Heading down the trail to Franklin Point. This photo looks back towards Highway 1.
After stopping for breakfast in Santa Cruz, we set off for our favorite spot on the coast – Franklin Point. When we left San Jose just before 7, the temperature was already 77 degrees and it looked like it was going to be another hot one. What we needed was to cool off at the coast. We were expecting it to be a little foggy and in fact there was a sign on Highway 17 which said to watch out for fog ahead but as we reached the crest of the Santa Cruz Mountains there was no fog and in fact there was still none in sight as we approached Santa Cruz. It was a different story though when we left Santa Cruz to headed up the coast. First of all it was just a little foggy but it cleared around Davenport, only to appear again as we approached Ano Nuevo. That’s the trouble with fog, you never know where it is going to be exactly.
Franklin Point was not too bad actually. As we got out of the car there was a stiff breeze so we donned our jackets. There were no other cars parked by the tree stump but ahead of us on the trail we could see another couple walking towards the beach. The trail is only half a mile long to the beach. I strode ahead so Tom could take his time to stop along the way and take photos.
It has been nearly a year since our last visit and I was looking forward to sitting on my favorite bench. The trail has been modified since then.
Click on this photo for a larger version and you'll be able to see our favorite bench at Franklin Point
The first modification was man made. About two thirds of the way along it used to get very wet and muddy in the winter and on occasions the trail has been impassable at this point. A few years ago small logs were put down over the worst section to form a pathway but over time they have either been burried of have disappeared. A raised boardwalk has now been constructed, which will make it possible to walk to the beach every day of the year. The second modification to the trail was natural. Due to shifting sand, the trail itself has been altered nearer the beach.
When I arrived at the beach, I took my time to absorb the scene, taking deep breaths to fill my lungs with the fresh air. The only people in sight were the couple who I had seen earlier and they were making a beeline for the bench, which was clearly visible half a mile away up on the point. But they only stopped a few seconds and did not even sit down before they turned away and carried on walking south. Such a pity. It might be blowing up there but five minutes rest on the bench would have set them up for the day.
I didn’t head for the bench straightaway but walked on past for about half a mile, just to see what I could see. I stopped to look down into a little cove and spotted a huge pink starfish clinging to a rock. The path at this point was perilously close to the edge of the cliff.
Turning back, I retraced my steps to the point where a boardwalk leads to the bench. Last time I remarked how the boardwalk itself was beginning to deteriorate. This time I noticed how some of the metal poles were very rusty and a few have corroded to the point where the metal is very flaky. I won’t be surprised if on my next visit some of them will have rusted through completely.
Looking out at Franklin Point from our favorite bench at our favorite place along the San Mateo Coast.
Eventually I arrived at my bench. OK, it was windy. As I wrote I had to hold down the pages of my journal with the other hand, but I’m not complaining. The sound of the waves coming in and going out and the surf breaking over the rocks was soothing. The smell of the ocean was invigorating – all those negative ions working their magic. On top of all that, I could taste the brine on my lips. The fog was thicker out to sea and I could not see Pigeon Point Lighthouse off to my right. I knew it was there but the light was not even visible.
Normally we see a lot of pelicans flying low around this point and Tom waits patiently for them to arrive. You have no warning at all that they are coming. Suddenly they appear, gliding in formation and skimming the waves. But today we were out of luck. We saw lots of gulls and cormorants sitting out on the rocks but not one pelican.
As we sat there, contemplating life and the future; glorying in the scenery and the cool breezes, the sun began to warm our backs. Ironically the fog seemed to be getting thicker off the coast. Eventually we both took a deep sigh, turned our backs on the ocean and headed back to the heat of the Santa Clara Valley.
August 02 2009 | Special Places | No Comments »
It has been over a month since we have done any day trips, due to a nasty cold that Tom has been suffering from and
San Gregorio Valley
several very wet weekends. This weekend is not going to be any dryer but as only scattered showers are forecast today, we decided to at least go for a drive.
We set off just before 7am, heading towards the coast. On the peaks of the Santa Cruz mountains there was a dusting of snow. There was a beautiful but ominous cloud suspended above. That must be the next storm moving in. We desperately need the rain though. After two dry winters, we welcome the rain but it has been a long time coming this year. It probably will not be enough,though, to prevent water rationing this summer. When it rains here it hopefully falls as snow over the Sierras and when that snow melts in the spring, it fills our reservoirs.
The sun was shining but the temperature only registered at 43 degrees F down in the valley. It is the sun shining on the clouds which made them look so beautiful.
We took Highway 85 to 280 and headed north. Near the Alpine Road exit, we caught sight of a partial rainbow but it disappeared before our eyes. Above us a hawk hovered, the sun making it look almost white. Just before we reached the Woodside exit the rain started to fall but only lasted a short while.
We took the scenic route to Highway 92 by turning off 280 at the Edgewood Road exit and turned left. As we drove back under the freeway, the view in front of us was glorious. Ahead was a heavily wooded slope, c0vered in pine trees and with small patches of flog clinging to the trees and filling the small dips. At Canada Road we turned right and drove past Filoli House (open Tuesday – Sunday) and the Pulgas Water Temple (open week days only). Neither were open but one day we will visit both.
Tom wanted to stop and take some photos but there were “No Parking At Any Time’ notices posted at regular intervals plus a high wire fence made it impossible to take a decent shot. Further along we did find a place to park where there was no fence. From there Tom had a good view down to Crystal Springs Reservoir, which is the source of San Francisco’s drinking water.
This section of Canada Road is closed to cars every Sunday for cyclists to have the road to themselves (apart from the odd roller skater). We once brought our bikes to Bike Sunday. It was great and we must come again. We will be taking part in the Strawberry Fields Forever charity bike ride in May so we may well come here again on our path to getting back into condition.
We turned left onto Highway 92 on the final stretch into Half Moon Bay. First we crossed the reservoir and then started the climb over the Coastal Range. Crossing Skyline Blvd we caught our first glimpse of the ocean.
The downhill section of the road into Half Moon Bay is always fascinating. There are so many interesting businesses along the way – Christmas tree farms, pumpkin patches (though at this time of the year there are no pumpkins to be seen), equestrian centers, plant nurseries, huge metal sculptures of animals and further along a lot animals carved out of wood, a winery (it used to be called Obester Winery but the name has changed to Nebbia Winery) and Spanish Town with it’s seven shops selling a variety of crafts.
We drove through the historic main street of Half Moon Bay but didn’t stop. There was nothing open. We were thinking of stopping for breakfast here but the Main Street Grill was not open (and it was gone 8 am!). Pescadero will be our breakfast destination. At the end of the street we turned left onto Highway 1 and enjoyed a glorious ride. The sun was shining, even though there were still those threatening clouds around, and the ocean was very calm with not one white cap to be seen. Everything was wet and dripping and lots of surface water on the road.
Just before San Gregorio State Beach we turned left on La Honda Road towards San Gregorio. We are taking another scenic route, this time into Pescadero. On the way we pass a couple of small trees covered in pink blossom. In San Gregorio, which is just a couple of houses and a rather quaint little store, we took a left on Stagecoach Road. Tom wanted to take a photo of the valley.
Along Stage Road heading into Pescadero
We drove back to San Gregorio, crossed La Honda Road and carried on along Stagecoach Road, passing the old stage post on our right and further along, up on a small rise, the old school house on our left. The road starts to go uphill and there are many twists and turns. We think it is along here that our friend Tim had his encounter with the mountain lion (see the post on Point Reyes) so we had our eyes peeled but we were out of luck. The road continued to wind around giving us distant views of the ocean one minute a secluded valley the next. Approaching Pescadero we passed a farm on the right which had an enormous rusty metal skeleton “Terminator” sculpture holding a machine gun on the roadside. Passing the cemetery, we entered the main street of Pescadero.
We had breakfast at Duartes Tavern. This is one of our truly favorite places to eat at any time of the day (see the post on Duartes Tavern). Today was no exception. As it was Valentine’s Day, I expected it to be more crowded. I did hear though that they were fully booked later in the day. There was a fresh red rose on all the tables. Tom had an omelet and I had oatmeal with a side of wheat toast. With the oatmeal you get milk, brown sugar, raisins and pecans There were two sorts of home made scrummy jam served with the toast. While there, I bought one of their legendary ollallieberry pies to take home. A bit expensive at $23 but a splendid treat for a special occasion. I was presented with a single, white rose, when we left – as all women were. What a lovely gesture.
We left Pescadero by turning left onto Pescadero Creek Road. which is another scenic route. So far we
Misty fog threading through the trees
have not had any more showers but when we drove through the redwoods big drops of water fell from the branches. Before we reached La Honda, we turned right on Alpine Road. Tom and I have never been on this stretch of road before and it was spectacular. Very narrow with just room for one car in parts and with lots of hair pin bends along the way. At one point, we passed a couple of parked cars on a small lay by and I noticed a trail leading to a little wooden bridge over the creek. I looked on the map and saw that it was the Towne Fire trail which heads back towards Pescadero Creek Road. We’ll have to walk it one day. There were a few residences we passed but we couldn’t see them. The only indication were mail boxes and huge imposing gates.
We stopped to take some photos where the woods ended and the open spaces began. On our left was the Russian Ridge Open Space and on our right the Skyline Ridge Open Space. The views were amazing and the rising fog looked like smoke.
Approaching Skyline Blvd, we drove though several patches of fog and encountered four cyclists freewheeling down an incline before they hit the next rise to Skyline. Fortunately they turned left and we crossed Skyline and descended Page Mill Road to 280. In several spots we had good views down to Palo Alto, the Dumbarton Bridge and the whole South Bay. Halfway down we saw a flare in the road. Rounding the corner we had to stop because a Land Rover had gone into a tree. Fortunately the driver was not hurt as we saw him sitting at the side of the road looking rather dejected and embarrassed. Soon we hit 280 and were soon home.
We had a very enjoyable day, saw some wonderful sights, had a great breakfast plus we avoided the rain. What more could anybody ask for?
February 14 2009 | Special Places | No Comments »
We are off to our favorite place on the San Mateo Coast – Franklin Point. Let’s hope it is not fog bound this time. According to the weather forecast, it looks as though Santa Cruz will be clear and bright but there is fog at Half Moon Bay. Franklin Point is between the two, so we will just have to take a chance.
(Click on the image for a larger version)
The journey to Santa Cruz was more or less mundane until we were headed down the mountain on the other side of Scotts Valley on Highway 17. Suddenly I saw a car on the other side of the road fly into the air and crash into the trees at the side of the road. Tom saw the dust but not the car. I was really shaken up but there was nothing we could do as there was a concrete barrier down the middle of the road. I looked behind and there were cars stopping so knew someone would be calling 911. I just couldn’t get the image out of my mind and was really concerned about the driver and any passengers there may have been in the car. I knew I would be worrying all day.
We drove into Santa Cruz for breakfast – see previous entry – and were back on the road again by 7.40. Our route took us back to Highway 1 where we turned north.
Just outside Santa Cruz we saw signs up warning of a bike race and soon we saw the cyclists. We passed a lot of them between Santa Cruz and Davenport. Most of them were serious competitors with their super bikes, Lycra gear, cool shades and space age helmets. Some were making light work of the hills and some seemed to be struggling. At the front of the cyclists were three motor cycle cops. I wonder how far they are going.
It must be getting close to October and the pumpkin season. We passed several pumpkin patches being made ready. In one there was already a huge display of pumpkins all waiting to be picked out by excited children, although, of course, it was not open at 8 a.m.
Oh no! We can see fog ahead. This looks like a repeat of our aborted visit last month when the weather was too bad to even walk to the beach. Maybe it will clear – always the optimist.
We stop at Big Basin Redwoods State Park where the redwoods come all the way down to the coast. Tom wanted to take photos of the fog over the creek and maybe the brown pelicans taking a rest in the lagoon on the beach. I stay in the car and write.
Here the sun is shining which is really weird as we are surrounded by fog. Out on the ocean I can vaguely see the die hard surfers waiting patiently to catch a wave. The sea doesn’t look high today so maybe they are just beginners.
Tom has now left the creek and has made his way across Highway 1 to the lagoon. There are several pelicans on the water but now dozens are on the sand and more fly in to join them. I guess this must be their meeting place every morning where they catch up with all the gossip.
I’ve been siting here 15 minutes and here come the three motor cycle cops and not far behind the first two cyclists appear. I guess we are going to have a bit of trouble getting away from here. Tom is making his way back to the car. Maybe we can get away before the bulk of them arrive. I can’t see any more coming at the moment. We were able to make our escape. As we turned back onto the road I could see a few cyclists coming down the hill behind us.
We pass Costanoa and pull into the parking strip near the tree stump., There is one van already there and three surfers are getting ready to walk to the beach. As I get out of the car I can smell the sea. Mmmm.
I set off first. Yes it is foggy but it is not as bad or as cold as the last time so we decided to go for it. At the top first rise I paused as I could see on the path ahead a mother deer and her young fawn. Both lifted their heads and looked at me. I would have waited until they decided to move away but at that moment two of the surfers come by. The two deer trotted off down the path and I never saw them again.
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September 12 2008 | Special Places | No Comments »
