Good luck to Nick! As an aside, in 1974 two boys thumbed across the US. In the book Beer for Breakfast, Branches (Chapters) 8, 15, 20, 22, and 29 are about getting to, and hangin' out in and around, Santa Cruz. Its a fabulous book according to the author and available at https://archeanweb.com/publications-2/

Keep us up to date on Nick. Cheers Randy!