After all that square dancing it was time to get back on the road.  But we only went a few miles to visit my friend Val in Capitola.  We had a few hours to kill before Val got off work, so Gregg and I went to the pier at Santa Cruz to kill some time.  Before we got to the pier we saw this old train making an excursion up into the Redwoods.

You can see the roller coaster at the Santa Cruz Pier.

This old train took about an hour to go up into the mountains.

It was a very pleasant trip.  And a nice way to see some scenery you probably couldn't see in the car.

At the end of the line was nice little tourist trap area.  It looks like it might be the remnants of an old logging camp. Or it could all be new construction.

There was a narrow gauge steam engine there,

Insert your own water spout joke here.

It was a nice place with no crowds.

Gee.   Did we get enough pictures of the water tank?

Of course there was a gift shop.

Here comes the steam engine.  You could also ride a train around the logging camp, but we didnt'.

Gregg is running to get in to the "self timer" shot with me.  He didn't make it.

Back on the big train (diesel) going down to the beach at Santa Cruz.

Enough sun for these Seattle guys.  We need the shade.

Felton is the name town where "Roaring Camp" is.  Round trip and all took about 3  hours.  It was nice way to spend the afternoon.

Here is the train back near the boardwalk at Santa Cruz.

Me on the beach and boardwalk.  My Auntie Donna took me to the boardwalk when I was about 8 years old.  Love it!  Almost every time I have been back in the area, I make it a point to spend some time here.

A few miles south of the boardwalk at Santa Cruz is the town of Capitola.  This is where Val lives.

Val, his wife Madeline and me having dinner in town.  I have known Val since our days in the Coast Guard in Kodiak (1971-1973).

Me and Madeline at their home.

Semper sumpthin.

Val was born and raised in Phoenix.  He and Madeline have lived in the Bay area since about 1980.

One of his favorite junk food items.

Val is an artist.  But rather than starve, he has worked in water treatment and air handling all around Silicon Valley.  As of now (2006) he is working for a school district.