habitat ~ 08/22/14 ~ Asilomar State Beach & Conference Grounds

Asilomar State Beach & Conference Grounds

August 23, 2014

When I was younger, I had no interest in history.  None, whatsoever.  Now that I'm getting older, I'm finding I'm becoming interested in the changes that happen through time.  From a local events website I discovered free summer tours were being offered at Asilomar.  It was just last November when I was lamenting how I didn't appreciate this gem that's on the other side of town from where I live.  So, a friend and I did the State Parks tour Friday afternoon.  It was very informative about the history of the YWCA here (1914-1935), the impressive female architect Julia Morgan and subsequent architects, and the formation of this State Park (you can read the whole story here).  We also heard about the pitch canker that's infesting the Monterey pine trees and how the "restoration" of the Asilomar Dunes Natural Preserve (shown above) became a solution to the moving sands.  How will these dunes look in another 100 years?

habitat ~ 11/25/13 ~ Asilomar State Beach & Conference Grounds

Asilomar State Beach & Conference Grounds

November 25, 2013

I feel like I should appreciate Asilomar more than I do.  It's just 2 miles across town on the ocean side of the Monterey Peninsula, and the weather is often more so than the bay side with more wind and fog.  I hardly ever get over there, unless I'm visiting a friend or taking the scenic route home from the grocery store.  To roam around, I have to be in the mood to deal with the super fine, squeaky Asilomar sand that gets lodged between my toes (I still haven't found great shoes for walking in sand).  However, it really is a gem of a place.  I love the architecture, which was designed by Julia Morgan who also did Hearst Castle.  The Conference Grounds are currently going through a multimillion-dollar accessibility renovation.  It's looking very spiffy.

habitat ~ 09/01/12 ~ Asilomar State Beach

Asilomar State Beach

September 1, 2012

I'm a little surprised I haven't featured better habitat (step back) blog posts for Asilomar. The beach section is only a small part of the Asilomar State Beach property, which also includes conference grounds and a mile-long coastal trail. In fact, half of the squeaky soft sand area (it really does squeak when you walk on it!) is technically part of neighboring Pebble Beach's The Links at Spanish Bay and Spanish Bay looking towards Point Joe, both shown above. This beach is very popular with surfers (they strip out of their wetsuits with no shame on the side of the road), dogs (usually off leash fetching tennis balls from the water), conference attendees on break (always recognizable with those massive necklace name tags), and beach wedding enthusiasts (every weekend there seems to be dozens of folding white chairs and flower-covered white arches on the beach). While we regularly drive by here on our scenic way home from the grocery store, we rarely stop unless it's a clear evening and the perfect time to catch the sunset. It's funny how something could be practically at our back door, and yet we don't take the time to enjoy it. Other bloggers have done a much better job than I have at highlighting this local gem:
bigsurkate Sunsets at Asilomar
Far Out Flora Foredune Beach Plants
Town Mouse and Country Mouse Asilomar Dune Restoration 1
Town Mouse and Country Mouse Asilomar Dune Restoration 2

silent Sunday

sunset ~ 02/12/11 ~ Asilomar State Beach

sunset from Asilomar
February 12, 2011

This was one of the last warm and calm days before the storms hit. I should mention those dogs are not ours. Asilomar to Spanish Bay in Pebble Beach is a dog friendly beach. If you go past the State Beach boundary signs, you can also have a beach fire. I've always wanted to do this, however, the thought of lugging piles of wood over sand and having to haul everything back out after dark has kept me from going for it. It's one of those things you want to do with a group of friends. Getting people's schedules coordinated with last-minute nicer weather is another thing entirely.