Davenport

Like endpoints of a line segment, Santa Cruz and Half Moon Bay form a portion of the Santa Cruz/San Mateo counties coastline that makes for a spectacularly scenic drive. Sometimes, though, the belly takes precedent over the eyes, and the Whale City Bakery, Bar, and Grill in Davenport beckons for nourishment before a northern drive along the coast.

I've made this stop many times, but on this visit Mia and Jacob dragged me away from the car and across Highway One to the bluffs overlooking the ocean. Jacob had been here before, and he led us to a path that led us down across the defunct railway tracks and the cliffs to the beach below.

I think of Davenport as being a foggy northern gateway to Santa Cruz, but on this heatwave of a day, the skies were clear and blue, the air was warm, and the water viewed from the trail above looked aquamarine and somewhat tropical. The beach is ringed by cliffs with sharp edges jutting out into the ocean, and as the Pacific chews its way through the rocky offering, chunks remain stranded in the water or tunneled through by the surf and amazing cataracts of spray make for mesmerizing views.

Depending on the tide, you can sit perched on a step-like seat of stone outside the reach of the waves and watch the dynamics of the ocean as it roars its final approach from Japan. The wave dynamics are fascinating to watch, with channels between cliffs and rocky outcrops and isolated spires serving as a furious dance floor for the surf.