After packing up the condo and starting the trek home the plan was to stop off at Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk so the kids could go on rides and have an exciting day by their standards. This time the forecast was on the money – they called for sunny skies and it was a great day to be in Santa Cruz!
Christian is a daredevil but every now and then you see his cautious side come out. He claimed to want to try certain things, but I wouldn’t let him try the more extreme rides – he has plenty of time to grow into them. Of course, I’m not a fan of rides myself but I’m not letting that keep him off of them. I want him to enjoy them so I’m glad Ken, Kelsey and Evan were going on rides and would take him along.
He did not want to go on the Pirate Ride, but with Ken, Kelsey and Evan going, and the reassurance that this Pirate Ride just swings back and forth and does not go upside-down he gave it a whirl. Everything started smooth and he was having a ball with it… And then it got to the high point on either side of the ride and report from Kelsey is that’s when Christian started chanting “Don’t be scared, don’t be scared, don’t be scared” over and over to himself. Apparently it worked as he got through the ride without tears and came off wanting to do it again!
He went on all of the roller coasters there, various track rides where the cars spin quickly around in a circle and then they go backwards around the circle. We walked from one side of the park to the other, stopping at our cars in the middle for a lunch break, riding rides and having fun. It was another great day…
When we were all done at the park (including a few extra rides on the Pirate Ship) we trekked back home. It was another great vacation.
If interested in staying at Pajaro Dunes we can recommend Pelican 63 (http://www.bestpajarodunes.com). It’s a nice place, near the beach, has almost everything you need. It worked out well.