DAY 111: HARBOR SEALS, BY WAY OF CARPINTERIA CITY BEACH
Date: Saturday March 5, 2011
Miles: 3.5
Elevation Gain: 100 Feet
Time: 2 Hours
Difficulty: None...
Reward: Found another way to visit the seals!
Description: Hiking along the beach--
Where: Carpinteria, CA
Directions: Take the 101 North from Ventura and exit on Casitas Pass Rd (one exit after Bailard). Turn left on Casitas Pass and right on Carpinteria Ave. You can turn left on Palm and take that to the end if you are interested in car camping at the state campground. Otherwise, keep on Carpinteria Ave for less than a mile and turn left on Linden Ave. Take Linden to the end and find a place to park. Parking is free for 2 hours.
PROTECT THE SEALS!
From the directions listed above, you will see this lifeguard station at the end of the road. Turn left and start walking along the beach...
At high tide, the beach is interrupted. The waves cover the sand and meet the creek. The water is less than a foot deep where the waves meet, but then it gets deeper if you walk away from the Ocean. Pretty cool...
For the adventure, we walked along the creek to the bridge and then back. This bridge leads to the campgrounds.
Tar Pits Ahead
Look close, it's a bird flying above the rock and waves!
The end of the "usable" beach. During low tide, you could skedaddle around the rocks. You probably could do it at high tide too. It would look like VIDEO: Day 27 "Ayden versus the Wave". Ayden and I encountered a similar situation in Ventura, but this rock at high tide was not worth the risk. We turned around to head up the bluff by the tar below:
The view on top was quite pleasant. There was an easy walking trail atop the bluff. Nearing the end, we peeked over the edge:
The beach on the other side of the rock
A stop sign in the cove!
If you are daring enough to beat the waves you'll enter a private beach paradise, as seen two pictures above. You'll notice the stop sign in the far distance and a close up is seen in the picture above. So you can ALWAYS use this beach all year round, no matter what! No complaints... However, the stop sign comes down in June so people can keep taking their chances around the rocks, under the oil pier and right thru the seal rookery. Of course when the beach opens up, the seals move out. The good news is, the pups are usually strong enough to swim a good distance. The bad news is, why should they have to leave? The seals will swim to the islands and to other beaches because like any animal, they desire to explore. However, this is their home and they feel safe here because they are protected. Take a closer look:
Please tell me why people should be allowed to walk through this spot? This is an oil pier. Large vehicles are going back and forth on this all day. This is not an area where you want to bring your kids or have a romantic picnic. Besides, as I demonstrated on Day 84, you have at least two miles of open beach to the east. Based on today's experience, you have at least a mile of open beach to the west. Thus, leave the seals be. Close this beach to the public for good! Help donate for this cause: http://harborseals.blogspot.com/
Due to the Venoco Property, you'll have to hike away from the bluff and rejoin the bike path:
The Seal Sanctuary
Dolphins! (Zoom into the middle on the bottom)
The seals were celebrating a day of warm air and fresh sunshine! They were very vocal but not as loud as the Elephant Seals by Hurst Castle. Bring your kids, leave your dogs at home. Just twenty minutes from Ventura and free to the public.
Ayden and I hung out for thirty minutes or so. There were many seals swimming in the waters and one family swore they saw whales. Very possible, but I didn't see them. On the way out, I caught a picture of a squirrel. There was a butterfly and little alligator lizard too, but my hand wasn't quick enough. This was our third visit in 111 days and I accomplished it from three different spots. I am determined to make a difference here! Sealwatch has done a great job over the years. Please review my blog to help fund some extraordinary ideas, including a playground! http://harborseals.blogspot.com/
I'm so happy to see you are involving your Family in your adventures :) I was in the Dr Phil audience that day you guys were on... with the show airing today I wanted to see if you made the change... I think your son Ayden looks so happy :) I hope your Family is much happier now and I can't wait to read more about your fun adventures :) BTW... have you ever gone to http://www.geocaching.com/ ? My family and I love to get out and search for treasure :) I bet yours will too.. God Bless and keep up the good work!
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