Sleeping In The Santa Cruz Redwoods
Brandon knows how much I love treehouses. I talk incessantly about building one in our front yard and living in it. What’s more magical than being high off the ground and surviving like every moment is an adventure? While Brandon does not share my desire to actually LIVE like Robinson Crusoe, he was happy to humor me for one night in the Santa Cruz mountains, surrounded by old-growth redwoods.
Some treehouses on Airbnb are super luxurious, several stories tall, include state-of-the-art kitchens with granite counter tops, and are close to local amenities, restaurants, what have you. Those treehouses sound great, but let’s be honest with ourselves – are you getting a true treehouse experience? I’d say no.
The Airbnb treehouse we stayed in took care of our basic needs without going over the top. Deep in the forest, our treehouse was a 5-minute walk from our car, so we truly felt secluded from the bustle of the bay area, alone in nature. This feeling was only intensified by the trees growing in the living room and bathroom, just an arm’s length away. A private 103 degree hot tub bubbled for us up the hill – a small luxury we savored on that brisk night.
I love any type of treehouse, anywhere, anytime. But there is something special about the Santa Cruz redwood forest. High up on the mountain, we could see the glistening ocean past the treetops as we drove up and parked. Our hostess for the evening, named Mary Jane (I’m not kidding), welcomed us amidst a cloud of fragrant *ahem* smoke from her cozy porch. That’s Santa Cruz for you. Don’t worry, it’s legal here.
The journey from the beach to the treehouse had taken less than half an hour, but the feeling of solitude was vast and comforting after a long week at work. We hoped that feeling was a reality because as you can see, only a few of the treehouse’s windows had curtains on them. Nothing like mountain people watching you sleep. Nonetheless, every moment of our treehouse adventure was a joy.
