Pajaro Dunes State Beach, Watsonville, California

Waxing Crescent Moon

The word "pajaro" is Spanish for the English word "bird." If you go for a hike on the beach at Pajaro Dunes State Beach, you will see lots and lots of seabirds, reinforcing just a little bit your status as a budding bi-lingual beachcomber. I did that yesterday (ajer) and although there was not a great variety of pajaros at Pajaro, there were lots of them. Walking there (alla) made me wonder if these birds have Latin names like animals (animales) and plants (plantas) do, e.g. Ursus arctos horribilis for grizzly bear or Sequoiadendron giganteum for giant sequoias. Which made me wonder if Spanish-speaking countries (paises) also use Latin words to classify critters. I dunno (no se).

The dunes (and the beach and the ocean) are at the end of Beach Road that extends a few miles from downtown Watsonville through thriving agricultural fields. It was a typically cool, foggy summer morning and the quick stomp through deep sand from the parking lot up and over to the water was a welcome way to warm up my legs and lungs. As usual, even with the marine layer, the views of the beach and the Pacific raised my spirits and fueled my curiosity. 

This beach has outdoor showers to rinse off sand and salt water.
Functioning ones are becoming rare in these times of drought.

As expected on a Saturday, there were many visitors, mostly families playing games and digging holes for each other (why are you in such a hurry to get buried, children?) and preparing for lunch on the beach. There were many fellow walkers, too, and a few fat tire bicyclists and runners. 

In both directions north and south, there were houses and condos built on the dunes with great views of the water. They are not huge gaudy mansions for the most part, but I'm not sure what will happen to them if sea level rises significantly. Most likely the folks who can afford to buy these places are mature adults 40-60 years old. In thirty years they will probably be dead or living somewhere else, so I guess they're just going to enjoy the surf while they can?? Vacation homes?? I'll be honest. If I had the dough, I'd spring for this one in a second. It's not too big and fancy and hey, it has a gazebo right out there in front! Big bonus feature for me. I will solemnly watch the waves eat away at the dunes right from my noble gazebo.

A couple of miles south of the state beach entrance the Pajaro River flows into the ocean. Upstream, it is joined by the San Benito River which bisects San Benito County where I have lived for the past 17 years. So I always like to visit this location and feel the connection. Even though most of the year the San Benito River is dry, it is part of the watershed and it contributes seasonally to the outflow into the  Monterey Bay Marine Sanctuary. 

Upstream

Downstream

I ended up wandering for a couple of hours, scouring the beach for treasures, observing the pajaros and the people, and keeping an eye out for seals and otters out there in the waves. By the time I was just about finished, the Sun was starting to break through the clouds. It was a heckuva (heckuva) nice morning.

Peace, Love, and Buen Dia,

Jim

#2,022 in 2022