New Year's Eve

At the Redwood National Park visitor station the guy working there told me that there were some good tidal pools to look at on Agate Beach, which was down at Peterson Point. Having never been to a tidal pool, and always having been fascinated by the prospect of seeing all that ocean life close up, I’m quite excited.

As per usual, something’s wrong, but this time I’m skeptical enough to catch it. See, while he’d told me Peterson Point (I’d written it down and all), it was actually part of Palmer’s Point State Park. The fact that it was a state park was another point he left out, and while having to pay a few buck didn’t make the difference between me going or not, it would’ve made it easier to know what to look for. As it was, what I was really looking for was alliteration with "P," so it all worked out.

When I get the Agate Beach, the first thing I’m impressed by is the nearly sheer drop the trail to the beach follows. It’s almost a cliff, and though the trail is only about 1/4 mile long it’s pretty much straight up and down. In fact, the steps at the end of the trial had been washed out, making it something more akin to a ladder than steps.

The pools themselves were a series of rough, rocky outcrops. There was definitely an abundance of life- mussels, clams, crabs, kelp, small fish, etc. Much of the time it was difficult to really see, though, as the water was pretty murky. I was also somewhat bummed that I never saw a single starfish or urchin, things I’d really hoped to take a look at. Unexpectedly, I did see a half dozen harbor seals that had some up and were sunning themselves on some rocks mid-way out. I never got close enough to get any real good pics of them, but it was pretty neat seeing them in the wild.

Leaving there just after one, my next goal was San Francisco. After all, it was New Year’s Eve, and I wanted to be on a beach down in that area. Flying down Highway 101, I continued to drive through redwoods for a good portion of the drive. And yes, I did drive my car through the redwood that has the road cut through it. And let me tell you, that’s $5 I’m never spending again. You see, it’s a private deal, and there’s really nothing else there except a gift shop. Combine that with the geriatric s.o.b’s in front of me, who I truly believe had put their vehicle in neutral and were moving forward solely under the power of my focused will, and it wasn’t impressive. I mean, c’mon, if you’re going to go 2 MPH (not exaggerating- I didn’t go over 5 mph the entire time I was behind them), get out of your damned car and WALK! Anyhow...

The drive down is uneventful, and I get into San Fran just after dark. I cross the Golden Gate Bridge (paying the $5 toll), and tool around downtown looking for a place to grab some dinner. Long story short- I don’t want to be in the city. I turn around and grab Hwy 1, say "later" to the city by the bay, and decide that the high concentration of beaches near Santa Cruz make that my next stop.

I get there a little before nine, and stop at the "Santa Cruz Diner" for a bite. There weren’t a whole lot of places open, and this looked as likely as any to have some form of decent seafood. It also looked about as nice as I could justify eating at, not having showered since I left. As it turns out, their food sucked, and the service was even worse. I grab a seat at the counter and wait over five minutes for one of the lazy bastards to greet me. And it’s not like they had anything going on- they just didn’t seem to give a damn. Yeah, I know it New Year’s Even, and you’re bitter about having to work, but ignoring customer’s isn’t getting you out any quicker.

After that, I head down the coast looking for a beach to bring in the New Year on. After having to pass on a couple that are closed, I find South Bend Beach and pay the $25 it costs to camp there overnight (the one time I almost thought a hotel would’ve been worth it). I make a few calls to wish people back in the good ol’ CST, and decide to catch some sleep before the New Year. After all, it’d been a long day after one of the worst nights of sleep in my life, and I was pretty dead. As it turns out, that was a fatal mistake. I wake up for my alarm, keep my eyes open long enough to wish myself "Happy New Year," and head back to sleep. Considering New Year’s really isn’t the greatest holiday for me, in retrospect I suppose that was as good as anything. Sleep (well) in the car, and start the next day hell bent for sequoias!