What's New: Spring 2008

ROARING CAMP RAILROADS LAUNCHES OUTDOOR ADVENTURE PROGRAM
Bicycle lovers rejoice! Combining an eco-tourism experience with the history of the Santa Cruz Mountains and a bit of exercise, Roaring Camp Railroads has unveiled its new Outdoor Adventure Program. Geared for both novice and advanced mountain bikers, these one-, two- and four-hour cycling tours up Bear Mountain are complete with outdoor adventure guide, and plenty of scenic photography opportunities along the way. Beginning bikers or those new to exercise, can opt for a train ride up the mountain. Learn about the redwood forest, nature, ecology, conservation efforts, and local history. From there, it's all downhill! Riders can enjoy a thrilling single track downhill run back to Roaring Camp. Corporate groups and vacationers will both be able to take advantage of this new way to see the redwood trees of the Santa Cruz Mountains, learn about forest ecology and get moving.

NEW ACCESSIBLE TRAIL COMPLETE AT BIG BASIN REDWOODS STATE PARK
A new wheelchair-accessible trail is now open to outdoor lovers at Big Basin Redwoods State Park. The nearly quarter-mile level trail encompasses the popular Skyline-to-the-Sea Trail, and is the only one of its kind in Santa Cruz County state parks. The trail segment curves past a creek through a sunlit canopy of redwoods and is constructed out of decomposed granite, base rock and native soils. The trail construction has been underway for nearly two years, and is part of a larger effort to respond to the American Disabilities Act of 1990, which says that parks need to make the majestic views of California's State Parks more accessible. Other projects are underway, including upgrades on the Redwood Loop trail at Big Basin next summer and improved signage and parking at Seacliff State Beach in Aptos. California State Parks partnered with the California Conservation Corps to complete the project, with funding from a $96,000 grant from the Recreational Trails Program.

VAQUERO EXHIBIT OPENS AT AGRICULTURAL HISTORY MUSEUM
"Legacy of the Vaqueros", a new exhibit chronicling Santa Cruz County's cattle industry, is now open to the public at the Agricultural History Museum. For much of the 19th century, cattle was California's largest industry and the Pajaro Valley was the heart of it. Examples of gear, tools, photos and other historic objects illustrate a time when rolling grazing lands occupied the slopes of the Pajaro Valley and supported a profitable cattle industry. Brought to the Monterey Bay area by the Spanish in the 16th century, the cattle industry quickly became the number one commodity. In addition to artifacts, "Legacy of the Vaqueros" includes an old-fashioned veterinary table, displays showing the various uses of cattle, from baseballs to marshmallows, and video footage from rodeos in the 1930s.

WHALE WATCHING SEASON CONTINUES THROUGH SPRING 2008
Springtime is prime time for one of the greatest shows in the marine world: the annual California Gray Whale migration. The whales travel 70 to 80 miles per day at a rate of three to five miles per hour. Their 12,000-mile round-trip trek is the longest known distance any mammal migrates on an annual basis. The coast of Santa Cruz County offers some of the best whale watching in California. The migrating whales, up to 45 feet in length, can be seen "spy-hopping" and breaching as they migrate along this beautiful coastline in the nutrient-rich waters of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. In late spring, Humpback Whales frequent the bay as a feeding ground. Each year, spectators wielding binoculars line the coastal bluffs in Davenport, on Santa Cruz County's rugged north coast, as the whales pass closest to the shoreline during their travel through the Monterey Bay. Venturing out by boat, however, affords the best views of the whales - as well as sightings of sea lions, sea otters, orcas, humpback whales and blue whales. Whale-watching tours depart regularly from the Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf and the Santa Cruz Harbor.

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY SYMPHONY CELEBRATES 50TH ANNIVERSARY SEASON
For half a century, the Santa Cruz County Symphony has been enriching audiences with performances which showcase new and classic works. Hosting concerts at both the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium and the Henry J. Mello Center for the Performing Arts in Watsonville, the symphony' springtime concerts are sure to please. The performance of Mozart's Impresario Overture celebrates Symphony sponsors and donors. Chopin's romantic Concerto No. 1 will feature pianist and Grammy nominee Adam Neiman. In addition, Eastern European folk themes will be explored with Czech composer Antonin Dvorak's Symphony No. 7, considered his greatest work. The final concert of the 50th season, in May, features three major works for chorus and orchestra. Fanfare for the Common Man is a short adventure in brass and percussion. Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice supplies the text for Serenade to Music, while Escales explores three Mediterranean ports-of-call and their respective musical flavors. Symphony of Psalms holds an unusual combination of instruments, with ten double reeds and a remarkable absence of violins, replaced by the chorus. A huge romantic orchestra takes the stage in Polovtsian Dances, bringing the season to a climactic close.