“Always be on the lookout for the presence of Wonder."
After meeting Jimi Hunter and his wife Jennifer near Mike’s Bikes in Los Gatos, we followed them onto Highway 17 South for our half-hour ride to Santa Cruz. We parked at a strategic point and off-loaded our bikes. Bill and I ordered an iced coffee to go from a rustic outdoor cafe in a wooded area off the main street.
During our 24 miles round-trip bike ride we ventured past some of the best beaches and communities beginning at East Cliff Drive in Santa Cruz to Capitola. We rode out to the Lighthouse Point, passed the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, Seabright Beach, rode to the end of the hundred-year-old Santa Cruz Wharf to see and hear the sea lions’ echoing barks beneath the pier. We passed around the Small Craft Boat Harbor, Pleasure Point to see the surfers. We found ourselves standing at “The Hook,” one of Santa Cruz’s top surf spots. Known for its excellent waves but chilly water, Santa Cruz is a world-class surf destination. Jimi could tell you, he used to be an avid surfer back in the day. Wetsuits are an essential part of surfing, allowing people to stay in the water longer. The innovative design was designed by Santa Cruz resident Jack O’Neil. I took a photo of a young surfer with whom I had exchanged some brief pleasantries, carrying his white shortboard while walking in front of a wall mural of a whale. It couldn’t have been a better tribute and advertisement for O’Neil’s work and creativity. Eventually, we made our way to the quaint and colorful city of Capitola, located along Monterey Bay’s northern end. We stopped for photos in front of the Shadowbrook Restaurant, originally a log cabin built as a summer home in the 1920s.
Santa Cruz is filled with a diverse group of interesting people. Some of my most esteemed yoga teachers live here. Closer to the beginning of our ride I lagged behind to talk to a woman I had met on a previous ride along this stretch by the name of LeeAnn Sherwood, a local author of a provocative and coming-of-age book and a local personality. She was riding with her Pit Bull safely harnessed to the side of her bike and had stopped at a water station to fill a bowl of water for her thirsty pet. She was holding a purple sign that read: Alicia Kuhl for Santa Cruz City Council. “She's my friend and an advocate for the homeless," she said (Photo). She allowed me to take her photo. One photo I was particularly fond of taking was a colorful grand mural under the overpass of white, yellow, and red flowers with a couple looking at what appears to be their daughter and two granddaughters. I asked Jimi, Bill, and, Jennifer to pose in front of it. It feels like they just walked into the painting or it was photoshopped. The phrase, “the incredible lightness of being,” came to mind, which is how we all feel when we ride our bicycles.
At the end of our great ride, Jimi Hunter recommended the De La Hacienda Mexican Restaurant for lunch, principally because they had outdoor seating in the back with plenty of space along the fence to park our bikes. We were famished and the food turned out to be top draw-delicious. We headed to our respective cars, loaded up our bikes, said our goodbyes, and headed over the Santa Cruz Mountains for home sweet home.
Postscript: Please note the beautiful Open yellow Rose affixed to the top of a wooden fence overlooking the Pacific Ocean. It appears above a black memorial plate engraved in gold lettering in memory of a woman named Julie Kettman Smith caught my eye. She was over a year older than me when she passed on. Her epitaph which I cited below the title to this post reads:
“Always be on the Lookout For the Presence of Wonder.”
It seems to me like a great way to live one’s life and a meaningful way to be remembered.
