California Coast
Doheny State Beach
My first stop on the California coast was just after Christmas when I visited Doheny State Beach. Located in the Orange County community of Dana Point, this was the first state beach in California. It is known for its broad, sandy beach and being part of the epicenter of the Southern California surf culture. I’ve been to Dana Point and Doheny State Beach many times, but this was my first time staying at the very popular campground.
The beach is named after Edward L. Doheny who borrowed money in 1893 to drill the first oil well in Dana Point. He struck oil at a depth of 200 feet and that launched his oil empire on that small initial investment. Just before his death in 1931, Doheny donated the beach to the state for public use. In 1963, the state named the beach Doheny State Beach in his honor.
South Carlsbad State Beach
About 35 miles south of Dana Point is the coastal community of Carlsbad in San Diego County. I stayed at the South Carlsbad State Beach campground which sits on a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean. In order to access the beach, visitors must descend stairs from the bluffs above. Originally the beach was known as La Costa Beach, but in 1965 it was renamed South Carlsbad State Beach after an extensive renovation. During my first five nights there, I had a campsite that was right up against the edge of the bluff offering spectacular views of the Pacific and sunsets.
The weather was spectacular during my week-long stay with sunny days and temperatures in the mid-60s. From the bluff, I could watch harbor seals and dolphins playing in the water just offshore. I also spotted a magnificent red-shouldered hawk every day on my walks. One day I took a drive down Pacific Coast Highway to the coastal town of Encinitas and got some delicious fish and carne asada tacos at The Taco Stand following the recommendation of my friend (thanks Donna).
I was supposed to only stay at South Carlsbad State Beach for four days, but high winds along my route back to Nevada convinced me to stay three additional days.
Carpinteria State Beach
Following an extended stay in Nevada to deal with my residency, I returned to the California coast. Due to the wildfires in Los Angeles County, I decided to take a route through the desert and stay north of the fires. My first destination on California’s Central Coast was the seaside town of Carpinteria which is halfway between Santa Barbara and Ventura. The Spanish named the area Carpinteria because the Chumash tribe, which lived in the area, had a large seagoing canoe-building enterprise, or “carpentry shop” there. I stayed at the popular Carpinteria State Beach campground which has sites right on the beach and walking trails along the bluff overlooking the ocean. The quint town is walking distance from the campground with tons of restaurants, shops, and a farmer’s market on Thursday afternoons.
Carpinteria State Beach is situated on the Santa Barbara Channel with the Channel Islands visible about 25 miles offshore. The coastline is also dotted with the famed Carpinteria Tar Pits which are series of natural asphalt lakes and sites of seeping oil. There are several offshore oil drilling platforms in the channel which are mostly decommissioned today. Just south of the campground is the Carpinteria Seal Sanctuary where harbor seals have a rookery and mom’s deliver their pups in mid-February.
About 60 miles up the coastline is Vandenberg Space Force Base where SpaceX routinely launches rockets. During my time in Carpinteria, I was fortunate to catch two SpaceX launches of their Falcon 9 rocket delivering Starlink satellites to low Earth orbit. The launch on Tuesday, January 21st was during daylight and you could see the rocket rising from Vandenberg, but visibility was lost as it reached the upper atmosphere. However, the launch on Friday, January 24th was a pre-dawn and the sky was clear making for a spectacular show. The fireball of the rocket was clearly visible as it rose from Vandenberg and you could see the stage separation as it reached space. The second stage rocket burning in space produced an enormous white plume and I could see the booster falling to Earth just before it ignited its landing burn. Finally, the coastline was awoken with two sonic booms to conclude a spectacular show.
Santa Barbara
While I was in Carpinteria, I decided to take Amtrack’s Pacific Surfliner up to Santa Barbara to do an afternoon of sightseeing. Nicknamed the “American Riviera”, Santa Barbara is a beautiful coastal community with the Santa Ynez Mountains serving as a dramatic backdrop. The city was founded in 1786 when Padre Fermín Lasuén established Mission Santa Barbara which became the tenth Spanish mission in Alta California. Today, downtown with its Mediterranean-style white stucco buildings with red-tile roofs reflects Santa Barbara’s Spanish colonial heritage.
Pismo State Beach
Humans have inhabited the Pismo Beach area for about 9,000 years and the Chumash Indians lived here for centuries before Europeans. The name “Pismo” comes from the Chumash word “pismu” which refers to the natural occurring tar that would wash up on the local beaches. The more modern history goes back to 1769, when Spanish explorer Don Gaspar de Portola and his parties camped in the area. During the first half of the 20th century, Pismo Beach supported a thriving clam industry with an estimated 6.25 million pounds of clams harvested between 1916 to 1947 when the commercial fishery was closed. Today, Pismo Beach is a popular vacation destination with beautiful beaches, campgrounds, and outdoor activities.
Pismo Beach is also the winter home of Monarch butterflies who migrate up to 2,000 miles away from just west of the Rocky Mountains and as far north as Canada. They instinctively migrate to Pismo Beach for the mild winters, nectar of the flowers, and microclimate that the trees provide. The grove of trees at the Pismo State Beach Monarch Butterfly Grove offers the proper humidity, light, shade, temperature, and protection from the elements for the butterflies to thrive. They arrive here in October and generally depart by the end of February. Over the past few years, the warmer temperatures along the Central Coast have been cutting down on the number of butterflies stopping over in Pismo Beach. This year the count was just under 600, but I was still able to witness dozens of beautiful Monarch butterflies resting in the sun and flying around the grove.
Centuries ago, sand dunes were common along the California coastline. Today, due to coastal development there are only four coastal sand dunes in the state and the most extensive is just south of Pismo Beach at the Oceano Dunes Natural Preserve. The vast landscape of sand has been in several films such as Ten Commandments and Spartacus where it depicted ancient Egypt. The southern section of the sand dunes has been set aside by the state for off-road vehicles and offers the only coastal vehicular access in California.
