Milestones
- 17th county in California camped (SHOW ON MAP)
- 4th time camping at a California State Beach (SHOW 3RD)
- 3rd time riding my bike on a pier/jetty (SHOW 2ND)
Burning Questionš„
Letās get this out of the way immediately: āIs New Brighton Beach named after Brighton Beach in Brooklyn, New York?ā The answer isā¦ yes and no. Actually, New Brighton Beach was named after Brighton Beach in Sussex England. But, so was the beach in Brooklyn.
Camping
I arrived a little after 4pm. I had a HORRIBLE headacheā¦ the kind I get every 6 months or soā¦ itās probably a brain tumorā¦ but I didnāt have coffee that morning āļø so that might have had something to do with it. I took 3 expired Tylenol and started feeling better.
The sky was grey, but no rain. Unfortunately, it was terribly muddy around the picnic table. Sticky, black mud was on all my wheelchair tires. I mess I would carry for another couple of days.
By the time I setup my tent, and got to cooking dinner, it was dark. My portable LED lamp is a real champ.
Ohā¦ by the way, in case the Tylenol didnāt help, I took some ābackupā medication. You can never be too careful when it comes to your healthā¦. As I always say šā¦ (yeah, I donāt say that).
I got up the next morning really wanting to go on a bike ride. It was still very foggy, but not uncomfortably cold. Perfect biking weather.
Biking
I knew there were some bike lanes leading out of the park, but I really had no plan. I just wanted to explore.
The route I chose went along the coastline, through residential and city streets. But, I was never more than 0.5 mile from the ocean, and lots of times I was on the edge of cliffs with magnificent views.
It turns out that the day I was riding, the surf had been huge. The area had waves reaching 30 to 40 feet, and some hitting 60 feet in exposed areas.
This next picture is important because it shows a lighthouse in the distance. I immediately decided to ride as close as possible to see that lighthouse.
On the way to the lighthouse, I passed by a small harbor.
I finally made it out onto the jetty leading to āWalton Lighthouseā. But, the tides were so strong, the harbor patrol put up this flimsy warning tape to block people from being swept out to sea. If there hadnāt been people around, I would have gone under the tape, and ridden to the end.
To be fair, that same dayā¦. a 150-foot section at the end of the Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf collapsed into the ocean as powerful winter storms pummeled the California coast. Three people went into the ocean and had to be rescued ā two by lifeguards, and a third self-rescued, according to the Santa Cruz Fire Department. The three, identified as engineers and a city project manager, were on-site assessing the condition of the end section of the pier, which had previously been closed to the public.
So, maybe it was good that I didnāt break through the safety barrier. I turned around and headed back to my campsite.
Post-Script
The following picture is an overhead view of the section of the Santa Cruz Wharf that collapsed on Dec. 23. Credit:Kevin Painchaud / Lookout Santa Cruz:
