Beach Bikes on a Sunny Sunday Afternoon

Ah.. a summer day strolling the wharf, and exploring the shore in Santa Cruz.   Ocean breezes, kayaks, fishermen, bathing beauties, surfers and beach cruisers in every color!

Red Ones... White Ones...

Aqua....

A Vintage Green Schwinn....

Key Lime Green....

Friends with baskets!

Blue Ones....

Even Red with Leopard Print!

Yellow ones...

It was just a perfect day! in Santa Cruz.  Lunch on the wharf, cute boyfriend, a glass of Pinot Griggio, sunshine... Now I think I need my very own beach bike. 

Pebble Beach ...

No, not the "golfing" Pebble Beach.. .just a small unassuming rocky cove that I discovered yesterday at Bean Hollow State Park.     What a find though - just off Hwy 1, about 17 miles south of Half Moon Bay!

 Deep with sea washed, tumbled pebbles - so polished that they resemble gemstones; all colors of jade and agates!  These pretty little stones have been tossed in this cove for thousands of years and are smooth to the touch, you can even walk through them in bare feet.  I sat here for over an hour sifting through the colors, finding tiny sea shells and one piece of amber sea glass. My friend Patti would know instantly what each stone was but, alas I can only recognize the agates....

Wow.... could not have asked for a more perfect September afternoon.  I am pretty lucky that I am able to  "skip school" once in awhile.

Ocean Beach - San Francisco

As many of you know, San Francisco is not known for its' crystal clear summer days..... Most of the time in July and August we have fog, lots of fog and lots of "marine layers".  Truly, I am not complaining, (remember, I am from the Pacific Northwest) after the fog burns off we have beautiful clear skies and NO rain.  For me, the fog has its own unique beauty. It rolls in like cotton candy waves from the Pacific Ocean, over our coastal mountain ranges blanketing everything in quiet surreal white strands...

Last week, all of a sudden San Francisco  popped out of the fog and back into summer.   We decided to head down to Ocean Beach and see what we might find - totally expecting to find gray.  Instead, we were greeted by bright sunshine and the incredible blue, green, aqua waves of the Pacific!

Ocean Beach runs the length of the Great Highway in San Francisco, wide open sandy beaches and sand dunes stretching for miles up to the Cliff House and then into the entrance to San Francisco Bay.  

I have gathered sea glass, tiny whole sand dollars, large dark blue mussel shells at Ocean Beach, but this is the first abalone shell that I have ever found.  Was so excited to see the myriad of blues, silvers and greens shining up at me out of the sand, just asking to go home in my pocket.

Have never seen this either - whole live dungeness crabs were washing up in the surf!  No wonder why there were so many shore birds and some VERY large black ravens stalking the edge of the waves.

We love to watch the  kite surfers skim the waves, quickly gathering speed along the water. Some day, when I get brave enough,  I would really really like to learn how to kite surf.  It looks likes such fun and  a total blast!

 Ocean Beach is a beach to simply enjoy the sun glinting off of  the green-aqua color of the water as you walk along, picking up stray sea shells and an occasional sea glass prize while sinking your toes into the soft, gray sand.

 Even better if you are holding hands with  someone you love...

Better yet, if he takes you out for a delish sea food appetizer to share and lemon drops at the Cliff House after you promise to get all the sand off of your shorts, and maybe comb your hair!  (Don't you love this view??)

Escaping the Heat, a Picnic at the Beach

Hit the road around 5:30 after packing the picnic backpack with a heirloom tomato salad, butter in a dish, and sauce for crab dipping.  Quick stop at Lunardi's (our favorite local grocery store!) for fresh cracked crab, chilled white wine (to drink in our plastic beach glasses, of course!)  and a loaf of their crusty sour dough bread.

Wish I could tell you that we had a romantic sunset to watch, wish I could tell you that the wind was not cold - but I would be lying.  It was still wonderful.  I got to be on the beach, breathe sea air, hear the pounding surf and watch the fog roll in like waves...

We had a few dinner companions that were very happy to sort through our empty (sort of) crab shells...

I did get my lime green glass photos though!

A Favorite Escape - North Head Lighthouse! - Guest Feature!

Guest Post from my friend Sally Lee by the Sea...

Thanks so much for letting me feature your North Head Lighthouse story! This is one of my very favorite places to go on the Washington Coast.  Have witnessed some AWESOME storms at the Lighthouse, and down on the jetty, gigantic waves crashing against the cliffs at Cape Disappointment...

The century-old North Head Lighthouse, completed in 1898, sits atop a bluff in one of the windiest locations in the United States. Winds frequently clock at over 100 mph, guarding ships through the trecherous waters, known as the "Graveyard of the Pacific." The Lighthouse is a favorite stop for visitors and one of my favorite places in the world. This 65 foot tall conical lighthouse sits north of the mouth to the Columbia River in Southwest Washington. 

Since I live in close proximity, the Lighthouse is one of my favorite escapes, whether it be for sharing with friends and family or if I just need a break from life. A short stroll through the rainforest-like terrain provides numerous opportunities to view nature at its finest. We especially love to walk on the tiny Lighthouse Keeper's path which provides especially beautiful photo opportunities. The Lighthouse was designed by German-born engineer C.W. Leick and sits on solid basalt more than 190 feet above sea level so it provides glorious views of Oregon to the South and the Long Beach Peninsula to the North. 

Each changing season provides a new and unique experience. We trekked to the lighthouse after a freak snowstorm when the ground was covered in a lovely blanket of white.  Without a single other soul to be seen or heard from, the area was quiet, still and peaceful...even the ocean. During one of our summer visits we got caught in a fast moving rainstorm.  The storm produced fierce winds and rough seas that crashed loudly upon the rocky terrain below, however the Brown Pelicans flew around in utter delight and amusement. It was a sight that I'll soon not forget.

Before there were lighthouses on the Peninsula, ships bound for Portland and Astoria navigated their way through high waves and shifting sandbars, focusing on fluttering white flags and notched trees along the shoreline by day and flickering signal fires by night. These methods were crude at best and, despite heroic efforts, the sea offshore of the Long Beach Peninsula became known as 'The Graveyard of the Pacific'.

North Head has a neighboring lighthouse, Cape Disappointment, that is similar in shape, and painted in a unique stripe pattern so that the two can easily be recognized during daylight. This marking is called a daymark. Both lighthouses are fully functional and were taken under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Coast Guard in 1939.

After the last keeper left North Head in 1961, the lonely lighthouse began to deteriorate. Luckily the Coast Guard restored the lighthouse in the mid-80s and opened it to the public under the direction of the Cape Disappointment State Park. The keeper's dwellings are nestled a half mile into the woods from the lighthouse itself, and have also been restored. Today, half of the dwellings house park personnel, but the other half and a single-family house are available for overnight stays.

If you venture to the Southwest Washington region, I highly recommend you stop by the Cape Disappointment State Park and especially the North Head Lighthouse where you'll feel like you're on top of the world.

http://www.funbeach.com/attractions/lighthouse-northhead.html

Please make sure you stop by Marie's blog - she's got great coastal ideas too!  http://www.sallyleebythesea.blogspot.com/

Thanks for stopping by!

Earth Day at Caron's Beach House - Part 2

I have good news to report!  My big project of going to the beach at  Half Moon Bay to scoop up plastic and debris from the sand netted very little to pick up, only some tiny pieces, a knife handle, one rusty tin can bottom, and a magnetic plastic blue letter "R".   Here's my dad, my mom and Tom leading the way down the shore in front of the Ritz Carlton (isn't it beautiful??!!!) -

Fabulous sunny day for a beach walk and to look for tiny washed worn pieces of sea glass and pocketfuls of tiny periwinkle shells and delicate olive shells.

My mom and dad have been down visiting all this week, and staying at an RV resort right next to the Ritz. There is a great path that wanders down to the beach through the golf course, cement walkway and cement stairs down to the sand.  BTW, I am not a golfer, but could definitely learn how to be one on this incredible course that meanders all along the cliff and in front of the hotel. (or better yet, Tom could golf, and I could drink beer and drive the golf cart?)  You do not need to be a guest of the hotel, or a guest at the RV park to enjoy the beach, there is a free public parking lot at the top of the path for anyone to use.

If you go at low tide, or near low tide, there are tidepools galore to explore! Full of starfish, sea anemones, hermit crabs, live periwinkles, mussels and shells.

Big Green Anenome - they are all covered in gritty sand, it was hard to find one that was not!

Tons of Periwinkles (Black Turban Shells)!  These shells make great little houses for hermit crabs too!

 We managed to find some pretty (empty) shells lying in the tide line that did not have any live animals inside, and slipped them into our pockets.... 

Big orange starfish crunched into a crevice in the rocks - he's (she's?) probably feasting 

on anemones, mussels or the periwinkles.

Such a glorious dark shade of purple on this leather starfish.... we had such a great time scrambling all over the rocks to scout out the best pictures!

A sample of my stash! 

I think this describes perfectly our day on the beach!  I found this 18" diameter flat bamboo bowl at Ikea last week, it is a perfect display piece on my new dining room table for my favorite beach treasures......

Enjoy your Sunday - we are off on another adventure to take a walk in the sun 

on the Great Highway near the Cliff House in San Francisco! 

(PS  I found the "Happiness" rock in a cute boutique in Half Moon Bay... more on that later!)

Adventures on Hwy 1 - Part 2 Stinson Beach

I am blaming it on the GPS in Tom's car. So funny, we plugged in "Stinson Beach", in Mill Valley,and then proceeded to drive, and drive, through eucalyptus forests, bright green ferns, babbling brooks, redwood groves, old oak groves and spring blooming wildflowers, up skinny roads on Mount Tam.  Fantastic views above Stinson Beach of shades of turquoise in the Pacific Ocean, and every variance of the color green over the rolling coastal hills in Central California.  It was so crystal clear that we could even see the Farallone Islands  off in the near distance.   Tom was freaking me out a little by looking at the view, and not the road!

We finally made our way down to the ocean via the Fairfax-Bolinas Road.  Tom officially declared this beaut of a highway the most twisty road he's ever driven! (me too)  Always love an adventure - and then we were rewarded with dropping down onto Hwy 1, right at the Bolinas Lagoon.  Gorgeous! Full of egrets, grey herons, and elusive sand pipers. So shallow, that seals were sunning themselves on the sand bars.  (too far away - wrong camera)







Stinson Beach, according to the road sign, has just over 450 people living there.  I suspect a lot of 2nd home owners too.  Cute cute cute beach town! A bookstore, a few restaurants, surf shops, art galleries.. We had a wine and appetizer break at the "Sand Dollar" - fun, busy restaurant decorated like the inside of a steamer ship.  Yum! Fab Zin from the Dry Creek area, the most tender calamari that I have ever eaten and look at this ahi creation!  We will definitely go back here. Maybe you can come with us?


 Take a look at some of the beach houses that I captured on our beach walk! No rhyme or reason - all different, all different colors.

Very nice state park at Stinson Beach with lots of room for picnickers and tons of sandy beach stretching out for kids to create sand castles, sand angels - or simply jump in the waves.  Isn't it funny how kids never get cold?  The sea, sometimes can be a universal language...

I have found sea glass here, but only a few pieces, more often I find pieces of shells rolling in the surf.  Mostly we just walk,  and enjoy the crashing waves and sea birds skittering in the foamy tide.

If you would like to go - here's some handy links!

http://www.stinsonbeachonline.com/
http://www.stinsonbeachrestaurant.com/
http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=471
http://www.bolinaslagoon.org/

Meet the Elephant Seals at Año Nuevo State Reserve -

Going to the Año Nuevo State Reserve was absolutely the highlight of my trip last week to the Bay Area- so totally unexpected! On Wednesday when I went to visit the Marine Mammal Center in the Marin Headlands, I met an interesting gal in the gift shop who told me about the annual elephant seal event at Año Nuevo State Park. I had no idea how fascinating these creatures were until I was able to actually see them up close and personal - I wasn't even sure what an elephant seal was, except that they are HUGE!



So on Thursday, I hopped in the car with my brown-bag lunch (pb and j + fuji apple), and headed south down Hwy 1 towards Santa Cruz. The reserve is south of Half Moon Bay on Hwy 1, but before Santa Cruz. 



This is one of my favorite drives - doesn't matter if it's rain or shine, I always find something to stop and look at. Pigeon Point Lighthouse was my first stop; a vintage, tumbling down lighthouse perched on a cliff surrounded by pounding waves. There's a cat-walk the runs in front of the lighthouse out across the rocks, a little rickety, be very careful if you decide to walk out to the edge. Priceless view of surf pouring in-between the rocks and pelicans dodging waves, playing in the wind!

Not too much father down the road is the State Reserve at Ano Nuevo. This reserve is set up to protect marine mammals and marine plants on the California Coast - and is possibly the largest breeding colony for elephant seals. The breeding season begins in December and goes through March; we were told that at the height of the season there can be as many as 4000-6000 elephant seals on the beaches at the Reserve!



The only way to see the elephant seals is by guided volunteer tours down to the beach. If you do plan on visiting, I would recommend calling ahead of time to schedule your free tour - sometimes booked up for months in advance! (I just got lucky!) As the walk is over 3 miles round-trip, I would also recommend that you dress in layers, bring binoculars,a good camera, and wear good shoes. The walk is not difficult, you just might have to walk in mud puddles and sand.



Male elephant seals can weigh as much a 4000 pounds - females around 1400 pounds, babies begin their life at 75 pounds, but will grow up to 600 pounds just in the first few months! The day that I was at the Reserve there were 1400 + females, 600 males and countless babies - more being born every minute. We actually got to see a few babies being born!


Fascinating to learn about these incredible animals - although they are mammals, they can stay underwater for up to an hour, and migrate approximately 8000 miles per year!

Breeding season is really the only time that they come ashore for any length of time, spending most of the year at sea . Elephant seals do not eat during this period of time, resulting in a weight loss for the males of up to 50% of their total body weight.

Females group in "harems" with one large bull male protecting and impregnating them... wild to watch! Bull males fight over the females, most of the time the leader is able to scare off other males by simply making a lot of noise. Amazed at how fast they could move on the sand when they were challenged - also a good reminder that they really are wild animals, and can be dangerous.

In December when the females begin arriving, they start having their pups almost as soon as they arrive on the beach, feeding them until March. Then the moms return to sea leaving the pups to fend for themselves. Nature seems sort of cruel, but the babies are weaned by that time, they somehow figure out how to start swimming and finding food for themselves. The males are the last to leave - hoping to impregnate every last female that they can. Isn't nature grand?

This big male was enjoying a bit of sunshine and a nap! Our guide told us that these males that were laying back in the dunes were the "losers", the girl seals weren't interested... I thought he was kinda cute!

This mom found herself with 3 pups - 2 that were not hers,

they were just greedy!

Weaner pups back in the dunes - way too cute for words!

I am not the greatest video person on the planet, but at least you can get an idea of how many elephant seals were on the beach and how noisy they are!

I really hope that you get a chance to experience this opportunity to walk among the elephant seals at Ano Nuevo. This is an incredible reminder of how precious the life in our seas is, and how little we really know about our oceans.