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Culture
History, Museums, Retreats & More!
History, Museums, Retreats & More!
Happening on the Blog
The Santa Cruz Mountains hold many secrets. Spend a lifetime wandering the silent green paths and you’ll still be discovering it’s treasures after many years. The Vajrapani Institute for Wisdom Culture is a meditation and retreat center, tucked away in one of the many hidden corners of the Santa Cruz Mountains. Retreat offers a situation...
They are quiet now. Ferns, mosses, and lichens cling to their stone walls. Shrubs and vines cascade over their buttresses. Trees sprout from their floors. Nature is slowly laying claim to Santa Cruz County’s historic lime kilns. Lime Kiln Legacies If you’ve ever hiked in the Santa Cruz Mountains, you may have wandered upon these...
Land of Medicine Buddha. The name evokes images of misty mountain peaks, pristine waterfalls surrounded by prayer flag wrapped trees, and silent orange-clad monks wandering hallways of simple yet dramatic temples. If that’s what you’re picturing, you’re pretty close to correct. The Land of Medicine Buddha, based in the Santa Cruz Mountains, is an environmentally...
Discover the Outdoors
Coming into Portola Redwoods State Park is akin to entering Doyle’s Lost World. Winding down a seemingly-forgotten road, watching as the ferns and huckleberries grow taller, the human population drops conspicuously. Cell service vanishes entirely, and it’s hard not to be overtaken by a growing sense of adventure and wonder. Named for the explorer Gaspar...
Banana slugs are fascinating, even mesmerizing to observe in person. Watching one slide its way down a portion of a miles-long trail or up the side of a towering redwood is a meditative experience. However, despite their low speeds, they’re not always the easiest organisms to track down. Like a good hunter does their prey,...
Though it’s not the biggest park in the county, there are hiking, biking, and equestrian options beyond what’s described here. It’s strongly recommended that adventurers go by the Visitor Center and talk to the docents about hike ideas, trail closures, wildlife sightings, and whatever other...
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