Another cracking breakfast at Linda’s Seabreeze Cafe in Santa Cruz, California. This little cafe has been a favorite since our first visit and was a required stop this trip to introduce my mother-in-law to the uber-tasty Tropical Waffles.

The waffle is an oat and cornmeal concoction topped with what must be close to two pounds of fresh fruit, pineapple, mango, banana, strawberry, kiwi, yogurt, and a toasted coconut-macadamia-ginger mixture – YUMMY. The place opens early at 6:00 except on Sunday when they open at 7:00. Don’t forget this is a cash-only establishment; besides that, you cannot go wrong making the Seabreeze Cafe part of your trip up or down the California coast.

I should never lose the amazement created by days that began at the edge of the sea when I knew my head would take rest again in the middle of a waterless desert, but to add yet another wow factor in viewing a lighthouse at dawn, well, that is just otherworldly.

Okay, if a sea isn’t nearby to lend awe, I can easily settle on a big old lake.

Diversity of views is what I’m after, but on a day with over 700 miles of driving before getting home, it might seem a bit silly to detour into the Giant Sequoia National Monument.

Sea, snow, and sand all in one winter day put smiles on faces, and what is more important than that?

These dormant trees are not walnut, almond, pecan, or citrus, and while my first inclination was to call them persimmon trees, I can’t be certain.

If we are passing Calico, California, we are only about two hours from Arizona; heck, at this rate, we should be home by midnight.