It can be difficult to get reservations at New Brighton State Beach in Northern CA.
We were happy to snap up two mid-week cancellations about a week apart from each other. So we enjoyed a mid-week stay, went home for about a week, and came back for another stay! It is great to have such a wonderful place so close to us.
We always take the long way to New Brighton, first going to Half Moon Bay and then traveling down the coast. Here is our favorite place for lunch along the way. 🙂
The site was very wide and private.
The fog stayed away most of the day, but tended to come in late afternoon each day.
Our daughter was able to visit us for the afternoon and we enjoyed lunch and coffee in downtown Capitola. Margaritaville has good food and great views of the beach.
and Mr. Toots Coffeehouse, upstairs, makes a great Latte.
With New Brighton/Capitola as our base, we visited an apple ranch, Santa Cruz Harbor, and the redwoods.
Gizdich Ranch is famous for their apple cider and also their apple pie. It’s definitely worth a visit.
Santa Cruz Harbor is has a great beach, though it can be very difficult to find parking. Take your bike, instead. You can rent kayaks and SUPs at the harbor, or just enjoy the sun and beach.
Nearby is one of our favorite bakeries in the area. Gayles Bakery and Rosticceria is always packed, so grab a number when you enter and then decide what you want. 🙂
Just up Highway 17 about 4 miles is a Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park, one of our favorite places to walk among the giants. There is a 1 mile nature trail that takes you past many interesting tress,
including this one that General Fremont is said to have camped INSIDE of while he was surveying the area in the 1800’s. A previous fire had hollowed out the inside though the tree remained alive and healthy.
We like to take your time on the walk and soak it in!
This cross-section of a felled (of natural causes) redwood dates back to before the birth of Christ!
On your walk you may hear a ghostly whistle in the distance. That is because right next door to the state park is the Roaring Camp and Big Trees Railroad. One train takes you up into the trees, and another one will take you all the way to Santa Cruz for the day. We didn’t take the train this visit, but have many times before. About this time of the year Thomas the Tank Engine visits. We went on that excursion several years ago when our Niece was visiting with her family. Her son was really into Thomas the Tank engine and was thrilled to take a ride on the train. It was fun to see it through his eyes.
Well, we packed all we could into this trip, and each time we do something a little different. However, it was time to head home and prepare for our next RV trip!
Al & Deb
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