Our optimism was soon rewarded as the rain stopped and blue sky and sunshine prevailed for the rest of the day. Our first stop was the reservoir which sits in the little rift valley along the Frijoles Fault. We were surprised to find a few red Indian paintbrush still in bloom. We headed up a sand dune and paused to examine an ancient Indian shell mound left by the Quiroste band of Ohlone Indians centuries ago. Further on we saw several deer.
At North Point we saw hundreds of juvenile elephant seals lounging on the beach, and a few pre-pubescent males practice battling for dominance. These youngsters arrive at this time of year to molt and build bone density when they have the beach to themselves before the mature bulls arrive in December. A knowledgeable docent on the viewing platform educated us about the life cycle of these amazing seals. With binoculars we were able to see sea lions on the island and a mother sea otter with her baby. Brown pelicans were common.
Because eating isn't allowed in the natural preserve part of the park, we headed to Cove Beach, just south of the reservoir, for a late lunch. Here you can observe the abrupt change in rock in the sea cliff where it is bisected by the Frijole Fault. After lunch we enjoyed bay nut brownies and then headed back to the parking lot.
TO GET THERE... The main entrance is on the west side of Highway 1 about 19 miles north of Santa Cruz and about 23 miles south of Half Moon Bay.
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