cazalea
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Walking The Central Coast, Part 2 of 2
We ended Part 1 at this tunnel under the highway, which told us not to hunt or fish. The rabbit I was chasing with my camera ran over behind the fence, and stopped near the tunnel's mouth. (Perhaps believing he was safe?)
So we drove over to the Dunes, along the coast, and were happy to see our taxpayer's dollars NOT at work, which saved us Five Bucks (ok, it's only Four $ saved for us).
It seemed like a mile of walking down this road listening to all the wildlife in the dense undergrowth, spotting the odd butterfly, etc.
Six years ago we came here, and the road wasn't paved and the foliage was missing (winter)
but the boardwalk over the lake was the same.
Back to today -- we came to the lake where we saw all sorts of birds -- tiny Swifts flying swiftly, Cormorants grooming on the poles, Pelicans fishing, etc
We got our ducks in a row (Coots, actually)
Notice how the water color changes from one side of the lake to the other.
My wife thought she saw an otter, but we decided that Muskrat was more likely.
Then we headed westward for another mile or so on a plank road.
Finally coming to Oceano Dunes, the white-capped Pacific Ocean, and massive wind gusting in our faces.
We looked West.
We looked South.
We looked North (sign out of order)
We looked down and saw plants adapted to survive.
We looked up and saw a Turkey Vulture.
So having seen everything, we turned around and headed to the car.
Where we saw wildflowers
and found the bathrooms (you guessed it) Out of Order.
On our way "home" we stopped at a Loofah farm, where they grow a special kind of squash in long plastic tunnels / greenhouses.
Which is left to dry on the vine, then the hull peeled off and
voila, a loofah sponge emerges.
Having decided not to buy a loofah, we were scolded by a Blue Jay and went home.
If I only had more light on his face ...
This truck was across the street - seemingly the winner of the Largest Exhaust Stacks award (and 2nd place on largest wheels & tires)
While this one is the Low-Rider Rod in Progress, with Patina.
Cazalea
PS - the week's watch
Walking The Central Coast, Part 2 of 2
We ended Part 1 at this tunnel under the highway, which told us not to hunt or fish. The rabbit I was chasing with my camera ran over behind the fence, and stopped near the tunnel's mouth. (Perhaps believing he was safe?) So we drove over to the Dunes, al...
A loofah is made from squash?! I never would have guessed that!
More specifically a type of squash, you were writing. Are these otherwise edible (if not dried out)? I learn something new each day from your walks.👏🏽
Large Ones Not Edible, according to our guide
But you can eat young gourds a few inches in length, like this: ...
The boardwalk over the water image....
and the turkey vulture in flight take the cake for my tastes this time around . Cheers, Filip
What a great walk!
Thank you for taking the time to put this together. I enjoyed being on the trip with you, it reminded me of my last holidays in CA. Have a wonderful day!
Amazing moments
I like to read your posts and adventures in the great outdoors. Nice to see the butterflies, scenery and birds.
We drove by a line outside the door one night and learned Jockos is under new mgmt
Locals told us it is still expensive, food good but not quite as fantastic as before. No chance to eat out, as we were helping cook for a group of 50. We wanted to try this Oyster place, but again no chance this trip. Cazalea ...
