The weatherman on television last Thursday said that the weather was supposed to be in the 90's inland and in the 60's by the coast over Labor Day weekend. The weatherman said the fog would stay off shore and it would be a beautiful day at the beach.
Putting all my trust in the weatherman, I got up the next morning on Friday, cleaned up and decided to head out to the ocean because he said that the following beaches which "faced south" would have killer waves, unusual for this time of year:
Stinson Beach (too crowded and too north)
Santa Cruz (just went there recently and too south)
Pillar Point (this porridge is just right)
I got on Yelp and looked up Pillar Point. I was promised some tasty waves, a dirty beach, but excellent conditions for beachcombing. Whole sea shells that aren't broken? You mean I don't have to buy the fake kind at Pottery Barn? I'm in!
I got a late start as I left my Oakland apartment slightly before 2pm and headed towards San Francisco on that beautiful summer day. I had high hopes as I breezed over the Bay Bridge and into the city. The sky was blue, the sun was shining but as I passed through San Francisco and drove towards Daly City, this big dirty cloud of fog came over the freeway and I began to panic.
"Don't worry," I told myself, "Daly City is ALWAYS foggy! This too shall pass!"
I whizzed past Daly City and greeted the first coastal town of Pacifica. And it greeted me back with more fog.
NOOOOO!
This is not happening! This was supposed to be one of our hottest days of the year and I understand that our Northern California beaches have always had a bit of an attitude, but NOT TODAY!
I passed the first beaches in Pacifica and as I drove towards Linda Mar Beach, I saw a break in the clouds and hope for my future.
But then it went away again.
I hit "Devil's Slide" on Hwy 1 and the fog was back. Since I was driving up a hill, I figured on the drive back down the hill, towards the next town of Montara, and then Moss Beach, that the fog would disappear.
But it stayed with me.
I couldn't even SEE the ocean as I drove through the Slide. Was my late summer trip to the coast going to be a complete bust?
I was fretting as I made a right onto Capistrano Blvd. off of hwy 1 to check out Pillar Point. I drove around looking for angry waves, but all I saw were boats docked calmly in a cove of water. I was pissed.
I had cloud cover and no waves? This is what I drove 50 minutes for? I decided to get back on the highway and drive a little more south- and it finally paid off.
At first I hit traffic and I thought, "that's odd", but then I saw why. To my right, as I drove slowly, cruising at 15 mph in a line of cars, were all the crashing waves I was promised. They crashed so hard, they looked like they could have hit the highway. So I did what any other ocean junkie would do - I pulled over and parked on the side of the road with all the other tourists.
The angry waves did not disappoint.
When I wasn't finding sea shells, I was finding sea junk. It's always interesting to me what washes up on shore. I always wonder what the story is behind this stuff:
Putting all my trust in the weatherman, I got up the next morning on Friday, cleaned up and decided to head out to the ocean because he said that the following beaches which "faced south" would have killer waves, unusual for this time of year:
Stinson Beach (too crowded and too north)
Santa Cruz (just went there recently and too south)
Pillar Point (this porridge is just right)
I got on Yelp and looked up Pillar Point. I was promised some tasty waves, a dirty beach, but excellent conditions for beachcombing. Whole sea shells that aren't broken? You mean I don't have to buy the fake kind at Pottery Barn? I'm in!
I got a late start as I left my Oakland apartment slightly before 2pm and headed towards San Francisco on that beautiful summer day. I had high hopes as I breezed over the Bay Bridge and into the city. The sky was blue, the sun was shining but as I passed through San Francisco and drove towards Daly City, this big dirty cloud of fog came over the freeway and I began to panic.
"Don't worry," I told myself, "Daly City is ALWAYS foggy! This too shall pass!"
I whizzed past Daly City and greeted the first coastal town of Pacifica. And it greeted me back with more fog.
NOOOOO!
This is not happening! This was supposed to be one of our hottest days of the year and I understand that our Northern California beaches have always had a bit of an attitude, but NOT TODAY!
I passed the first beaches in Pacifica and as I drove towards Linda Mar Beach, I saw a break in the clouds and hope for my future.
But then it went away again.
I hit "Devil's Slide" on Hwy 1 and the fog was back. Since I was driving up a hill, I figured on the drive back down the hill, towards the next town of Montara, and then Moss Beach, that the fog would disappear.
But it stayed with me.
I couldn't even SEE the ocean as I drove through the Slide. Was my late summer trip to the coast going to be a complete bust?
I was fretting as I made a right onto Capistrano Blvd. off of hwy 1 to check out Pillar Point. I drove around looking for angry waves, but all I saw were boats docked calmly in a cove of water. I was pissed.
I had cloud cover and no waves? This is what I drove 50 minutes for? I decided to get back on the highway and drive a little more south- and it finally paid off.
At first I hit traffic and I thought, "that's odd", but then I saw why. To my right, as I drove slowly, cruising at 15 mph in a line of cars, were all the crashing waves I was promised. They crashed so hard, they looked like they could have hit the highway. So I did what any other ocean junkie would do - I pulled over and parked on the side of the road with all the other tourists.
The angry waves did not disappoint.
Woman vs. Wave!
I realized if I wanted to get a better shot, I would have to put my bag down, get on a rock, and capture the moment. It was nice to be able to put my bag down and not worry about anyone taking it because I wasn't in Oakland:
All of my personal belongings in there!
Come to mama!
Nothing makes me happier than rogue waves. I am not sure why I find them so comforting. A close second to rogue waves, would be collecting sea shells and this time, the beachcombing experience did not disappoint and I filled up my water bottle:
Should I make a sculpture with them?
When I wasn't finding sea shells, I was finding sea junk. It's always interesting to me what washes up on shore. I always wonder what the story is behind this stuff:
Multi Colored Rope?
Multi Colored Sea Weed?
Watermelon anyone?
Is that a pair of scissors?
Message in a bottle?
After a couple of hours of getting gritty in the sand, I got some excellent dinner at a local seafood restaurant, grabbed a cup of joe at a new coffee shop in town and got back on the highway feeling a little more satisfied than I had just a few hours before. With inspiration for a new blog in my heart, I felt renewed to never give up hope on finding what I am looking for. I can now check Pillar Point off of my beachcombing bucket list and can confidently say that I will continue to be- the girl who went back to the ocean.
Until next time...
1 comment:
MY HEART SANK WHEN I READ THIS: "Putting all my trust in the weatherman..."
PHEW!!!
Post a Comment