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Butano State Park
Pigeon Point Lighthouse Hostel, 210, Pigeon Point Rd, Pescadero, South Coastside, San Mateo, California, California
I'm not really at the lighthouse anymore...this is the first of several long overdue updates and the only way I know to do them is from memory as they happened. It just feels weird talking about all that's going on in past tense so think of it however you want. For those who want to know, I'm typing this up on a surfer's couch in Cannon Beach, OR...
Scratch that, I'm now at the Olympic Hostel in Port Townsend, WA...that couch was comfy. Anyway, without any further ado...
My first night at a hostel was okay. Getting in late after doing laundry half an hour away did cramp on my social plans for the evening but no loss, those there kinda kept to themselves anyway. I tried to chat a few of them up, get to know them but to no avail...they were all couples or spoke a different language...and not a single couch surfer in sight. Eh, maybe next time.
So the second day, after I realized I was the only one staying a second night, I spent a majority of the day hiking through Butano State Park, about 10 minutes away. What I thought would only be a few hours max turned out being nearly five hours alone wandering through that forest. I seriously overestimated how fast I could hike and the mileage so I was very relieved when I suddenly spotted my car, the only one left in the lot.
All that exercise needs fuel and per a recommendation from Kris and Ali, I headed up to Pescadero in search of the goat farm. I sampled about half the goat cheeses available and couldn't decide which one I wanted but then spotted the jars of local honey. That would be so much easier to store in a car than cheese so I went for a jar of local wildflower honey. Next stop, the local grocery for some of their famous garlic artichoke bread. Yeah, it's got an entire artichoke baked right in...mmm! I also picked up some breakfast buns to munch on with milk and honey for the next morning.
Once back at the lighthouse, I heated up the bread and invited everyone passing through that there was way too much bread and too little of me...perfect way to break the ice. Within an hour, everyone was sharing breads, local fruits and cheeses, drinks, and getting to know one another. Among the crowd were four older bicyclists making their way slowly to Santa Cruz for some camping near the coast. I liked them a lot and later wound up learning to play bridge with them. Turns out two of them were teachers for a time and their son also teaches. My bridge partner of course was the retired math teacher...it's a nerd thing. You'd think the socializing was over by then...nope! A German couple and a lone female traveler from Denmark joined in with the nights conversation...bear with me, names elude me at this point but the traveler is Sanne. I remember because she's a couch surfer, you never forget those names. The German couple runs a vineyard back home and they've just put out a new Riesling called Clean Slate that should be hitting the American markets soon. Interesting fact about the wine is the soil consists primarily of slate which gives the grapes an extra boost of warmth later in the day yielding more flavor in the wine. The guy heard of clean slate as an English idiom but didn't have a clue what it meant; he went with it. We got to explain it to him that night so if you're reading this look for a Riesling called Clean Slate, it's good! We ended the night by sharing some wine brought from a local vineyard...great night and good times!
In the morning after another shared meal of bread, fruit and cheese, I headed a bit south to Ano Nuevo State Park where I hiked through wildflowers and sand dunes to watch elephant seals chillaxing on the nearby beach. Nice dayhike before heading into San Francisco for a weekend of fun.
This concludes one overdue update and I'm in dire need of rest so till next time!
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