Katie in Cali - Day 9, 10, and 11
Since it reads more clearly, I am writing this post in first-person; however, Katie and I are creating this content together. Also, she took all the pictures!
To make more time for posting pictures and video, we are consolidating the final three days into one post. When the pictures and video are ready, we’ll post them on Facebook.
Day 9. Having exhausted our personal to-do lists, Katie and I took Chris’ recommendation for surfing in Santa Cruz. Admittedly, I was a little hesitant about taking the plunge in the Pacific. What about the big waves? Will there be sharks? But, Chris (and Katie) quickly reassured me that there was nothing to worry about. So, taking their word, we drove out to Freeline Surf Shop off 41st Avenue in Santa Cruz.
For our improvised surf lesson, Chris walked us down to the edge of the water at Pleasure Point and had each of us practice paddling and standing-up on our surfboards. This seemed easy enough on the sand, but in the water it was a different story. While Chris and Katie were able to quickly maneuver and maintain great balance on their boards, I struggled immensely. My frustration peaked when I was blasted by a set of waves that washed me all the way back to the shore. A word of advice for those thinking about surfing: be a strong swimmer first! Thankfully, my woes did not last too long… after a couple more spins in the wave-cycle, Katie and I both rode in our first waves. Unfortunately, we were not able to get videos of this, but eye-witness accounts can confirm! We conquered the (smaller) waves!
Before heading back to Mountain View, we had lunch at the East Side Eatery and spent the afternoon beachside in Capitola with Chris’ friends and family.
Day 10. Katie and I both needed to recover and relax. Because of this, napping, washing clothes, and packing up consumed most of the day. However, we did get out the apartment to enjoy the local area one last time. We stopped by the Mountain View Public Library so that Katie and I could catch up on small, but pressing, school/work tasks. Then, for lunch, we made another pass at savory and sweet crepes at the Crepevine in downtown Mountain View. They were awesome!
The remainder of the day was spent sitting by the pool and in the hot tub. For dinner, per Katie’s request, we stopped by Shalala to get “real” Ramen noodles (no, they are not the same cheap ones that keep college students from starving). Katie had mixed opinions—mainly because of the fishiness of her Ramen’s broth—but all-in-all, it was success. And for dessert, more bubble tea (this time with the tapioca pearls)!
Day 11. I dropped Katie off at the airport. The rest of the day was sad and uneventful.