Out on West Cliff Drive, where the views from these coastal bluffs are painting-perfect, you encounter the surf crowd. On any given day, dozens of free-spirited surfers are paddling out to ride some of Northern California's most challenging waves. Long, narrow concrete stairways give the surfers easy access to the water not far from where the waves break. On the bright, sunny day we visited, maybe half of the pedestrians along West Cliff Drive were carrying surfboards.

Indeed, this part of Santa Cruz is Surf Central. There is even a small but informative Surfing Museum where we enjoyed looking at exhibits that detail the decade-by-decade evolution of the sport. Housed in a former lighthouse, the Surfing Museum includes lots of memorabilia and examples of different types of surfboards ' some so big and heavy that one wonders how the original surfers ever managed to get these things to and from the beach.

About a five-minute drive and we were back in downtown Santa Cruz. Just another few blocks out to the beach and we had arrived at the famed Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. The roller coaster, thrill rides and buildings of the Boardwalk are an indelible part of the Santa Cruz skyline and visitors enjoy the nostalgia of visiting the West Coast's only seaside boardwalk. The 75-year-old roller coaster is said to be just as thrilling as any of the newer ones, and that has been augmented by a host of other, more modern rides. Of course there are the bumper cars, the carousel, the huge arcade and, uniquely, a broad and beautiful beach where you can sun yourself and, in summer, enjoy a dip in the ocean.

The Boardwalk area is only one of the many beaches and coastal vantage points in the Santa Cruz area. Just south of Santa Cruz, there are some scenic state beaches near Capitola and at La Selva Beach. You can carve out a few hours and take a scenic drive on north on the Coastal Highway where you'll find many more beaches including Waddell State Beach. You'll also want to check out the Roaring Camps Railroad, just a short distance north on Highway 9, where you can ride a historic steam train.

Our own drive north on Highway 9 was short but productive. Not only did we get a look at Henry Cowell State Park with its towering redwoods, trickling streams and recreation trails, but we also had a chance to stop by the small, inconspicuous wood building that now houses the Bigfoot Museum. Most days, proprietor Mike Rugg is watching the store all by himself and, no doubt, will be more than willing to share with you his many Bigfoot stories -- as he did with us.

Understand that Mike has never actually seen a Bigfoot ' at least not that he can say with any degree of certainty. But he became convinced about the creature's authenticity when he did a college term paper on the subject. While the professor gave him only a "C" on the report and dismissed his research as having as much ' or little ' validity as a UFO sighting, Rugg was undeterred.

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