Santa Cruz Chronicles - day 7
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Every morning that I’ve been up in Santa Cruz thus far, I’ve woken up to my alarm so that I can get my run in before either going to work at the newspaper or Starbucks. But just because I set an alarm, and am up and going before I’m even fully functioning, hardly has anything to do with whether or not I know where I’m going. You see, I’m still in pedal-to-the-metal adventure mode. Every run is an exploration, and I won’t lie... I kind of enjoy it. Back home, I knew every run there was like every callous on my toes. But up here, I’m definitely a newbie. I may look like I know what I’m doing or where I’m going, but trust me. You are very mistaken.
I’m not sure what it is about them, but there is definitely something that draws me to trail-running. I want to say that it’s their simple yet beautiful state of being that lures me in on a primal level. But even that doesn’t sound quite right. It’s almost too difficult for me to put into words. What I can say, is that stumbling upon a new trail is like Christmas, or finding a hidden treasure. Not knowing where it’ll take me, regardless of how long I may be out running, is what truly sparks my desire for trails. Another thing. When you’re running on the road, or pavement, or whatever you like to call it, you can see what’s coming in plain sight. Trails, on the other hand, are a bit different. Without your knowing, a trail may lead you up a mountainous incline, through an unexpected gaping ravine, or through patches of wildly majestic flowers. The “not knowing” is what I think makes trails so enticing to me.
All that being said, today I ventured out my front door. It took me 8 minutes to get to the coastline, and then another 25 minutes to reach what they call “Natural Bridges.” It’s a stretch of beach, where there exists these giant rock formations in the breaking surf, which have literally taken the shape of bridges over time. Natural Bridges is a fairly well-known landmark up here in Santa Cruz. Once I reached this hallowed ground (or sand, I should say), I noticed a small opening near the sand and some trees which looked like a trail entrance. Low and behold, it was! I was ecstatic. (Picture jumping babies in your shoes). I spent the next 20 minutes of my run racing through these dirt trails like a wild animal. Literally. When there was a sharp blind turn, I got excited. When there was quick uphill, I got excited. When there was a downhill with obstacles on the way down,... yes you guessed it... I got excited. Basically, I was simply in high spirits the entire run following my discovery of this one trail. And the best part about finding a new trail, is that you can always go back to it and run it over and over again. It almost sounds like a drug addict procuring a fix. I suppose it’s entirely similar.
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Another highlight of today, was having the pleasure of interviewing a locally and well-renowned storyteller for an article I’m writing for the newspaper. The interview went incredibly well, thank you for asking. But what I would like to elaborate on, is the location at which we met, in order to host the interview. The place was called “Hidden Peak Teahouse.” It’s located just off of Cedar St. between Locust and Pacific Avenue, and let me tell you. It certainly lives up to its name. Let’s just say it took me a little while to find it. It’s ambience was serene, and the the moment I entered the gates of this place, I was immediately greeted with more bamboo than I’ve seen in my lifetime. I then began to hear waterfalls and the hushed tone of a carved-out bamboo flute. It’s miraculous to think that just off the beaten path of a heavily pounded downtown sidewalk, a place like this can exist. Now, I’m not too big into tea, but they have a fabulous deal on their “tea-of-the-day.” For a mere 99 cents, you can soothe your inner yogi with a “big bowl” of a different tea that varies day by day. Who knows, maybe tea will grow on me someday. Either way, I’m sure I’ll be back to Hidden Peak at some point, if only to soak up some of its mystical and calm vibes when I’m in need of some soul searching or thought-collecting.
Until next time...
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