Day Trippin' Down the Coast

I have been reading some books by Rachel Carson lately - you know, the author of Silent Spring. As it turns out, she also wrote some phenomenal books about the ocean and the shore. So I've been bugging Matt to take me to some tide pools so I could exclaim over what I'd been reading. Then a facebook friend posted about the many star fish and anemones at Natural Bridge State Park in Santa Cruz.

So we headed down Highway One toward Santa Cruz yesterday, only to realize that we would soon run up against smoke from the fire in the Santa Cruz mountains. Instead of keeping on, we decided to stop and check out one of the cards from our Bay Area Back Roads deck - the sequel to City Walks, which we are almost finished with.

First we pulled over at a random coastal access point to have lunch. As luck would have it, there were a few tide pools there, although the tide was coming in. However, we still saw 2 starfish, several anemones, and many many sea urchins. There were also crabs scrambling for cover. And there was no one else there for a long time - fabulous!

We then checked out Pigeon Point lighthouse and headed into the town of Pescadero which was having an Arts and Fun Festival. What a cute little town! I got some fabulous new bags from a vendor called JaJaJa purses. I felt guilty walking away from her stand only having parted with $8. The purses are all "green" because they are made from old material like 1960s drapes or sheets. Loved it!


(Yes the little red bag is attached to a bangle - so I can't lose it!)

We also went to a grocery store that sold awesome artichoke-related products, hot bread, and fresh goat cheese. Both the local grocery stores had outdoor picnic areas as well. And we grabbed a beer at a bar called Duarte's that has been in existence in the same family since the 1800s. Definitely a place we'll go back to.

As we were driving back through Half Moon Bay, we spotted a huge amount of sea creatures frolikcing and pulled over. Awesome!