Pescadero

With only 6 weeks left before we say goodbye to this part of the country, we felt a need to explore our own 'backyard'. Pescadero isn't quite that close, but close enough for a morning adventure. Our goal was to visit the Harley Goat Cheese Farm , but it didn't open until 11am, so we first headed to a beach not too far from the farm itself.




The coastal Highway 1 from Santa Cruz to Half Moon Bay is dotted with several big and small beaches. Most of them are devoid of people, just drift wood, sea birds and sand. We decided to explore the beach at Gazos Creek: an entirely new beach to all of us. It turned out to be a much bigger beach than we expected, with plenty to explore. We created a shelter for Brown Cloud using drift wood gathered from the beach. The kids found some flowers and rocks to decorate the 'house'. Soon it was time to head to the town of Pescadero itself - the home of the Goat Cheese Farm.


Pescadero is a tiny fishing village half way between Santa Cruz and Half Moon Bay. It is amazingly bucolic, and has the charm of a small New England town. Harley Goat Cheese Farm was not hard to find. We were the first and the only visitors that morning, it seemed. Several goat cheeses were displayed for tasting. They are known for their quality and beautiful presentation of their goat cheeses. We even got to meet some of the goats, and the kids. I enjoyed the tangy, creamy taste of the goat cheese. Claire liked it almost more than I do. Momo took a taste of the one with sun dried tomato pesto. He claimed he liked it, but when I asked if he wanted more, he said no.




We ended our adventure at a picnic table behind the town's bakery where we got some materials for an alfresco lunch. We sat under blossoming apple trees, in the warm sun. The still fresh rain from the early morning and the aroma of a huge lilac bush made the air feel and smell like New England. And it made me smile to think that soon, very soon, I will be back there - even if it's just for a little while.