Overnighter along the Highway 1 coastline near Santa Cruz, California

A drive “over the hill” takes you from the hustle and bustle of Silicon Valley to the lively coastal city of Santa Cruz, lined with forested mountains and surf-ready beaches. With my Gerber Gear ComplEAT Camp Cook Collection in tow, I headed through the windy Highway 17 for an overnight trip.

Day 1:

I was able to get a head start on this trip ahead of my friend who would be meeting me in Santa Cruz after finishing up work, so I planned a few stops to get and prep my groceries on my way out to the coast!

Stop 1: I made sure my belly was full before shopping for food (always recommended so you don't overdo it at the grocery store) by stopping at Far West Fungi. It's a fun eatery and shop inspired by everything mushrooms! I enjoyed the Nashville Hot Sandwich made with lion's mane mushrooms. I took my time enjoying it at the bar seating and browsed the shop full of tinctures, mushroom jerky, pasta, and other unique curated finds.

For our camp dinner that we'd be cooking later, I picked up a frozen porcini ravioli which was perfect to store in my cooler for the rest of the day, white truffle oil, candy cap mushroom cookies, and spicy tree oyster mushroom jerky to snack on the drive up the coast.

Pro-tip: There’s a water station available here and a clean bathroom so it makes for a nice on-the-road stop.

Stop 2: Staff of Life (just two miles from Far West Fungi) is an independently-owned grocery shop with unique finds. I love to stop by here as it has a plethora of bulk bins for stocking up on various cooking oils, herbs, snacks, and grains.

The staff is friendly and always helps me navigate to the exact ingredients I was looking for. They bake their bread fresh every morning, so I picked up a sourdough multigrain loaf, along with the rest of the ingredients I needed for dinner and lunch on the road.

Stop 3: After the grocery store, I was able to snag a last-minute campsite at Henry Cowell State Park Campground which was only about a 12-minute drive from Staff of Life. The drive quickly goes from the city to a quiet forest where you may not have phone reception. I managed to get some cell reception to tell my friend which campsite to meet me at!

The plan was to walk over from the campsite to Observation Point for an evening stroll but my friend navigated to the visitor center instead of the campground and the confusion got our dinner plans off to a late start (if you plan this adventure, I'd recommend downloading an offline map from the Outbound app that can help you navigate your adventure if you have no service). That wasn't necessarily a bad thing though, as cooking in the dark is always a fun experience and an adventure in itself! Headlamps are key, especially in this campground, as the tree cover prevents any light from the sky or neighboring cities from coming in.

We started dinner by filling the ComplEAT Saute Pan with water from our reusable jug which I had refilled at one of the campground spigots to cook the ravioli I had bought earlier in the day. This pan worked perfectly, as we didn't have to use as much water as you would in a traditional large pasta pot. Each of the ravioli still had plenty of space to tumble in the boiling water. I especially love the silicone folding handle on the lid cover which makes it easy to pick up. These tiny details save crucial storage space in my car camper.

From the handy ComplEAT Utensil Set, we used the Dual-Sided Spatula which was sturdy and a nice compact size for storing in my car camper. Once the ravioli were done we drained the pot using the lid of the Saute Pan which has holes for steaming, or, in this case, draining. We topped it off with the white truffle oil and fresh basil from Far West Fungi and added salt and pepper to taste.

Then it was time to add some fiddlehead ferns. After rinsing them and allowing the wastewater to run into the fire pit we blanched them in the same pan and used the Dual-Sided Spatula to cut a slab of butter to stir in. We added some seasonings and then pan-seared the fiddlehead ferns, which made them taste like a cross between asparagus and broccolini.

While chowing down on the deliciousness, we simultaneously started to warm up the candy cap mushroom cookies on the ComplEAT Griddle. Candy cap mushrooms have a lovely warm scent of maple or burnt brown sugar and are used to flavor things such as baked goods or ice cream. It was the perfect nightcap to end our evening.

Day 2:

Stop 4: The next morning we went to check out Verve Coffee on Bronson St. There are a few locations of this Santa Cruz staple coffee shop but we went with the one closest to our next stop. The citrus cream coffee and ham-and-cheese croissant were both delicious!

Stop 5: After sitting outside under a shade structure and enjoying the treats we took a short 3-minute drive to the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History where we learned from their current exhibit about the Cotoni-Coast Dairies National Monument, a property acquired by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in 2014.

The BLM, in collaboration with the Santa Cruz Mountains Trail Stewardship, is building recreational trails that will be open to the public soon. See more trail building with SCMTS here. The Museum has a great gift shop for browsing and hosts community events, including illustration, photography, gardening, and paleontology. The building is located close to the ocean if you'd like to stop by the beach as well.

Stop 6: We couldn’t complete the trip without seeing the incredible coastline this area has to offer! We headed north up Highway 1 to Shark Fin Cove which is a great place to practice photography (it’s pretty hard to get a bad photo here!).

What I love about this stop is that it’s easy to get to one nice view after another and it has a variety of experiences to choose from. You can take a walk up along the cliffs for a top-down view and see the infamous shark fin shape or enjoy sand between your toes and have a beach day surrounded by breathtaking rock structures and lush blue waters.

The waves were calmer than I had seen previously but you must always proceed to the water with caution as it can be treacherous. There is no lifeguard on duty and no restroom here but there is a garbage and recycling bin available. If you need to take care of business please dispose of your personal tissue properly instead of leaving it in nature.

Stop 7: After soaking in some sunshine along the trails we completed a 20-minute drive further north where we took a lunch break at Bean Hollow State Beach which has picnic tables within easy access just a few steps off the parking lot with a view of the beach.

The area was a bit foggy and presented a stark contrast in weather patterns from our previous location.

We made an *elevated* grilled cheese on the freshly baked sourdough bread. We poured water on the produce bag to wash the basil inside and laid out the basil on the upside-down Saute Pan lid to dry, then used the bag to collect our garbage. 

We sliced some apples with the very sharp Paring Knife from the ComplEAT Knife Set to snack on while we assembled the grilled cheese. We also used it to slice some blackberries to add a touch of sweetness and texture to the sandwiches.

The Dual-Sided Spatula made for a nice butter knife to prep the bread for the Griddle. We packed the sandwiches with goat cheese, the sliced blackberries we prepped, and mozzarella cheese with a bit of the leftover basil. I like using bandanas instead of plates for simple meals outdoors like this as after I am done eating off them I can use them to wipe utensils clean, shake off the crumbs, and store them easily in the laundry bag in my car camper. This saves so much time when cleaning up a picnic spot.

After toasting the bread on the Griddle to melty perfection we used the Serrated Knife to slice them up and picnicked on the beach to the calming sound of the waves.

Pro tip: There are port-a-potties and garbage receptacles at this location so it makes for a useful road trip stop.

Once we cleaned up our picnic area (leaving no trace behind) and got our toes wet in the chilly water, we made our way back south.

Stop 8: We couldn't resist one more quick stop for gorgeous views (and the restroom) right off Highway 1 at Pigeon Point Light Station State Historic Park which is currently undergoing some construction but is still open to the public. While the view of the lighthouse was obstructed by the construction scaffolding, it was still a beautiful stop for peaceful views of the Pacific Ocean and the green rocky landscape. This is another great place for a picnic as several wooden tables are available.

This site holds a special place in my heart. As a child I came here for a field trip that truly changed my life for the better, making me appreciate our natural environment at a young age. I still vividly remember learning about scat. The passion my guide had for studying animal excrement was infectious and made learning so fun! He could tell us a whole story about an animal just by looking at its scat that we would find along the trails leading up the coastal mountains. If we had more time, there are wonderful trails just across the road and up the mountains to explore. Finally, we made our way back to Santa Cruz where my friend’s car was parked and while he was reflecting on our trip, he said that he felt inspired to spend more time outdoors!

Can’t forget packing list:

1) Gerber Gear's ComplEAT Camp Kitchen Collection
2) Reusable water bottle + Water Jug
3) Reusable grocery bags
4) Camp stove + gas
5) Bandanas (to use as plates, placemats, napkins, etc...)
6) Cooler
7) Headlamp
8) Downloaded offline maps - the Outbound app is handy for these.
9) Toothbrush + toothpaste
10) Layers for moody coastal weather

Follow along with more of Christine's adventures on her Instagram: @xtine.lotus and at her website: ChristineLa.com