Natural Bridges State Park, Santa Cruz, CA

Santa Cruz is all about winding roads, foggy red wood forest, brooks, lakes, chirping birds, pristine nature, beaches, beaches and beaches. In short its a great place to escape from bay-area.

Natural Bridges in Santa Cruz, a California State Park. The park features a 'bridge' like rock formation and hence the name. For the hubby, 'the State Park is a over hyped placed with hardly anything to see, and are sources of revenue generation for the State'.

This is one of the few remaining arches, after the remaining two being washed into the sea.

Beach House?? ....Any day

Santa Cruz has some alluring factors. The beach, the roads, the people (read non tourists) and the sun. 

The Promenade .........

A day at the beach

Birds from California

Red Capped Woodpecker @ Point Reyes National Seashore Park, CA

All the trees along the Woodpecker trail were filled with holes.The woodpecker family had turn the tree trunk into an art-piece. The tiny spots on the body are the wood splinters after the tree was pecked.

Western Scrub-Jay @ Stanford Park, CA

Nesting Cormorants @ Santa Cruz Beach, CA

Afternoon Siesta - I

While the mother Duck quietly enjoy its afternoon siesta, the Ducklings are all over her. This goes on for hours from noon to evening. The little ones are jumping, playing, climbing and swimming throughout. Hyperactive ducklings!

Stanford Walking Tour - I

   
 Stanford tour was on my mind for long and kept getting put-off as the Hoover Tower is closed most part of the year. Back in UK when I visited Oxford and Cambridge, it was vacation time. The student led tours are suspended and also I had never got a chance to go up the tower to have a look at the University camps both times, and this time I wanted to go up the Hoover Tower and also experience the student led tour. But, travel goddess had different plans and we moved from the capital city to the Bay Area where our new place turned out to be just 12 mins away from Stanford!

Student led tour - There is always something about the student led tour -The great introduction to the highlights of Stanford's beautiful campus and more importantly the skill of walking backward and talking for an hour!

The Main Quad

Stanford Memorial Church

Hoover Tower 

 

 

White Plaza

Old Stanford Union

From School of Education to Science and Engineering Quad

From the top of Hoover Tower

 Its so enticing that very visitor, friend, relative who visits us are taken around Stanford. The vicinity, ample public parking, 8000 acres of roaming area, meager tourist population, the lush green garden, university building, ample cycling area, the maverick student population, birds, flowers, museums.......the list goes on. Adding to this, is the hubby who has accumulated a potpourri of  information from Google and our first student led tour and is a perfect guide now. What more?

But, its a must to check the calendar for open seasons.