THE BAY TRAVEL

Driving along the West Coast

July 21, 2015

My main girl Tiffany is moving from the the bay to New York today. I can’t wait for the start of her next adventure (they tend to come with the best stories), but am also sad to see her go. As a way of celebrating + concluding her time on the West Coast, we decided to drive all the way down to Santa Cruz, then ride the coast up to San Francisco.

Something you might not know about me: I grew up in a smallish town at the base of the Santa Cruz Mountains, so this spot on the coast will always have a special place in my heart. Tiffany and I hit a couple of our favorite spots, Marianne’s Ice Cream and Verve Coffee Roasters, before jumping onto PCH.

Some fifteen miles before we hit Half Moon Bay, we spotted a lighthouse jutting out into the water. I suddenly realized– I had stayed there on an overnight trip with my fourth grade class. I hadn’t been back in over 13 years. So we pulled over to eat lunch at the picnic benches sitting neatly on the edge of the cliff.

After we’d finished eating, we walked down the road– I recalled an access point to the tide pools from all those years ago. We climbed down to the water’s edge and marveled at all the life washing up at our toes.

I know it looks cloudy, but it was the most perfect, warm, gentle-breeze kind of day. One for the books. I wore a soft cotton wrap dress, and Tiffany donned shorts and a loose denim shirt. We rolled the windows down for the entire drive.

Once we hit San Francisco, we decided to hop off the freeway and check out Ocean Beach. The wind was as calm as it was in Santa Cruz, which was mind-boggling to say the least. The above photo is of me– can you tell it started raining? Still as warm as ever. Tiffany decided to wade into the ocean.

Finally, it was time to back up and head home. I love that blanket– Tiffany found in when she was in Barcelona last. It was still raining softly at this point, but the sun was blazing in the sky.

Sunday was one of those days I hope are cemented into my memory of our friendship forever. There was the coast, memories of our youth, a day-long adventure, and the anticipation of great things to come. Tiffany– NY seems kind of crazy, but the right kind of crazy. I can’t wait for all that I know you’ll accomplish before I’ll even have a chance to visit!