• ESCAPE to Elkhorn Slough
     
    Day actually started near Santa Cruz at Natural Bridges State Park. We saw the
    monarch butterflies that have migrated from the north fluttering around, or hanging
    together in the trees.  It was a nice experience, and not something you get to see every day.
     
    We piled back into the cars and headed down to Elkhorn Slough, about halfway between
    Santa Cruz and Monterey.  A slough is part saltwater, and part freshwater.  It's affected by
    the tides, so you can time your trip so that you're paddling with the tides rather than against
    them. You can really tell the difference in a kayak! We ended up paddling up into the slough about a mile.