Solvang to Watsonville

On the road again.

The day we left Buellton, we had planned to go to King City.  But the weather was pleasant and we had gas, so we kept going.  We finally tired out around Watsonville, near Santa Cruz, where there were bookstores to visit.

We found a spot at Pinto Lake Park.  Because it had rained the last couple of days, there were surfing warnings--it is not considered safe to surf or swim after it rains because of the runoff that pollutes the Pacific beaches.  I found more information online and posted this to my Facebook page:

How Surfing After Rain Affects Your Health
http://www.surfline.com/community/whoknows/whoknows.cfm?id=1157

Everywhere we went, I learned new stories about pollution and how badly we are treating our environment.  Monoculture agricultural practices with high-use chemical treatments seems to be the biggest culprit and California in particular is guilty of these highly industrialized, petroleum-based practices to mass produce food that is becoming less and less nutritious, and is actually helping to kill off the very honeybees that make pollination possible.  It is a system on the verge of collapse, I fear, and there may be serious food shortages in the future if we don't change our ways.

Pinto Lake Park itself is a good example.  Pinto Lake is 10,000 years old and the 183 acre regional park is beautiful--on its face.  The RV camping was nice, easy, convenient and affordable.  I would recommend this place for a night or a weekend.

Campsite at Pinto Lake Park.

Ducks at Pinto Lake.

But this ancient lake is in serious trouble. I found and posted this to Facebook:

The Rise of Cyanobacteria at Pinto Lake
http://baynature.org/articles/rise-cyanobacteria-pinto-lake/





Despite the environmental bad news, I did manage to enjoy our visit and got some very satisfying pictures.

A mixed marriage. This couple had little ducklings--some white and some mallard-mix.