You want gorgeous rocks and geological bursts through the seafoam? -- this is the place.
You want sandy beach for those much talked about romantic seashore strolls? -- this is the place.
You want the potential for admiring the flora and fauna of sea-life? -- yep. this is the place.
I didn't see seals today, but I've seen pictures of them here, sunning on the rocks and playing in the water -- so I assume they were just on coffee break or something. What I did see was a gigantic rock -- maybe 3 stories high -- full to the brim with sea birds. I mean -- not dozens -- but more like hundreds of them. Huge white and gray birds with their little snippy beeks (bills?) -- making enough noise to be heard hundreds of yards away! The grey rock looked like it was covered in snow!
As I am not much of a sea-plant person yet (have to see if there's a field guide or something) -- I have no idea what kinds of plants are here -- but it's all green getting there, and then -- beautiful, colorful, and interesting takes over. This really is one of the most diverse spots I've stopped. It's peaceful and uncrowded -- at least on a weekday afternoon in the off season, so there's time to discover. And an amazingly beautiful view.
Spring break in this part of the world begins next week, so I know I won't be doing much park-hopping then (I can only assume crowded beaches are not my kind of place -- I won't be testing that theory) so I spent a lot of today looking out at the waves and beyond -- trying to catch a glimpse of some of the 18,000 California gray whales they say are on their way from Mexico to Canada for the summer. I saw one splash and bit of tale I think might have maybe could have been possibly a whale fluke -- maybe.
I'll go back after spring break. Evidently those grays love the tiny bay shrimp that dwell in these sheltered areas of the mid coast.... so much that a few thousand of them hang around all year long rather than joining their kin's migration -- which is why there are so many whale researchers living here year-round, and so many charter services that specialize in showing the big grays off to visitors.
Not a bad life for these Oragonian whales -- adoring fans AND shrimp....
This state wayside park is certainly worth the stop. --Very awe-worthy bit of US coastline. read more