A Mysterious Time in Santa Cruz

   

 A last minute change in our itinerary found us in the Santa Cruz area for a few days. It’s an interesting ride there from the Monterey area, you start to see the massive agricultural fields that California is known for. Fruits and vegetables grown on a scale inconceivable to my eastern eyes.

Yup. 10 for $1 avocados. Sign me up!

    We didn’t have much of an idea of where to go or what to do, besides to go see the coast and beaches. On our way in we stopped at a beach in search of tidepools to explore and surfers to watch, and while we didn’t find either, it was still nice to get our feet in the sand for a bit.

  

  

 

    A random discovery gave us a goal for the next day. A few states back, I think, we had passed one of those roadside attractions that claims to break the laws of physics and challenge your perception of reality. It seems like every state might have one of these, and I began talking about a place called The Mystery Spot. I had read about it as a kid, maybe in Boy's Life or some Ripley’s Believe it or Not book, and had never forgotten about it. But for some reason I thought it was in the Midwest somewhere. Lo and behold, Anne discovers it is right near us in Santa Cruz! Yes! We booked a tour for the next morning, and it was awesome!

    Part of the awesomeness was our tour guide Maurice. As a performer myself, I have great appreciation for someone who can effortlessly hold a crowd’s attention and make people instantly feel comfortable and happy to be there. Maurice was an absolute pro and had us all in the palm of his hand from the first minute until the last. Watching him was worth the price of admission alone.

    But then there’s the rest of it, the idea that you are somehow in a place where reality is turned upside down. You go in thinking it has to be a gimmick, but then you see and experience things that…aren’t normal. Gravity pulls in the wrong direction. Perception is altered. Your body feels odd. The simple act of walking becomes a challenge. It’s hard to explain, but all I can say is we all left feeling like we had just experienced something rather extraordinary.

The kids are two feet apart on a level surface...

yet when they switch spots, their height difference changes dramatically.

Anne leaning way further than should be possible.

Trust me, this felt very weird.

 

Childhood fascination satisfied, almost 40 years later!

     After Mystery Spot we headed to the Santa Cruz beach, which was sort of a letdown. It was dead low tide, for one, so no surfing to watch. Plus, it was kind of dirty and grungy. Maybe we were spoiled by all of the natural beauty we had experienced, but none of us felt a driving need to get in the water or hang out in the sand. So, we headed to the famous boardwalk, where that early scene from The Lost Boys was filmed. But a hot couple of hours there, fighting crowds, waiting in long lines for rides, and spending too much money had us headed back to the campground, ready to embrace our next adventure: Yosemite!