California
From The California State Automobile Association Unofficial Wiki
[edit] Aptos and the great See-Ment boat
WHERE IS IT? At the northern end of the great crescent of Monterey Bay - right off of Highway 1 (The Pacific Coast Highway).
BACKGROUND Aptos, legend has it, is the Spanish corruption of the Indian word awotos, meaning “meeting of the streams.” You've probably driven by this small village on the Central Coast a dozen times without giving it a thought. Aptos, for many, is simply one of those towns on the way to somewhere else."
There's a charmingly quaint 19th Century feel to part of the center of the town.
But what's remarkable is something you'll find at Aptos Beach.
There's a story here. Turn of the last century - around the last several months of WWI, naval architects decided to try out an old theory: to build a ship out of reinforced concrete. It was a solid argument -- reinforced concrete could be fashioned into the right shapes, it had incredible compression strength, it was cheaper than steel, and -- once the moulds were created -- the cost/ship would be even lower. Commissioned in the last weeks of the War, the 450 foot-long USS Palo Alto turned out to be a dud. Its weight made it difficult to steer as well as too expensive to keep fueled. Mothballed shortly thereafter - and soon after that, an entrepreneur from Santa Cruz California got the idea of converting the Lightly Used freighter into a very posh, floating hotel. Well, that didn't work either. The investors pulled out of THAT deal and soon, the State of California purchased the now-gutted hull of the Palo Alto - for $1. It was towed to a pier - supposedly until someone could figure out what to do with it. A major winter storm changed the plans. During unsually high seas, the Palo Alto was pounded up and down in the shallow waters - time after time it slammed into the seabed just feet below its keel. In twelve hours the Palo Alto's stern cracked open - two pieces of the empty hull sank into the sand at the pier. (the fuzzy blob at the left side of the pier is the ship's bow) And - generations later - the hull of that great ship STILL sits at the pier. There's good news here. Both sections of the ship are used by zillions of migratory birds and the submerged parts of the hull create safe habitats for a whole bunch of marine life.
Nepenthe restaurant, Phoenix giftshop, and a deck view to die for
To describe this place -- right on Highway 1 (Pacific Coast Highway) about 140 miles south of San Fran -- as preternaturally chic would be an understatement. This is the kind of place that's been selling aroma therapy oils, books on build-your-own-yurt, and sand-cast bells from Arcosanti for longer than almost anyone can remember.
It's a must see kind of place -- to go back to if you were there once, and to visit for the first time if you're driving south from Carmel.
There's a restaurant - "california cuisine" of course. There's the cutting-edge-chic gift shop and there's The Deck. It's a deck that faces southwest, over the pine and redwood towards the amazing vistas of Big Sur.
Go and have the organic egg, tofu and mung bean omlette and a soy latte -- smile at the pretentiousness of it all, and - honestly - be grateful there are places as beautiful as this we can still all enjoy.
The Nepenthe web site: [[http://www.nepenthebigsur.com/ ]]
AND - their recommendation for what may be one of the grandest beaches .. in the world. : Our Favorite Beach - Pfeiffer Beach - Just two-miles north of Nepenthe, with a five minute drive down Sycamore Canyon Road is one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. Pfeiffer Beach has been photographed by Ansel Adams, and is featured prominently in "The Sand Piper." Coming to Big Sur, and not enjoying a walk on this beach would be a real shame. To get to Pfeiffer Beach, drive north from Nepenthe on Highway One. After you crest the hill, in about half a mile you will pass Big Sur Center Deli and the US Post Office on your left. In another quarter mile you will go over an unmarked bridge. Just 300 yards later you will see an unmarked, paved road, heading downhill to your left. Take this road two miles to the end and park. There is a short path through cypress trees opening onto the mile long Pfeiffer Beach. Be careful, it is easy to miss the turn from Highway One. Though there is no sign, after you make the turn you will see a sign which reads "Narrow, winding road, trailer traffic not recommended." There is a $5.00 dollar charge for parking at Pfeiffer Beach, but the visit makes the parking fee a bargain. If you take the wrong road, you will find yourself on private property. So please watch where you turn. Other Beaches of note include Garrapatta, Jade Cove, Pacific Valley Store and Sand Dollar Beaches. Stop by Nepenthe and ask directions to any of these great spots.
