SAN CLEMENTE BEACH TRAIL: A Walk at the Edge of the Pacific

Beach trail at San Clemente State Beach, California

On a recent Sunday, when the temperature was in the 70s and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky (a perfect winter day in California) we met my brother (who lives in San Diego) for a walk at San Clemente Beach, located about half-way between Los Angeles and San Diego. The sea was as calm as I’ve ever seen it and the tide was coming in, washing away our footsteps as we walked, leaving the sand an unmarked slate.

The San Clemente Beach trail, located in the community of San Clemente, lies along a stretch of beach below high bluffs. This popular 2.3 mile long trail connects North Beach to Calafia Beach with stops along the way at the San Clemente Pier and T-Street. We parked at Calafia Beach, just below the San Clemente State Beach campground. Next to the parking lot are restrooms and picnic tables. (We paid the parking fee at an automated kiosk.)

Access to the beach is across the Amtrak railroad tracks. All along the trail, the tracks parallel the beach, although on the day we went, the only train we saw was unloading boulders to repair the breakwater that protects the tracks. (One wonders how the tracks will fare as the ocean level rises with global warming.)

After crossing the tracks, we walked south along the water’s edge. High above us, glass fronted houses perched at the top of the cliff. At the water's edge a grebe bobbed in the waves, diving periodically to hunt for fish. We passed a few human fishermen and other walkers (some with dogs), but, for the most part, the beach was empty—a perfect pandemic excursion.

Along most of the beach the sand was smooth--unlittered by shells, seaweed or other detritus. But in several places piles of small pebbles, tumbled smooth by the waves, clumped at the shore, revealing a surprising variation in color, reminding me of the agates and other stones I once polished in a rock tumbler to make jewelry.

By the time we returned to where we had started we were hungry, so we ate our picnic lunch at one of the tables overlooking the beach. It was a beautiful day to be out in the fresh air.

For more about the San Clemente Beach Trail and the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, click on this link. https://www.traillink.com/trail/san-clemente-beach-trail-/

 

MONTEREY BAY AQUARIUM: Sea Otters, Jellyfish, Octopuses and More, Monterey, CA

Jellyfish at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, Monterrey, CA

In late December I went with my family to the Monterey Bay Aquarium in California. At this world-famous museum, perched at the edge of Monterey Bay in a building that was once part of the real Cannery Row in the days of John Steinbeck, and now at the heart of a thriving tourist area, one can watch sea otters doing acrobatics in their giant tank, see a diver in a kelp bed, witness sharks being fed, gaze at jellyfish floating like undersea spaceships, and much much more.

Kelp Forest

We arrived early in the day, at 10:00 when the Aquarium opened, having bought our tickets ahead of time. Even so, the museum was crowded due to the holiday break and we had to be patient to get our turn at each window. Shortly after we arrived, the sea otters were being fed, but there were so many people around their tank, that we decided to return later. When we did, we got a close-up look as the otters glided past the underwater window and we were glad we waited.

Jellyfish with bioluminesence

We headed toward the popular jellyfish exhibit, stopping on the way to watch the school of sardines whirl around and around in their circular tank. I never lose my sense of wonder at the variety of shapes and colors of jellyfish and watching the delicate pulsations that propel them through the water–some of them resemble tiny lanterns and others are more like underwater hot-air balloons.

Octopus

I was particularly interested in seeing the cephalopod exhibit, new since my last visit to the Aquarium a number of years ago. Cephalopods are the group that include octopuses, squid and the chambered nautilus. At the entrance to the exhibit is a fascinating display of how these animals have been perceived in art and literature since ancient times. I had learned about the amazing ability of octopuses when I wrote my book Octopuses: Escape Artists of the Sea. In the recent movie, Finding Dory, I noticed that the octopus character, although humanized, displays many of the talents of the real animal.

Cuttlefish

On the cover of my book, Living Fossils: Clues to the Past, is a depiction of a chambered nautilus, an animal that closely resembles its ancient relatives. The chambered nautilus is only found in deep waters of the South Pacific, and although I was familiar with is beautiful shell, this was the first time I had seen it alive.

Chambered Nautiluses

One of my favorite exhibits at the Aquarium is the kelp forest, depicting the environment the otters inhabit in the bay outside the museum.  My granddaughter’s favorite is the tunnel where a giant wave washes over the see-through walls making one feel immersed in the ocean without actually getting wet. We then stopped to explore the touch-tank with its crabs and tide pool life, watch the penguins, and check out a new exhibit featuring life in Baja California. It was a beautiful day and we finished on the outdoor patio after lunch in the museum cafe, enjoying the sunshine and sea air.

Under the giant wave

One can go back to the Monterey Bay Aquarium again and again, preferably on a day when it is not so busy. But there is always something new and the exhibits are a reminder that the ocean and the life in it are an essential part of our world and need to be understood and conserved for future generations.
For our visit,we drove down for the day from the San Francisco Bay area, a one way trip of about two hours.
For directions and information about tickets to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, go to their website. The Monterey Bay Aquarium is a nonprofit institution, devoted to research, conservation and educating the public.

SANTA MONICA PIER: Family Fun in Santa Monica, California

Pacific Park Ferris Wheel, Santa Monica Pier

I’ve walked the Santa Monica Pier many times but never, until this summer when my grandchildren came to visit, spent any time at the Pacific Fun Park or visited the Aquarium under the pier. So, we planned an afternoon’s excursion and, instead of driving to Santa Monica, as we usually do, we decided to ride the new Expo Line train, getting on at the Palms Station not far from our house in West Los Angeles. The end of the line is just two short blocks from the pier.

Gateway to the Pier

The Santa Monica Pier extends into the Pacific Ocean at the end of Santa Monica Boulevard and is an iconic southern California landmark dating back to the days when Los Angeles residents closer to downtown came to the beach for summer outings. It has always had a holiday atmosphere. http://santamonicapier.org/history/

Route 66 t-shirts and other tourist souvenirs can be bought all along the pier. 

Santa Monica is the terminus of historic Route 66, the U.S. highway that begins in Chicago on Michigan Avenue and winds its way westward to the California coast.

No one is too old to ride the carousel!

Our first stop on the pier was the carousel, whose history dates back to 1974 and is famous for its individually carved wooden horses.

Jellyfish at the Aquarium under the Pier

We then went down the stairs outside the carousel to the entrance to the Aquarium. Children get in free and I was willing to pay five dollars to support Heal the Bay, a sponsor of the Aquarium. Inside, children were clustered around the touch and feel tank with its starfish and other tidepool creatures. There is also a large tank with a kelp bed display, a jellyfish tank and other exhibits.

A thrilling ride in Inkie's Scrambler

But the highlight of the afternoon for the kids (ages 10, 12 and 14) was the Pacific Fun Park where they rode the ferris wheel, scrambler, and dragon while Art and I stayed safely on the ground and took pictures.

End of the Santa Monica Pier

At the far end of the pier, fishermen dropped their lines over the side in hopes of catching a fish. But most people on the pier were there just enjoying the ocean breeze and view of the beach that stretches on one side all the way to Malibu and on the other, south to the Marina. We saved our beach fun for next day, when we donned our swimming gear and the kids boogie boarded in the waves.