Franklin Point
Heading down the trail to Franklin Point. This photo looks back towards Highway 1.
After stopping for breakfast in Santa Cruz, we set off for our favorite spot on the coast – Franklin Point. When we left San Jose just before 7, the temperature was already 77 degrees and it looked like it was going to be another hot one. What we needed was to cool off at the coast. We were expecting it to be a little foggy and in fact there was a sign on Highway 17 which said to watch out for fog ahead but as we reached the crest of the Santa Cruz Mountains there was no fog and in fact there was still none in sight as we approached Santa Cruz. It was a different story though when we left Santa Cruz to headed up the coast. First of all it was just a little foggy but it cleared around Davenport, only to appear again as we approached Ano Nuevo. That’s the trouble with fog, you never know where it is going to be exactly.
Franklin Point was not too bad actually. As we got out of the car there was a stiff breeze so we donned our jackets. There were no other cars parked by the tree stump but ahead of us on the trail we could see another couple walking towards the beach. The trail is only half a mile long to the beach. I strode ahead so Tom could take his time to stop along the way and take photos.
It has been nearly a year since our last visit and I was looking forward to sitting on my favorite bench. The trail has been modified since then.
Click on this photo for a larger version and you'll be able to see our favorite bench at Franklin Point
The first modification was man made. About two thirds of the way along it used to get very wet and muddy in the winter and on occasions the trail has been impassable at this point. A few years ago small logs were put down over the worst section to form a pathway but over time they have either been burried of have disappeared. A raised boardwalk has now been constructed, which will make it possible to walk to the beach every day of the year. The second modification to the trail was natural. Due to shifting sand, the trail itself has been altered nearer the beach.
When I arrived at the beach, I took my time to absorb the scene, taking deep breaths to fill my lungs with the fresh air. The only people in sight were the couple who I had seen earlier and they were making a beeline for the bench, which was clearly visible half a mile away up on the point. But they only stopped a few seconds and did not even sit down before they turned away and carried on walking south. Such a pity. It might be blowing up there but five minutes rest on the bench would have set them up for the day.
I didn’t head for the bench straightaway but walked on past for about half a mile, just to see what I could see. I stopped to look down into a little cove and spotted a huge pink starfish clinging to a rock. The path at this point was perilously close to the edge of the cliff.
Turning back, I retraced my steps to the point where a boardwalk leads to the bench. Last time I remarked how the boardwalk itself was beginning to deteriorate. This time I noticed how some of the metal poles were very rusty and a few have corroded to the point where the metal is very flaky. I won’t be surprised if on my next visit some of them will have rusted through completely.
Looking out at Franklin Point from our favorite bench at our favorite place along the San Mateo Coast.
Eventually I arrived at my bench. OK, it was windy. As I wrote I had to hold down the pages of my journal with the other hand, but I’m not complaining. The sound of the waves coming in and going out and the surf breaking over the rocks was soothing. The smell of the ocean was invigorating – all those negative ions working their magic. On top of all that, I could taste the brine on my lips. The fog was thicker out to sea and I could not see Pigeon Point Lighthouse off to my right. I knew it was there but the light was not even visible.
Normally we see a lot of pelicans flying low around this point and Tom waits patiently for them to arrive. You have no warning at all that they are coming. Suddenly they appear, gliding in formation and skimming the waves. But today we were out of luck. We saw lots of gulls and cormorants sitting out on the rocks but not one pelican.
As we sat there, contemplating life and the future; glorying in the scenery and the cool breezes, the sun began to warm our backs. Ironically the fog seemed to be getting thicker off the coast. Eventually we both took a deep sigh, turned our backs on the ocean and headed back to the heat of the Santa Clara Valley.
August 02 2009 08:36 am | Special Places
