Montara and Pedro Mountain

Montara Mountain is a 1,898-foot tall hill overlooking the Pacific Ocean near Montara, CA, 20 miles south of San Francisco. McNee Ranch State Park on the western slopes of the mountain is a very unique place, because of the network of hiking trails and roads leading up into the open hills in a coastal area that is otherwise accessible only along the ocean shore. I have been visiting beaches around Half Moon Bay for over 15 years and only recently learned about the hiking trails at the McNee Ranch SP.
There are several places to start the hike up the mountain, this time we chose to park at the Gray Whale Cove State Beach parking lot, to walk down to the beach after the hike.The trail quickly climbs above the ocean level and opens a view at the Devils Slides and a newly constructed highway tunnel,



and at the Montara Mountain slopes.



At the top of the mountain, the road ends with the gate to the San Francisco State Fish and Game Refuge. The refuge is a large open space extending up to Fwy 280 and as far as I know can be only visited on a docent lead tour.



Despite excellent views in all directions, I  was disappointed with the summit of the Montara Mountain, because it is fenced and hosts communication facilities. I always expect the mountain tops to be the most remote and untouched places, but the top of the Montara Mountain is just the opposite of that. A nearby peak of the Pedro Mountain is a much more remote and enjoyable destination. Below is a view at the Mountara Mountain antennas from the top of the Pedro Mountain.



From the peak of the Pedro Mountain we randomly wandered down and eventually connected to the main trail.  The upper part of the mountain has a lush shrubbery, which is most likely thriving on the moisture from the coastal fog.



The mountain has views in all directions, at the Marin Headlines, Mt. Hamilton, Santa Cruz, and Pacific Ocean. Here is the view south towards Half Moon Bay captured on the way down.



Near the end of the hike w noticed a person practicing sun salutes towards the setting sun. What a great place to do yoga.



After the hike we walked down to the Gray Whale Cove State Beach and stayed until the sunset. This is the first time I visited this beach and I it has become one of my favorites. The sand is coarse and has this orange color I have not seen at the other beaches in the area. The sun was setting behind the clouds and the ocean waters were rough. I uploaded this photograph directly from my camera, there was no need to do any editing.

Cadillac De Ville on Pedro Mountain

High on the slopes near the top of the Pedro Mountain, sits a wreck of Cadillac De Ville. Overgrown with the Coyote bushes, it looks like a modern sculpture rather than an abandoned car. Its wheels are turned to the right, as if the driver was trying to avoid going down the steep slope before the car finally froze on the rock.



That model was manufactured only in years 1960-70, and one of the signs scratched on the body has a date 1976.



De Ville used to be a large luxury car, how did it end up stuck up there? There is another car wreck on the uphill slope a couple of hundred yards behind, and both cars were heading in the same direction, west towards the ocean.