Beach Boardwalk

 Surfing cavemen?

Our day at the Boardwalk was busy and fun. We went on a pirate ship that goes back and forth. It is not as tame as it looks.

We wanted clam chowder so we got lunch in the arcade.

Okay but can I swim in it?

Enjoying tasty clam chowder as we looked at people having fun on the beach.

We also had some fish and chips.

There was more riding to do.

Look at that shark!

Mr Duffy can't wait for Shark Week.

We kept hearing about the caveman train ride, so we went on.

It's a fun dark ride on a train.

There is a waterfall at the entrance.

The log ride is in the background. It was too cold to go on today.

Is this a sea monster? Those people look sketchy.

We rode the Haunted Castle.

It is a dark spooky ride.

This was a funny chicken in the arcade. Swipe your arcade card, the chicken will sing and lay an egg. Inside the egg is a small prize or a candy.

This pirate shoots water!

We had to catch our train back to Roaring Camp, so we stopped at the candy shop before heading out. I needed to get my taffy!

Roaring Camp Railroad

 One of the big events of the day was riding the Roaring Camp Railroad. Mr Duffy and I are huge train fans, so this was a must do.

The train left the park, and drove through the redwoods. First we went through the old growth, which means they are original trees that have never been cut down. Then we went through new growth, which meant that they are not the original trees.

We went through miles of trees, and lots of other foliage.

Mr Duffy liked the wind blowing through his fur.

We went through a dark tunnel which was fun.

We still wound through some trees.

We left the forest, and were in the beach town of Santa Cruz.

We arrived at our destination for the day, the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk.

Brookdale Lodge

 After reading about the Brookdale Lodge many years ago, the hotel's haunted history invited my interest.

So I booked a room, and it was back to the Santa Cruz Mountains. Mr Duffy and I got in the car and headed to Brookdale.

The room was spacious! There was a big desk with a lamp and a coffee pod machine.

The television was a big flatscreen.

I know the rooms had a refrigerator, but a total surprise was seeing it included a microwave!

Standard bathroom and shower. One thing that impressed me was the inclusion of a shower chair.

The bed was a giant one with very comfy blankets.

And there was a lounge seat next to the bed.

Another great feature of the room was a private balcony with a pretty view.

We are going to have fun sitting out here.