Santa Cruz

This weekend my Mom, Tim, and I took Gracie to Santa Cruz for a little getaway.  We knew the weather probably wouldn't cooperate, but we wanted to get out of town so we didn't care.

As we left, we were hopeful because we set out in blue skies and sun. 

We kept busy in the car...

Our first stop when we got into town was the Seymour Center at UCSC.  It is a working research facility and is a huge bargain for the price ($6 adults and Gracie was free).  It was perfect timing as it started to pour while we were inside looking at fish, jellyfish, sharks, crabs, and much more!  We had told Gracie earlier in the week that she might get to hold a starfish when we went to see the ocean and it is all she talked about all week and then all weekend.  The free tour included going to see the two dolphins who flunked out of the Navy and now help the lab.  The even have cute little O'neal wetsuits custom-made just for them!  (No pictures were allowed because it is a working laboratory) but the dolphins have quite the personality and I didn't feel bad to see them in their pools because I know they go out in the ocean all the time :)

She had the best afternoon!  We then had to set out to find our hotel...My mom booked a suite and we were looking forward to going back maybe for naps!  Well...we checked in and took one look at the room (we are not picky people!  However, it was not nice...it was VERY DIRTY and was in a horrible part of town!) we checked right back out and were VERY blessed to find a hotel with this view...

It ended up only being a little bit more, but the fact that we could go straight down onto the beach from our room was priceless.

We had some fun in the room...

The next day we went down the wharf and saw TONS of sea lions!  My mom remembered that this was the wharf which has peek-a-boo windows down to the beams where the sea lions lay.  Gracie was in awe with the sea gulls, pidgeons, and sea lions...and then we saw a huge pod hanging out in the water off the end of the pier.  They were literally laying all over each other!

There was not constant sunshine, but with jackets and an umbrella, we made the best of the moments of sun...and headed to the Boardwalk

The weekend went by too fast...but we learned something!  If you take a chance on the weather in Santa Cruz in March you get the following-

*A "Rain Special" at an AWESOME hotel (The Dream Inn)

*An aquarium to yourself

*Touch tanks to yourself

*The beach to yourself

*The Boardwalk to yourself

*The wharf to yourself

...pretty much everything to yourself!!