said he had something to show me. We crossed the road and walked down 
some wooden steps to a wooden platform where you could see under the pier. Sea lions were basking on wooden beams. I wandered how they they managed to get up to the beams and then I saw how as we watched one make several attempts to jump up, finally getting his front flippers over a beam and hauling himself out of the water. The basking places were at a premium though as more sea lions appeared and challenged those already up on the beams. It was so noisy we could not hear each other talking. A metal fence separated the sea lions from us but we were really close to the action. It was fascinating.
Time to find breakfast. As we walked back along the pier I noticed it was drizzling slightly. Not only that, but the fog was thicker as now we could hardly see the boardwalk. I’m sure later in the day, when the fog burns off, it will be really warm here but I was pleased to get back to the car.
August 13 2008 01:05 pm | Special Places
