Capitola: Roller Coasters

Time to wrap up the Capitola getaway weekend.  No waves, plenty of food, and finally: roller coasters!

The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk has been there forever.  Growing up, I remember hearing ads on the radio hyping parties at the club, Cocoanut Grove(sic).  I remember the end of their jingle--"At the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk / in the warm California sun."  Even our coke cans had dollar-off coupons for the all-day rides bracelets or something like that.  I competed at Santa Cruz State Beach in open water swimming and paddleboard races, right at the base of the Boardwalk year after year growing up, and I still don't think I had ever been TO the Boardwalk before!

Something about the Boardwalk seemed playful and irresistible on Sunday afternoon, after we were full from brunch and lamenting the lack of waves.
(Actually, why did we think roller coasters sounded like a good idea when we were full from brunch?)

So we actually started with a game of mini-golf.  The theme: PIRATES.  I love pirates. I was totally on board.  We picked up our clubs and glow-in-the-dark golf balls and hit the pirate ship.

Will beat me, but I think I held my own okay.  I was loving the hilarious details of the course.  This is a pirate mannequin who climbs up and down this ship rope:

Three of the holes were in the dark, in the hold of the ship.  Good thing for glow-in-the-dark golf balls!  My stripes glowed in the dark like a pirate shirt, so I fit in perfectly with the rest of the crew.

Sinking pirate

 After I lost mini-golf, we bought tickets to ride the Giant Dipper and the Fireball.

The Giant Dipper was thrilling and terrifying.  I quickly brought my hands from up in the air, down to grab securely to the bar in front of me, and I didn't let go.  I love scary roller coasters, but that one was really scary.  

After letting our stomachs settle for a few minutes, we lined up for the Fireball.  This ride was not terrifying, but it was really thrilling.  Going upside down and spinning around was incredibly fun.

I'm so glad that after so many years of hearing about the Boardwalk, I finally got to ride.  We had a blast!

And the people-watching was amazing, as you might imagine.
Fun weekend.