Monarchs and Natural Bridges

     As hopefully you've been able to tell from my other posts, the diversity of this section of the California coast is pretty amazing.  This was particularly true of Natural Bridges State Beach in Santa Cruz.  The park got its name from the mudstone arches that were found there. 

   When the park was first created there were three such arches.  The recurring erosion caused by wind and water caused one arch to fall into the sea in the early 20th century.  The inner arch was taken out by a storm in 1980, leaving only the one above.

    In addition to the arches and its thousands of birds, the park is also the winter home of Monarch Butterflies.  Each Fall the park welcomes home over 100,000 of the Monarchs who have migrated from the Rocky Mountains.  The butterflies nest together in a sheltered canyon full of eucalyptus trees.

     They cluster together in the tree tops and feast on the eucalyptus leaves.  The weekend we were there was the "Welcome Home Festival".  We took a short hike through the Monarch preserve to the beach.  But the butterflies are what made the park special for us.

From Sea to Tree

     We started our third day in California with a trip to Wilder Ranch State Park just above Santa Cruz.  This park was created from a working dairy farm which had been operated by the Wilder family for five generations.  When operation of the farm became no longer profitable in the 1970s, a large development was planed for the acreage.  The citizens of Santa Cruz County voted to protect the land and in 1974 it was acquired by the state.   It consists of 7,000 acres of protected marshland, beaches and coastline.
      As this was a working farm as late as the 1970s, the state has done a great job preserving that aspect of the site as well as the natural aspects of the land.  I'm sure the site is also used as an education center as gardens and livestock are well maintained. There is a self-guide walking tour of the ranch buildings which includes one of the original structures on the site a circa 1839 adobe structure.  This building is now a shed but was originally the home of  one of the original farmers of the property Jose Antonio Bokcoff.

     Also present on the site is the 1896 Victorian home of Melvin Wilder which featured electric closet lights that turned on automatically when the closet door was opened - an early smart house. I should add at this point that the information contained in my blogs about these parks was obtained from a series of excellent brochures prepared by the state for each site we visited.

     After touring the farm property and buildings, we hiked the 2.5 mile Old Cove Landing Trail.  This trail takes you first through protected wetlands to Wilder Beach.  This beach is closed to protect the Western Snowy Plover, and endangered shorebird.

     The trail continues along the ocean bluffs(actually called Marine Terrace) to Old Landing Cove and Fern Grotto Beach.

     Fern Grotto is a small sea cave which is adorned with hanging ferns(hence its name).  The ferns are sustained by fresh water that drips through the ceiling of the cave.

      We were fortunate enough to visit this area at low tide and thus were able to see Harbor Seals sunning themselves on "haul out rock" in Old Landing Cove.  According to the trail guide Harbor Seals don't bark like sea lions and are mostly quiet.

     From Wilder Ranch we moved up the road a bit to Big Basin Redwoods State Park which is California's oldest state park created in 1902.  The park is around 18,000 acres and covers terrain from sea level to almost 2,000 feet.  We started our exploration of the park with a loop hike of about 6 miles. Much of the trail we hiked was part of an ultra-marathon(50 miler) to be held the next day.  It was not all that easy as several times the trail was blocked by recent blow downs.  Of course with an ultra marathon finishing is probably more important than your time. The forest was cool and peaceful.

It took us along streams through redwood forests to a point 1689 feet called Ocean View Summit.  Much as with our hike in Henry Cowell SP, the vegetation changes as we gained elevation, moving from redwood forest to pine with scrub vegetation.  As it was late in the day, looking west we could just make out the Pacific.

     Most visitors experience the redwoods by way of the Redwood Trail, a .6 mile loop with a trail guide that helps you understand the redwood forest.  We took a leisurely stroll and got to see highlights of this redwood grove.

     The Chimney Tree - a living tree that is hollow from base to top, caused by fires over the years that burned out the trees "heartwood" to create a flue.

     The Animal or Zoo Tree - a living tree where burls, growths that are thought to be dormant buds, are said to resemble various animals.

     Mother-of-the-Forest - this tree is the tallest in the park at 329 feet (There is a Father-of-the-Forest as well which is the oldest, 2000 years, but I couldn't get a picture of it)

   It was a vigorous and rewarding day of hiking.

 

 

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Trees and Seas

     After our long travel day it seemed like a good idea to take things a little slower on our first full day on the left coast.  We had every intention of doing so until we got up but an urge to see and do something outside prevailed.
     First stop, Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park just up the road from Santa Cruz. This 4,650 acre park features old and second growth redwoods flanking the San Lorenzo River. The park's 40 acre old growth stand of redwoods, named "Redwood Grove"(nothing like using obvious names), was saved from logging by the fact that in 1867 a man by the name of Joseph Welch built a vacation resort called "Big Trees Grove"(so much naming creativity).  A very gentle trail loops for almost a mile through these century old trees.

     One of the most famous trees in the grove is the Fremont Tree.  The story goes that in 1846 when General John C. Fremont's expedition to "survey" California was in the area, he spent a night in a burned-out hollow redwood tree.  When he returned to the area in 1888, he was asked if he slept inside the tree.  He responded saying, "It makes a great story, let it stand".  Many of the trees have been burned-out but continue to thrive as they grow out from each others trunks and share a common root system.  Thus even though the center may be burned-out but the tree is still able to survive.

     In addition to hiking the Redwood Loop Trail we combined a number of trails to hike a 3 mile loop to an observation point.  Unfortunately a low marine layer of morning fog prevented us from seeing the ocean.  We did however find a beautiful grove of trees know as Cathedral Redwoods. Here a circle of redwoods come together to leave only a small opening to the sky.  A great spot to just sit and meditate(or have your picture taken).

     Having sampled the redwoods in the morning, we went back to the ocean in the afternoon.  The marine layer had mostly burned off by the time we got to Ano Nuevo State Park(www.anonuevo.org).  The central attraction of this state park is the large colony of northern elephant seals that call the beaches their home.  The elephant seal population had been reduced to a mere 200 by 1892 by vigorous hunting.  There blubber produce oil. Interestingly enough the Mexican government was the first to protect the species.  They were introduced to Ano Nuevo in 1955 and have thrived there since.

      When we were there, the juvenile seals(ages 1 to 5) were in residence.  The adults show up in December to mate and give birth.  The elephant seals spend most of their lives at sea and come to land to molt, mate and give birth.  It was quite a sight.

      It was about a 5 mile round trip to the beach to see the seals through the dunes and along the shore cliffs.  It many ways it was our toughest hike in that it was mostly through loose sand.  There were some great views on the way to take your mind off aching legs.

     Off shore is an island which housed a fog whistle and a five story lighthouse.  An automatic light was installed in 1948 and the island was closed to the public.  In 1958 it was acquired by the state and is now a bird sanctuary.  In addition to the birds, a large population of harbor seals and sea otters have taken up residence.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Few Extra Miles

     Although we had been up since 4:00 EDT, and had gone through all the rigors that traveling can bestow on you, when we got to Santa Cruz(where our hotel was located), it was only mid-afternoon PDT.  Another 30 miles or so would get us to Monterey and, having fond memories of taking the 17-Mile Drive around the peninsula, we pushed on.  Thank goodness we had brought our Garmen GPS(this is not a paid endorsement) with us because finding the entry point for the Drive was more difficult than I remembered.  It was well worth the time and effort however.
     The sea was particularly active the first day of our trip and the rocky coast of the peninsula was a welcome recipient of its fury.  Of course as a golfer it was fun to drive through and around some of the most famous courses in the world.  The Inn at Spanish Bay was the first course we saw.

     Right across the street were parking areas to view Spanish Bay.  It was close to this spot in 1769 that Spanish explorer Don Gaspar de Portola camped while searching for Monterey Bay.  Along this section of rocky shoreline are Point Joe, which mariners often mistook for the entrance to Monterey Bay and wound up on the rocks, and China Rock, where Chinese fisherman built lean-tos for their houses in the late 1800s.
      

     Bird Rock is home to shorebirds and groups of harbor seals and sea lions. As we stood on the shore, we could hear the barking of the seals over the crashing sound of the surf.

     From Cypress Point Lookout you get a great view of the Pacific coastline and we were able to observe some sea otters floating and eating on their backs, which is now they enjoy their meals.

     Probably the most famous image from the 17-Mile Drive is the Lone Cypress, which is said to be 250 years old.  If you look closely at the picture below you may see the little help it is now getting to remain on its perch.

Going West

     One of the benefits of being associated(by marriage) with a major research institute of higher learning is that  the university actually encourages their professors to continue their research while teaching.  To this end, we were able to plan a trip to California to visit archives and museums associated with several of the actresses that Nan is writing about.  Since a couple of them began their careers in the mining towns of eastern and northern California during the Gold Rush, we headed to San Francisco.  Part of the trip was to include a visit to Yosemite, but thanks to the government shut down it was closed.  Fortunately, we had enough time to adjust our plans, and found several other places to visit. We found that California has quite a few state parks that feature a diversity of terrain and vegetation.  They actually contain thing we would normally have missed if we had just gone to Yosemite.
     We first headed down the coast highway toward Monterey making a number of stops along the way to take in the beauty.

    
                                                            The Headlands by Pacifica

                                                       
                                                                      Half Moon Bay

                                      An "Entertaining" Vista just past Half Moon Bay

     We stopped at Pigeon Point Light Station State Historic Park to see the tallest lighthouse on the west coast.  At 115 feet it has been in operation since November 15, 1872.  The point was originally called Whale Point inspired by the gray whales that migrate past it.  However in June 1853 a Boston-based ship named the Carrier Pigeon wrecked off the point.  It has been called Pigeon Point ever since.

      We stopped at a funky roadside stand that featured a variety of homemade jams, pies, other bake goods and organic veggies.  It was interesting to see acreage along the ocean used for agricultural purposes.  It appeared that the crops varied with brussel sprouts and strawberries being primary.
    

Ten Years Already?

     On September 26, 2003, Nan and I were married.  It doesn't seem possible that ten years have gone by.  Of course it doesn't seem possible that I'm retired and living in Durham, NC either.  But we're here and loving it and each other.  We were looking for something special to do to celebrate our tenth and out-of-the-blue Nan's sister and brother-in-law gave us a weekend at their time-share at the Harbour Town Yacht Club on Hilton Head Island, SC.

    It was our first time to Hilton Head, and we had a great time.  We played tennis every day, went to the beach, ate at some fine restaurants, and Nan took a long bike ride while I played golf at Harbour Town Golf Links.  It was the most expensive round of golf I ever played, but in retrospect well worth it.  The Heritage Golf Tournament is played on the course and it is beautiful.  I played with a father and son from Kentucky, both of whom were pretty good golfers.  We were accompanied by a fore caddy(actually I don't know whether it's "four" because he serves the entire foursome or "Fore"  because that what he had to shout on most of my drives).  The caddy's job was to give us yardage to the green, read our putts, and in my case locate my wayward shots.  His name was Spike(which I thought was a nice coincidence as that's my son-in-laws name) and was a "Chatty Caddy", but fun. He helped me relax and appreciate the beautiful seaside course I was playing.

     It was a nice way to spend a special weekend.  We spent our last evening watching a glorious sunset and realizing how lucky we are.

     As if the sunset wasn't enough, we could look the other way and see a rainbow - almost a double!

    Happy Anniversary, indeed!

Back into a Routine

     There are certain patterns that we have developed as part of our life here in Durham.  It seems that we attend a lot more college functions than we ever did living in AP.  Of course we're only 5 minutes from campus which makes a difference.  The area has very diverse cultural offerings that aren't limited to the colleges and we've tried to take advantage of these as well.  I also have taken advantage of the sporting events both on campus and off, attending not only Duke contests but also the Durham Bulls, Carolina Hurricanes, and Carolina Railhawks.
     This year marks the 50th anniversary of the integration of Duke and there have been many functions celebrating the fact.  We attended a concert featuring Billy Childs and Dianne Reeves at the newly renovated Baldwin Auditorium.  It was our first trip to Baldwin since the renovation have been completed, and it is beautiful.   The concert featured a work commissioned by Duke and written by Mr. Childs entitled Enlightened Souls. As explained by Mr. Childs in the program notes, he chose three poems that explored the issue of integration and put them to music.  "the first poem, "The White House" by Claude McKay, deals with the issue of exclusion, the feeling of being exempted from privilege because of being black.  The second poem, written by Diane di Prima "Revolutionary Letter #20", talks about the desire for equality,  . . . . The third poem, untitled by Walter Benton, concludes there is so much pain and injustice in the world, the need for love is more pressing than ever."
      The concert was performed by an interesting combination of musicians, which in addition to regular jazz instruments(bass, drums, sax, piano, and guitar) included a harp, and string quartet.  It was very interesting mix of sounds and a very impressive presentation.  The first half of the program featured four numbers written by Mr. Childs and it was outstanding.
      It is always interesting to be present for the debut of a new work, and there were parts of Enlightened Souls that soared and others that just didn't seem to work as well for me.  Overall, it was a great experience.  Several Afro-Americans who were part of the integrating class were present, which gave special meaning to the evening.  Ms. Reeves and Mr. Childs did an encore which brought down the house.  These two old friends were very comfortable together as they "played" their way through an old jazz standard - Ms. Reeves scatting in response to Mr. Childs's piano riffs.  Ms. Reeves seemed much more comfortable during the encore than during Enlightened Souls.
      Exploring themes around integration was featured in another cultural event we attended.  Playmakers Rep in Chapel Hill presented a play entitled  The Mountaintop, by Katuri Hall, which takes a look at the last night in the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tn.  This two person play proceed fairly conventionally until it takes a metaphysical twist about half way through, and explores some interesting issues regarding life and death and redemption.  Well-acted and staged, we made the mistake of staying or the audience talk-back.  I don't know why we always chose to stay as we can almost always predict the questions - "How did you learn all those lines?"  " You seemed so real up their, how did you do it?"  IT'S CALLED ACTING!!!  I ACTUALLY TRAINED FOR YEARS TO DO THIS!!!  Of course, neither actor responded that way.  But I think the talk-back would have been more fun if they had.
     Other parts of our Durham routines have resurfaced as well - volunteering at the dog shelter, singing with the ERUUF choir, and attending Duke sporting events.  More on these later.