Seacliff State Beach to the Capitola Wharf

 Waxing Gibbous Moon

Only one more beach hike after this one and I'm finished with my 2022 Tour of Monterey Bay. Yesterday I returned to Seacliff (sorry, no Cyborg sighting this time) and I set off to walk the shoreline to Capitola and back. I had been warned by the illustrious, forward-thinking, and semi-famous Captain Chem to go at low tide or I might get really wet and/or really wave-smashed into the cliffside rocks. Unfortunately, the low tide plan didn't jibe with my driving schedule - no big deal, there was a work-around. 

The first thing that caught my eye was the excellent viewpoint of the wrecked cement ship USS Palo Alto at the end of the Seacliff Wharf. Then there was this sort of beach art fire ring thing. Then there were tons of pelicans in the water. My eye was a little sore from getting caught so much, but I didn't mind.

Just before I reached the end of the walkable beach section, right before I climbed up a ramp to a parking area, I spied a poor man's Loch Ness monster just offshore. Perhaps the changing climate has relocated Nessie to Monterey Bay, I dunno, I can't explain it. There were more pelicans and surfers  in the water.

When I got to the parking lot, a nice lady directed me to a steep trail that led to an old railroad track that led to a cliffside walking trail that led to some pretty colorful murals that led to a street that led to Capitola Beach. I felt lucky to have met that nice lady and to find this easy and beautiful solution to the problem of walking around the too high tide. It wasn't the actual high tide, but it was too high for me.

The beach by the Capitola Wharf was busy, crowded, and warm. I sat for a few minutes to eat a bar and people watch before retracing my steps back to Seacliff. Altogether it was a great walk, one of the best of the summer, mainly because of the variety of stimuli. I liked walking the railroad tracks and seeing the murals, plus there was some public art on the beach, too.

This Friday I will walk from Capitola Wharf to Santa Cruz to complete my Monterey Bay Tour. Next week I will finish preparing for my trip to Yosemite National Park to backpack some of the backcountry loops out of Tuolumne Meadow and Yosemite Creek. I am getting VERY fired up!

Peace, Love, and Adventures,

Jim

#2,022 in 2022