California road trip day 7 - Day of The Bridge

Crystal started her day optimstic with the only option available in this little cabin, Folgers.  I sat on the couch facing the ocean watching the sun come up. A beautiful bird popped his head in! 

I did a hard pass on the Folgers.  Crystal made a valient effort and 2 sips later the optimism died and we set off to find real coffee. We found a place very proud of their pour over, so proud they used enough coffee for a full pot for every cup!  I drove while Crystal tried to sip her death cup.  It was black and angry.  The view of the river next to highway 1 was fabulous, however! 

With all of the twists and turns, Crystal was churning and turning green.  I gave up on the coffee and was running on pure adrenaline as I put my car into sports mode plus going around all of the curves.  I really enjoyed the winding road overlooking the cliffs as we drove south towards San Fransisco.  The rolling hills next to the bay were covered with fog. 

We were looking for the golden gate overlook but I missed the turn so I drove over the bridge while Crystal watched.  All we could see was the bridge peaking out of the fog.  

After we drove across, Crystal convinced me we should just drive over again since I wanted to watch while she drove and I really wanted to see the bridge.  So back we went, and this time we stopped at all the stops!  

We drove through the city and down the coast towards Santa Cruz.  Leaving Santa Cruz was magical.  We were listening to old school California hip hop with the windows down as we drove down the changing landscape.  

Every day has been different.  Each part of California is magical in it's own way, but the views north of Santa Cruz were some of the most amazing.  

We checked into our hotel in the cute little town of Santa Cruz, right by the boardwalk.  

We had made plans to go to dinner with Kevin and Beth, some of my best friends from collage. The invited us to one of their favorite little places called Bella Saratoga in Saratoga California.  The streets were decorated with twinkle lights and a little bit of halloween fun!  

We started with an artichoke.  Crystal had never had a fresh artichoke before.  She started with gusto.  After I quietly googled if eating a whole artichoke leave would kill you, we ordered our main course.  

We had amazing wine and the beef short rib on a mountain of polenta and brussel sprouts which is Kevin's favorite.  I had so much fun catching up! We all split a tasty tiramisu and Crystal ordered a cappachino, she was in rapture.  Finally a good cup of coffee!     After the restaurant closed and they kicked us out.  We chatted as we walked back, forgetting to get any pictures.  We had a great time and we would love to host them in Texas should they ever want an adventure (hint hint!). 

We drove back to the hotel and went to sleep, another fantastic California day.