 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|||||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
|
|||||||||
Incredible views as the tracks wind along the coast.
Adventures
RailWalk - Santa Cruz Railroad – Only the Best Parts!
A Rare Chance to Walk the "Sexier" Parts of the Santa Cruz to Watsonville Railroad Line and get a Railroader's Eye View of Santa Cruz County
Sunday, May 20, 2012
8:00 AM – 6:00 PM
To Register – click here
Total Distance Walked During the Day – approx. 6 miles
Fee: $65.00 – includes space on the motorcoach, drinks and snacks
Hop on – Hop Off Bus Style Adventure
A Hop-On/Hop-Off Opportunity to experience the 21-mile section of railroad between Santa Cruz and Watsonville. We will explore the history of the railroad, its original construction and the Chinese railroad workers who risked their lives to build it. Then, the importance of the railroad in the development of Santa Cruz County, how it moved into Southern Pacific ownership and then to Union Pacific. We will bring the story as up-to-date as possible, including the scheduled acquisition of the line by Santa Cruz County.
A rare view of Chinese railroad workers building the branch through Pacific Grove. We've yet to find a similar view of them working on the Santa Cruz Rail Road, though we know they did, at a great risk of life and limb.
The Redman-Hirahara House – We won't always confine ourselves to just the railroad tracks, and if time we'll discuss this house too.
The Jupiter on the Santa Cruz Rail Road Trestle that spanned Capitola. Much of this part of the trestle was eventually filled in.
The Smithsonian Discovers the Santa Cruz Rail Road! We will include the story of how the Smithsonian came to be interested in the railroad and used it to lead off their monumental exhibit in Washington D.C. You can explore that exhibit virtually – Santa Cruz County gets famous! www.americanhistory.si.edu
What is the route we will take? We will begin in Santa Cruz at the Boardwalk, load your personal gear (lunches/liquids) on our bus, and then set out, hiking segments of the line, and being ferried by our modern motorcoach skipping some of the less-interesting stretches. The bus will have an on-board restroom. We will conclude the day in Pajaro, at which point our bus will ferry the group back to Santa Cruz. We will also do a pick-up and drop off at the Watsonville Center, and at Cabrillo College campus, Parking Lot F, Aptos.
How Far Will We Walk? It will depend on the group, and the speed and distance it can travel. The most we will walk will be an aggregate total of 6 miles. But, we will have breaks as we're being shuttled on the bus. If you get weary, you can ride the bus for a stretch and catch your breath.
Not Appropriate for Children: This adventure is designed for adults over 18 years of age.
Physical Requirements: Participants must be able to walk on uneven ground at a reasonable pace. We will stop periodically and get back on the bus to be shuttled to the next interesting segment. There is a restroom on the bus.
Problems with heights? We will encounter several trestles during the day. We will provide a warning about upcoming trestles and you can opt-out of those segments and stay on the bus to the next stop.
Pick-up and drop off locations and times: We use the Discovery bus charter company of Castroville – they're the best. So, here's what we've arranged. We will return to all of the pick-up locations. See below.
Pick ups
7:30 AM – Pick up at the Cabrillo College Watsonville Center – 318 Union St. (unmetered parking…)
8:00 AM - Pick up at Cabrillo College, Aptos – Parking Lot F - Parking is free on weekends.
8:30 AM – Meet at corner of Beach Street and Third Street, Santa Cruz. Parking is metered and enforced. You may either park in Boardwalk paid parking lots, or along Third Street – which is metered. The meters take quarters only and the cost is $1.50 per hour. You'll need at least 9 hours. Bring lots of quarters.
Then the day's hopping on and off across the county. Locations will depend in part on the group's level of energy.
Drop Offs (estimated) We will do everything we can to hold to this schedule, but there are lots of variables, including traffic, etc. Be flexible.
5:15 PM – Drop Off at Cabrillo College Watsonville Center
5:40 PM - Drop Off at Cabrillo College, Aptos
6:00 PM - Drop Off at Santa Cruz
Stuff to bring:
• Dress in Layers – You will be able to return to the bus periodically, so you can jettison warmer clothes as the day progresses.
• Sunscreen, hat, sunglasses – Always a good idea.
• Comfortable Shoes – Something to support your ankles as the ground alongside the tracks (and the ties themselves) are uneven.
• Lunch – You will be able to stash coolers, etc. underneath the bus, so you can bring as elaborate a lunch as you wish.
• Snacks and a daypack – In case you get hungry during one of the segments.
• Liquids – Always a good idea to have water or your favorite beverage with you.
• Patience and Flexibility – Always important in a Lydon adventure.
Books you might read ahead of time:
The railroad literature for the Santa Cruz Rail Road is pretty extensive. Here are some titles you might wish to explore ahead of time:
• The Birth of California Narrow Gauge: A Regional Study of the Technology of Thomas and Martin Carter, Bruce MacGregor, Stanford University Press, 2003. This is the Bible of local narrow gauge railroading. It is a huge, expensive book, but anyone with a serious interest in the subject, must have this book. The Santa Cruz Rail Road is scattered through the book, but primarily in Chapter 6.
• California Central Coast Railways, Rick Hamman. Published originally in 1980. Revised, updated and republished by Otter B. Books, Santa Cruz, 2002. Hamman's book has a good description of the Santa Cruz Rail Road story in Chapter 1.
• Chinese Gold: The Chinese in the Monterey Bay Region, Sandy Lydon, Capitola Book Company, 1985, new edition, 2008. See Chapter 4 for the regional railroad story. The focus is on the men who did the work.
To Register click here
< Back to Adventures