SAN MATEO COAST

We started off today at the new wine bar in downtown Menlo Park. The store has just opened. They have a good selection of French and California wines. They also have a selecton of more than 50 cheeses. Gerard, the cheese buyer is from Lyons. We found the Epoisses that we had in Bourgogne. He told us that it would not taste the same because cheese sold in the US must be pasteurized which changes the taste. We bought a bunch of wine to put in the cellar.

We headed out for Half Moon Bay. We drove through the mountains to avoid the traffic on HWY 35. We stopped at the Red Barn to take a picture. I think I have taken more than 100 photos of that barn. We continued on through San Gregorio, stopping briefly to check out the General Store. Then we turned off the main road to drive over the Stage Road to Pescadero.



Out in Pescadero we stopped at the cemetery then continued into town. We thought about having lunch at Duarte's but it was too crowded. Pescadero is becoming quite the hip place with galleries (a gallery, Made in Pescadero) and antique stores.


Outside of Pescadero we turned south on HWY 1 towards Santa Cruz. Rich wanted to find a restaurant where he had dinner with Evan. We drove along the coast admiring the clear blue sky and the blue Pacific. The sun was shining without a hint of fog. At the Pillar Point Lighthouse we stopped again. There is a new State park around the lighthouse with trails and walkways overlooking the ocean. While we were there we saw a whale, probably a grey whale feeding in the water. This was only the second time in my life that I have seen a whale.


We continued south until we found the Costanoa Resort where the restaurant was. It was pretty late in the afternoon for lunch but since we were practically the only ones there they were happy to take our order. The waiter told us that he had just returned from living in New Zealand to take care of his aging mother. His wife is still there taking care of her parents. After lunch we walked around before getting back in the car to drive north to Half Moon Bay.