Northern California Coast Trip - Day 2 (Santa Cruz)

Today we started the day by attending church at the ward my grandparents attended.  That was when Colton realized he had brought his church shoes, but forgotten the rest of his church clothes.  Bryan was teasing him, and Colton didn't want me to document the situation with a picture, but we did anyway.  Poor Colton!:)

After church we went up in the mountains to ride a real steam train through the forest.  The train took us through the mountains for an hour long ride.  It stopped for a short time at the end of the line, then turned around and rode the hour back to where we started.  It was a fun, leisurely ride in the open air through the beautiful surrounding forest.  It was a nice way to spend the afternoon.

While waiting for the return trip, we played a little Frisbee...

After the train ride we headed to nearby Santa Cruz to see the tide pools.  I had researched ahead of time when low tide would be.  This is always a favorite activity for our family.  It's fun to touch and search for little treasures in the sea...

After leaving the beach, we went to have dinner in Monterey at Phil's Fish Market.  This place is totally known for its seafood (it's been on the Food Network for several of its dishes), but we also found out this place is known for its Strawberry Shortcake.  Oh my crazy goodness!!  I honestly have never had better shortcake, and I am a total foodie!  Totally recommend it!