加利福尼亚州圣克鲁斯的天然桥州立公园 Natural Bridges State Beach in Santa Cruz, California (© Jim Patterson/Tandem Stills + Motion)

加利福尼亚州圣克鲁斯的天然桥州立公园 Natural Bridges State Beach in Santa Cruz, California (© Jim Patterson/Tandem Stills + Motion)

通往太平洋之窗 A window to the Pacific

天然桥州立公园，加利福尼亚州，美国

天然桥州立公园位于美国加利福尼亚州的圣克鲁斯市。初期，这里有三座海水侵蚀而成的拱桥，其中一座于1905年倒塌，后来又有一座于1980年倒塌，剩下我们如今看到的这座拱桥。然而，海浪的侵蚀是无情的，因此仅剩的这座拱桥最终也会倒塌。除了拱桥，这个公园还有君主斑蝶，因此也吸引了不少游客。

Natural Bridges State Beach in Santa Cruz, California

California brown pelicans, cormorants, and gulls enjoy jostling for position on top of this stunning rock formation in Natural Bridges State Beach in Santa Cruz. It is the sole surviving natural 'bridge' in this state park. Once three bridges stood side-by-side here, carved by waves into cliffs that jutted out into the Pacific. This one stood in the middle, but the outermost bridge collapsed in 1905 and the innermost one disappeared in 1980.

The erosion of the waves is relentless, so eventually the final arch will collapse, and the birds will have to find another favorite perch. But there are plenty of other views on offer. The park is also a seasonal home to migratory monarch butterflies, which flutter through the air or cluster together in its eucalyptus grove. And if you're lucky, you might spot a migrating whale or see seals and otters playing offshore.