Pescadero
Bay Area Day Trip
Feb 14 , 2010
It’s a Long weekend – Presidents Day. Surprisingly – we have no plans.
Fall back option: Lake Tahoe. The problem with doing a day trip to Tahoe – we had to wake up sufficiently early ( Like 5am) . That’s usually not possible after a night as long as last night was. We woke up at 10am. What plans did we have for the day? – None.
After waking up leisurely at 10am ( sometimes that’s OK!) , a Lazy round of Coffee, Puris ( yes – I made them from scratch) & Prashant’s Aloo, a long shower and some phone calls we were all set to start debating on what to do with the day!
We have quite extensively covered route 1 all the way SB from jct 17 and all the way NB from Half Moon Bay onwards. There is this huge patch in between that was undiscovered for us. The destination: Pescadero
Route & Drive time:
From San Jose: 280N -> Portola Road -> CA 84W -> Hwy 1. That’s a little over 50 miles – 1 hr 15 mins.
280 is great this time of the year. The hills are green and there is a lot of blooming everywhere. It’s lush. Occasionally you’d get to see those happy California Cows. ( It’s my Route to work too!!) After exiting in Menlo Park and a drive through Portola Rd to CA84, we noticed a whole bunch of beautiful properties hidden amidst towering redwoods with long driveways. It’s amazing to think people love in such places just 2 miles from Palo Alto and the Stanford Hub. I’m pretty sure some big shot Donor of Stanford stays there. The drive up 84 is also very scenic. You get to see Stanford down below as you go up the hill. But I must warn you – it can be quite taunting if you have motion sickness. The road meanders every ¼ mile for around 10 miles!
Attractions:
On reaching Pescadero, all of the attractions were within a 10 mile stretch. So it wasn’t much driving within.
Pescadero State Beach:
Turn Left into Hwy 1 and within 4 miles is the Pescadero State Beach. It was the Day after “The Mavericks” in Half Moon Bay. Clearly there was a storm somewhere far-far away in the pacific that rendered the beaches with some spectacular swells. This one is great to walk along - the shore is full of dunes and there supposedly are Harbor seals around ( I didn’t get to see any). A great place to spend sometime watching the Ocean. We did come back here for some pics during sunset before driving into Pescadero.Time Spent: 30 mins
Website: http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=522
Pebble Beach:
Driving along the Pacific on Hwy 1, there are numerous Vistas and tiny beaches that one could stop by for some pics, bird watching , or perhaps even whale watching! (Jan – April) We did stop multiple times, but the one we really liked the best was a short drive down south to pebble beach.
The beach is really unique. It has some very interesting rock patterns due to water gradation and stones that look like precious gems! They glistened in the sun, as we strolled - sun shining over our heads and the ocean roaring ahead. It is definitely worth a visit.
Time Spent: 15- 20 min
Pigeon Point Lighthouse:
This is where we spent most of our time today. It’s something you cannot miss – just visually (even if you wanted to!! ) – It is the tallest lighthouse on the west Coast and perhaps the most scenic in terms of location! Point Arena – was fogged out when I visited, Point Cabrillo was small, scenic and had me hike up a mile to get to it, Point Reyes – is a close second.
From where this is located, you can pretty much see Ocean on 3 sides and the swells are humbling to say in the least. In some parts they would end in a thundering crash and in others the swell would just carry all the way to the shore, giving you the impression that it could destroy anything in its path – but would just gently subside and vanish in mist just yards from the beach. They literally tease you and are a joy to watch.
It was interesting to see the skull of a gray whale near the foot of the lighthouse . think it was a pup – since the skull cracks had not sealed completely ( a nugget I got from forensic files :D )
There were times when I spotted birds trying to fly into the ocean desperately flapping their wings, but they would actually be stationery! It was hilarious.
The best part : The Hostel located right next to the lighthouse that has private rooms and a hot tub right on the bluff!!! The most spectacular hot tub on earth, from what I hear. I am hoping to visit sometime again, stay here and write about that too. But I need to get reservations for that. Apparently it’s sold out till July!!! The booking opens 6 months in advance. So I need to wait until march 1 to book for August ( and I don’t even know if I am going to be here then!) – another option is just to make a group large enough to book the entire dorm! – that would be fun!
Time spent: 45 mins
Hostal website: http://www.norcalhostels.org/pigeon/
Gazos Creek in the Ano Nuevo State Reserve:
Hundreds of gulls and a lone pelican. We spent a lot of time tracking the pelican waiting for it to come closer so we could get some good shots. The birds flapped around, enjoying the flowing water of the creek and I think they liked being carried backwards into the ocean. Something like a roller coaster ride for them. And it was a weekend – party time for the gulls!
Time spent: 30 mins
The Town of Pescadero:
Pescadero – meaning “A Place to Fish”. It did have a booming fishing industry sometime in the 1800s. Now it has tourism nearby, its history and artichokes.Pescadero is 2 miles into Pescadero creek Rd from Hwy 1. It was very anticlimactic when we reached. Too tiny! The whole town was just 1 road and you could see from one end to another from any spot! But it’s a nice hamlet to grab from great food from! It’s known for its berries and Artichokes.
We did stop at the much recommended Duarte’s Tavern. This is what I read about it “Owner Ron Duarte's grandfather opened the place in 1894 and Ron has been refining the restaurant since the 1950s. He cooks with fresh local ingredients, creating such dishes as crab cioppino and his celebrated cream of artichoke soup”. So I went craving for the artichoke soup, only to discover that it is made with Chiken Broth. I almost paid for it when Prashant popped the critical question. I guess I just wanted it so much, that I forgot to check. Also, there was such a mob there!! Waiting time was 1hr. Yes, 1 hr!!! – that’s as much as some of the more popular places in san Francisco on a Saturday night!!! So we got Green Chile soup (the only vegetarian option) to go. I did notice Artichoke Ravioli on the menu. Perhaps, next time. “ceramic garden torches at Luna Sea or stained glass, jewelry, and cat-themed gifts at Stage Road Shops” is another thing I wanted to do. But it was after sunset and they were all closed.
I did get a chance to stop at the Arcangeli Bakery for some of Mike Benedettis home made fresh artichoke bread. It was nothing short of spectacular. It’s the best bread I have had in my life! I thought I liked the Jalapeno bread at Anderson Bakery , but this one just crushes that!
All that was left now was the drive back and then dinner ( Green Chili soup and the Bread!)
More for Later in this Area:
Butano Redwood State Park:
This is another place I wanted to visit – but did get a chance to today. What I do plan to do is tomake a trip of it on another. Cover the elephant seal walk and hikes down this canyon. Hope to write about it very soon
Pescadero Marsh:
This seems to be closer to Half Moon Bay.
Ano Nuevo State Reserve:
The Breeding site of Northern Elephant seals. Doing the 2.5 hr guided tour in Feb to see harbour seal pups!
1 comment:
Awesome blogging, The pictures are very captivating, who takes them. The trip to Galapagos Islands was very interesting, it was as if I was living the trip through your eyes :) Keep on writing.
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