west coast travels

August 24, 2009

Peter Gabriel- a true genious!!!

So its been sometime since I have sat down and written anything. In the past I have usually just written thoughts, and happenings on the adventures that I find myself on.

Usually tour adventures as I haven’t done many personal travels recently.

I have always tried to shy away from the word “blog” as I wouldn’t consider myself anything as such (a blogger- yeah right!). My writing is really a way to keep my friends and family up to date with my where a bouts and happenings and that is really the extent of it.

I am hitching a ride from New York City back up north on the Greyhound bus today which actually has been out-fitted with wireless internet. Us poor folk like to travel in style eh.
It’s been a little over 2 weeks since I left Montreal to head out west with my friend Helene whom was in California doing a drawing class.

California is a pretty special place when it comes to climates, and geography. Its one of the only places in the world where you can be in the snow and then be at the beach in the same day. I was fortunate enough to grow up, and spend a good 10+ years of my life on the coast of California.

The coast of Cali is really like no other. In the Southern part of the state you have the flat, warm, and sandy Hollywood type beaches and then once you get to around Santa Barbara, CA the geography of the coast changes to a more rocky, cliffy type beach which progresses the farther up the coast you go. Once you reach the San Fran area its some of the prettiest scenery that the mind has seen with hills, cliffs, and Redwood forest working its way right to the water.

On this most recent trip Helene and I made our way to the Academy of Sciences in San Fran. It’s a pretty new complex for that area which is done with as many green technologies as possible. The entire roofing system is green with many different plants, and mosses growing on top and then there are these neat looking bubble vents which air condition the entire complex. No energy used for the air flow in this complex.

Inside the Academy there is an entire Rainforest ecosystem replicated with live birds, and butterflies flying around plus frogs, lizards, fauna, and an albino alligator in displays.
Unfortunately when we were there the Planetarium was closed.
I enjoyed the Academy a lot especially the green design of the building however in Montreal there is the Bio-dome which is actually bigger and has 4 different ecosystems. There is a rainforest exhibit with little monkeys running around plus an arctic, prairie, and Alberta boreal forest ecosystem plus right across the street is the insectarium and botanical gardens.

Next stop on the agenda would be Muir Woods located 10 miles north of the Golden Gate bridge. A couple of years ago while traveling through this area with the Bouncing Souls Kate took us on a little field trip and it was something I will never forget. Muir Woods is home to some of the biggest, oldest, most prestine redwood tree’s in the area. Some of these tree’s are 1000’s of years old and are still growing strong. When you enter a forest as such your mind, and body can sense the change in the air, the energy, the beauty and a calming sensation automatically takes over you where life seems to cease. Redwoods are such majestic trees, and so huge however when your up next to one and you rub the bark its some of the softest flakiest bark I’ve touched.

While we were in the area there was a huge forest fire in the Santa Cruz mountains south of San Fran. Forests naturally are fire resistant and in most cases fires actually help the forests out. What is not natural though is logging, clear cutting which erode the soil, make open space within the forest which actually invite and help fires progress.

After our time in the “city” we made our way to Santa Cruz, CA which was a home of mine for 3+ years. Santa Cruz is located about 70 miles south of San Fran directly on the coast of the Monterey Bay. SC is a place that I am glad to have lived and glad that it was my first time being on my own after leaving papa bear’s den.

The bay area is a pretty unique area when it comes to it climate. It’s in the middle of California on the coast which makes for some of the brightest blue days however once that temperature lowers and mixes with the temperature of the ocean off the coast a thick fog/ ocean haze takes over the surrounding area. You can leave the house in the mid afternoon time with a temperature of 32 C and once evening comes it can drop down to 15 C. In a matter of only a couple hours this drastic change is what makes the bay area “the bay area”/

Santa Cruz is home to one of the most famous surf spots in the surfing world this place is named Steamers Lane and is known for its “right ride”. It’s a wave that comes in hugging the cliffs of the Santa Cruz coast which means you can only go right to avoid ramming into the cliffs to the left.
Before we headed to Steamers Lane we drove along the coastal rode to a beach named Natural Bridges because of the 2 huge rock formations in the water which have their centers carved out making natural bridges due to years off water/ wave erosion. Just inland from this beach is a monarch butterfly migration stop located in a little ravine away from the Ocean and her salty mist. I remember a certain time period when I would grab my bike, strap on my headphones to Strike Anywhere’s- Change is a Sound, ride down to Natural Bridges to check out the butterflies and watch the sunset.
Unfortunately while Helene and I were in this area it did not coincide with the monarch migration so we did not to get the tree’s and branches covered with what would look like leaves but actually be the monarchs. Oh well