February 2, 2012
I took a great roadtrip today, visiting four state parks, including two that are on the park closure list. I drove down to Santa Cruz early in the morning, getting to the beach just after sunrise. There were already lots of surfers in the water when I arrived at Lighthouse Field State Beach, where the waves were rolling in with an immense power. The sound of the waves was mingled with the cries of seagulls and the barking of distant sea lions, forming a beautiful Santa Cruz concerto. At the edge of the cliff is an old lighthouse, no longer functioning, which has been transformed into the Santa Cruz Surfing Museum. It wasn't open yet, so all I could do was try to peer in the windows.

After enjoying the ethereal light of the early morning at Lighthouse Field, I took a short drive through Santa Cruz along the coastal bluffs to Twin Lakes State Beach. This is one of the 70 state parks that are slated for permanent closure by July 1 of this year. It's hard to imagine how the Department of Parks and Recreation is planning on "closing" this state beach - it is directly adjacent to a residential neighborhood with many points of access. The beach already has an air of neglect about it, with scattered litter and overflowing trash cans. The blufftop view of the Santa Cruz Boardwalk is stunning, however.

Next I drove a few miles north of Santa Cruz, to Wilder Ranch State Park. I did a four-mile loop hike here, going from the parking lot at the entrance station down to the coast and along the bluffs that rise above spectacular secluded beaches. The hike started out going across a broad meadow, where the sound of red-winged blackbirds was everywhere. Vast fields of Brussels sprouts were in the distance, covering the marine terrace that gradually sloped up to the inland hills. After a short walk, I came upon a bobcat, nonchalantly scoping out a gopher hole. He looked up at me, but couldn't less that I was there, as he was focusing intently on his gopher hole. Then he pounced and grabbed himself some breakfast. I stood back and watched him for awhile, and he soon found a mouse den and made a quick meal of its inhabitant. Then he walked along the trail in front of me for about half an hour, sometimes stopping and waiting for me. At one point, he laid down in the grass and bathed himself, completely oblivious to my presence. Then he got back on the trail, eventually outpacing me and disappearing around a bend in the trail.

I then came to the Fern Grotto, an exquisite example of Mother Nature's work as a landscape architect. The waves have eroded an indentation in the cliffs, leaving a small pocket beach surrounded by towering cliffs. A natural spring seeps out of the cliffs, allowing a profusion of ferns to drape down toward the beach. A little bit further along, I came to another beach, with a small trail that led down it. Here I sat reading a book, listening to the waves, and wondering where my feline friend had gone. The beach was dramatic, ringed by steep cliffs of chiseled sandstone, with waves crashing onto golden sand. A great place to spend the rest of the morning.

By afternoon, it was time to head back to Santa Cruz, where I made one last stop. The Santa Cruz Mission State Historic Park is another park on the closure list, so I wanted to visit it before it was too late. I had a nice talk with the ranger at the Visitor Center, who told me that she is very optimistic that the park will remain open. It is getting some help from the Friends of Santa Cruz State Parks, a non-profit organization that is working to keep the Mission open, as part of its ongoing work to help fund and support interpretive and educational programs. It seems like little by little, we are chiseling away at the park closure list, as more non-profits step up to help out and take over some park operations.