Santa Cruz Beaches

The Monterey Bay  includes the coastline of both Monterey and Santa Cruz counties. Monterey is the southern end, while Santa Cruz is the northern end. Usually, we think of the south as being warmer than the north. But, when it comes to beaches in this region, nope. The beaches of Santa Cruz county are warmer, once the fog moves out. 

There are more than 20 public beaches on the Santa Cruz county coastline, which stretches from Watsonville (south) to Davenport (north).  Public access is also available to beaches which involves passing through private property, such as the Seascape Beach Resort in Aptos.

For more info about Santa Cruz beaches, check out these links:

• Beaches (Santa Cruz County)
• Santa Cruz Parks, Open Space & Nature Preserves
• Parks & Beaches (Friends of Santa Cruz State Parks) 

 

You can view hillsides of Pampas Grass when you walk the public access trail
to the beach at the Seascape Beach Resort.

March 4 to March 10 theme for Take 25 to Hollister: The Pacific Coast

Año Nuevo State Reserve

Have you ever seen northern elephant seals up close? Want to?

There are a few places along the Pacific Coast where northern elephant seals gather on the beach throughout the year. One such place is the Año Nuevo State Reserve, which is part of the California State Parks system. It's about 65 miles northwest of Hollister, or about 20 miles north of Santa Cruz on Highway 1.

From December to March, reserve visitors can only view the northern elephant seals on guided walks. During this period, the mammals mate, give birth, and wean their pups that later head to sea in April. In the spring and summer, the elephant seals return to Año Nuevo to molt.

For more information about the park and elephant seals, check out these links:

• Año Nuevo State Reserve
• Año Nuevo State Reserve (Every Trail)
• Elephant Seals (California State Parks)
• "Elephant Seal Tracking Reveals Hidden Lives of Deep-Diving Animals" by Tim Stephens (UC Santa Cruz Newscenter)

March 4 to March 10 theme for Take 25 to Hollister:The Pacific Coast

Creative Escapes

Local artist  Shannon Grissom opens her studio in downtown Hollister every Thursday afternoon for Creative Escapes. For a flat admission fee and a fee per project, children and grownups are welcome to use her art supplies . . .

to draw. . .

to paint . . .

 to paint. . .

to paint . . .

or to make collages, masks, or greeting cards

Last Thursday, a bunch of friends and I spent a few fun hours in Shannon's studio. None of us really had an idea what we wanted to do other than to play with art. Although game about the adventure, a few of us were wary about the whole idea. I, for instance, have been chipping away at my fear of art ever since my first grade teacher told me, "Susie, draw your cows on the ground."  An afternoon with Shannon put a lot of my apprehension in the trash bag.  If you'd like to see what I ended up creating, you can view it here at Don't Be a Hippie.

For more about Shannon and her Creative Escapes, check out these sites:

• Shannon Grissom—Artist, Author, Television Host, Producer, and Songwriter
• Shannon Grissom (Facebook)
• "Creative Escapes" with Shannon

Hollister to Santa Cruz

Lighthouse Point

Santa Cruz is home to the Giant Dipper Roller Coaster, as well as the University of Santa Cruz. The beach town is also known for being one of best surfing places along the Pacific coast.

According to mapquest.com, Hollister is about 44 miles from Santa Cruz. And, when I was a kid, my family drove over every Fourth of July to hang out at the Boardwalk. The fog always lifted by 11 a.m.

Surfers at Lighthouse Point

 For more about Santa Cruz, check out these links:

• City of Santa Cruz
• Santa Cruz.com
• Santa Cruz Surfing Museum 
• Surfin' Santa Cruz 
• The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk Amusement Park
   

  

  
  

  March 4 to March 10 theme for Take 25 to Hollister:The Pacific Coast

There's the Ocean. . . Right Over There

The theme for this week, March 4 to March 10, is the Pacific Coast.

Here's a look of the Pacific Coast from Fremont Peak above San Juan Bautista.
That light blue "line" at the foot of the mountains, on the left, is the northern end of Monterey Bay. To see how Fremont Peak looks like from over there, click here.

You've heard the stories. Maybe you have a doozy of a story yourself. A middle-aged (or older) Hollister local (current or former) is standing in a line at a theater (or store or restaurant or somewhere else) in another city. He (or she) notices the young man (or woman) standing next to him (or her) wears a sweatshirt with the word Hollister on it. So, of course, the Hollister local starts up a conversation.

"Hi, I'm from Hollister, too," the Hollister middle-aged person says.
"Huh?" the sweatshirt wearing young person says.
"Go Balers!"
"What?"
"Aren't you from Hollister, California?"
"No."
"Oh, sorry, I just saw your sweatshirt and thought you were from my hometown."
"I bought this in the Hollister store. You're from Hollister, California? Wow. Are you a surfer?"
"What?"