Learn More About the Bay Area  What do Steamer's Lane, peaceful mountain glades, miles of sandy beaches, redwood canyons, acres of
strawberries, Highway 17, hidden waterfalls, colorful history, Monarch butterflies and Shakespeare have in
common?
You can find them all in Santa Cruz County!
Located about an hour and a half south of San Francisco, and 45 minutes away from San Jose (AKA "over
the hill" and part of Silicon Valley), Santa Cruz county is at the northern, sunny tip of Monterey Bay.
Carmel and Monterey are at the cooler, southern tip. Sprinkled between, each with it's own distinctive
flavor, are the beach communities. The county has miles of the sandy stuff. Some are easily accessible,
some you have to be a mountain goat to get to. Surfers have their favorite spots, small children have
theirs. Nude bathers, beachcombers, sun worshippers, even ducks, everybody has a preferred beach.
There are also rocky cliffs, too dangerous to traverse. Magnificent panoramas of ocean and shore. Sunsets
to die for and fog rolling in from the Pacific to provide nature's air conditioning. When temperatures soar
into the nineties and hundreds (fahrenheit) up in the hills, the beach is a temperate, crowd-gathering
mid-seventies. Summer weather patterns are typical - early morning fog which usually disappears by
mid-day.
The best beach weather is in the fall and even winter when temperatures are mild, the water warmer and
the fog gone.
But what makes the beaches and the bay so enticing? It's Monterey Bay itself, compelling both to marine
researches and farmers. The mild temperatures, long growing season and over 300 days of sunshine make
it ideal for agricultural products. Where else would you find the Artichoke Capital of the World? Or
strawberries so succulent your mouth waters? And those vineyards—what magic they produce!
The waters draw divers and scientists from all over. With the rich fish life, abundant kelp beds, marine
mammals and a deep sea canyon, there is much to view and study. There will be a series of features on
the Monterey Bay Aquarium in coming weeks, but let me give you a hint. Whale watching is a popular
attraction as is the annual wintering of the elephant seals.
And the land. Rich alluvial soil rising to oak and chaparral studded foothills and redwood covered
mountains. Ranches and farms gave way to population growth, but enough remain to remind us why this
area drew the early emigrants. Lumbering is still a big industry, though timber harvesting is closely
monitored by the state forestry people. The game population is low, but at one time, grizzly bears and
mountain lions made life in the mountains a challenge.
Air is air, right? Maybe. Still relatively smog-free, you can taste, smell and see the difference once you
pass the county line if you're coming from the inland counties. The combination of wind and cliffs make this
a windsailing delight. Parasailing and kites flying over beaches and sparkling water make the sky a colorful
panorama. The sky hosts plentiful bird life. The sight of a red-tailed hawk circling high above a mountain
meadow makes us wish we could see what he does.
Inland, Scotts Valley is also known as Silicon Village (recalling the past as the home of Santa's Village)
while Watsonville, Freedom and Corralitos command the fantastically fertile Pajaro Valley. Agriculture
dominates the landscape until we leave the county for the outskirts of Monterey and farther south, get
into Big Sur country, known worldwide for towering cliffs, crashing waves and sheer beauty.
Santa Cruz links:
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