Map Route: Cambria, CA to Oakland, CA
Map Route: Oakland, CA to Berkeley, CA to Oakland, CA
Map Route: Oakland, CA to Carmel, CA
Map Route: Carmel, CA to Cambria, CA
Map Route: Cambria, CA to Yorba Linda, CA
at the mouth of Jalama Creek and the Pacific Ocean. This stretch of coastline exhibits unusual geological formations, and rocks and gems such as agate, chert, jade, travertine, and onyx. Land near Jalama Creek was once a Chumash Indian settlement named "Shilimazshtush". In 1943, twenty three and one-half acres of privately owned land was donated to the County of Santa Barbara by the ARCO oil company, and this allowed the park to be created. The only way into the park is to take the 14 mile drive on Jalama Road from CA state route 1.
Part 1. Elephant seals at Pt. Piedras Blancas State park.
Part2. Elephant seals at Pt. Piedras State Park and beach walk shots at San Simeon State Park, CA and CA state rte. 46 overlook of Morro Bay and Morro rock.
We toured the South African Hill garden, the Cactus garden and the Herb garden areas as well as the greenhouses for Cactii, for Ferns and Carniverous plants and for Palms and Cycads. Frogs could be heard in boggy areas and many succulents were in blossom.
We had lunch at the far end of the parking lot at the Berkeley Hall of Science. We watched the cloud that just sprinkled on us as we toured the botanical garden pass to the south over Oakland. I think that this is one of the best view areas for this side of the Bay. You can see San Francisco, Berkeley and Oakland quite clearly as well as the Golden Gate and Oakland Bay bridges, and Alcatraz and Angel islands, and of course Mt. Tamalpais.
The view from the top of the summit building looking to the west on a clear day you can see past the Golden Gate Bridge, to the Farallon Islands; southeast to the James Lick Observatory on Mount Hamilton at 4213’ :south to Mount Loma Prieta at 3791’:north to Mount Saint Helena in the Coast Ranges AT 4344’: and still farther north to Mount Lassen in the Cascades at 10,466’. North and east of Mount Diablo the San Joaquin and Sacramento Rivers meet forming the waterways of the Delta. To the east beyond California’s great Central Valley, the crest of the Sierra Nevada seems to float in space.
This picnic area consists of large sandstone formations and small caves and pools. We had lunch here and then took a short hike along the ridgecrest. Moss and ferns are found in abundance growing on boulders and trees. Both white and pink flowering manzanita (native CA shrub with red bark) were in bloom.
We first stoped at Whalers Cove in the Point Lobos State Reserve south of Carmel, CA. In the Pt. Lobos reserve are rare Monterey Cypress and Monterey Pine forests as well as sea lions, and extensive tide pools. At the Devils Cauldron area there is plenty of big crashing surf and spectacular views up and down the coast.
We hiked a trail that follows the Bur Sur river along its last mile to its mouth at the Pacific ocean. We passed through a tent-only campground that at about the 0.3 mile mark that we may use in a future camping trip. Huge live oaks and bay trees were found along the trail.
We first stopped at a Snowy Plover preserve at the north end of Morro Bay. We then took Fiqueroa Road off route state route 154 heading into the Los Padres National. In road cuts over a stretch of 11 miles we found green and blue, waxy serpentine and soapstone rocks as well as large outcrops of cream and grey chert rocks. However, in one area we also found white artinite crystals (hydrated magnesium carbonate mineral) forming in fracures in the serpentine.