Today was one of those California appreciation days. Faced with the daunting task of cleaning up our house, Edie, Natalie and I decided to go for a little hike instead. Natalie wanted to show her mom some of the landmarks we discovered on our hike in El Corta Madera Creek a few weeks earlier, so we hopped in the car and headed up the hill. Twenty minutes later we arrived at the trail head on Skyline. The anticipated rain never materialized so we hiked the slightly foggy redwoods, revisited the Sandstone Formation and discovered a vista that gave us a view of the ocean.
Back at the car we decided it was too earl to go home, and took the first left, down Tunitas Creek Rd, which we were hoping would take us to the sea. Eventually it did. A few miles north we discovered an amazing little beach called Cowell Ranch State Beach. The trek to the sand from the parking lot was over a mile through a working farm, but was worth it. Beautiful sand and almost completely deserted. On the way we saw bunnies and hawk sitting on a fence (well, the hawk was on the fence, the bunnies were scurrying for cover). By now the day was starting to draw to a close, and we headed into Half Moon Bay for dinner. We ended up eating at Cetrella, a bit pricey but delicious food and great service.
It’s really amazing the fun you can have and the beauty you can discover, in this area without even really trying. Just point your car and go! (or bike, or tennies, I guess :).