My mom enjoyed her Monday visit to the coast so much we went again! We began with a trip to a local grocer, Robert’s in Woodside, where we picked up sandwiches and drinks for a picnic. Then we drove out along State highway 84 to Highway 1, turned left, and headed toward San Jose.

Our first stop was at Costanoa, a family camping area where we go with the kids each year. We did a quick tour, used the restrooms (or “Comfort stations” as they are called, and took a selfie next to the tents we stayed in a few weeks ago:

Back on the road, where we stopped at a pull off along the coast for this lovely view:

Then it was on to the main event… a picnic! We looked at a few spots along the way and ended up settling on the bench on a little spit of land at the very western end of Cliff Dr in Santa Cruz, right next to Natural Bridges State Park. It was magnificent, with 180+ degree views of Monterey Bay. We sat there for about 90 minutes, enjoying our sandwiches and the views. Mom even did some her daily exercise on the path along the coast!

Finally, we loaded up the car and drove back, staying up in the mountains as long as possible enjoying this magnificent view of the Bay Area from San Francisco all the way down to San Jose: