For my third day in the Bay Area, I decided to drop Chris off at work and take the car for the day down to Half Moon Bay, a little coastal town about thirty miles south of San Francisco.
I parked at Poplar Beach and just started walking north along a portion of the California Coastal Trail. It was fairly overcast and foggy at 9AM, but I still enjoyed watching and photographing some surfers.
Other than the seagulls and a few surfers and joggers, I practically had the beach to myself.
I stopped and turned around when I got to Francis Beach Campground, but I did have visions of driving all the way here someday and camping right on the shore!
I went back to my car to grab my book (I came prepared) and found a bench along the trail. When I sat down, I could hear the ocean but really saw nothing in front of me. After maybe thirty minutes of reading, I looked up to see that the fog had cleared and this was my view:
I decided to head into town for some lunch and shopping, so I found a parking spot easily along the main road and grabbed a sandwich from the historic San Benito House to eat outside in their garden and soak up the sunshine.
As I left Half Moon Bay, headed toward the famous surfing destination, Mavericks Beach, I was stunned by the vistas along the PCH and I pulled over on a whim, crossed the highway, and took in the views!
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| A beautiful beach right against the highway! |
I got back in the car and continued on to Pillar Point, where I was surprised to find free parking and a short hike to Mavericks Beach.
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Mavericks is a surfing location just north of the town of Half Moon Bay at the village of Princeton-by-the-Sea. After a strong winter storm in the northern Pacific Ocean, waves can routinely crest at over 25 ft and top out at over 60 ft. Routinely, waves that break can be recorded on seismometers. The break is caused by an unusually shaped underwater rock formation. (Source: wikipedia.com)
I tore myself away from the ocean and headed northeast, to pick Chris up at work and figure out our dinner plans.
We decided to go into downtown San Francisco because I was eager to try a Chinese restaurant recommended to us, and to show Chris around Chinatown.
We went to Z and Y restaurant and sat outside on the makeshift patio. Chris called his friend Walton who knows all things Chinese, especially food. He recommended that we try the Basil Clams and the Chicken with Explosive Chili Pepper, and we were not disappointed!
We had some delicious pork & cabbage dumplings, too, and then our server brought us some kind of dessert with sweet rice and mochi or something similar in it. While it looked odd, it tasted pretty good.
We left the restaurant and started walking around Chinatown. I was pointing out some things I had seen the previous day when a nicely dressed Asian man approached us. He said he heard me mention China and started telling us random facts about Chinatown. At first, it seemed that he was trying to get us to try the nearby ice cream place, but pretty soon it became apparent that he was being our spontaneous tour guide and would probably be expecting a tip. I interrupted him and politely tried to walk away, but Chris just stood there, hands in pockets, listening to this guy prattle on! At that point, the "guide" started saying I needed to slow down and enjoy life and not be always in a hurry. He started saying I must have some Chinese ancestry, and then started talking about how smart Chris was for being a good listener (insert eye roll). I was so annoyed at Chris for not taking the hint, and I probably should have just deserted him, but finally he began to back away and the self-appointed guide cut to the chase--telling us his knowledge is always free of charge, but asking if we could spare some money to buy him a coffee. Seriously?! What is it with these San Francisco people and begging for coffee money??
We went through the Dragon Gate, lit up at night.
I had Chris drive up to Coit Tower so we could appreciate the views of the city at night.
Another awesome day by the Bay!
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