From: SAM
CHANEY 1976
Date: 9/20/00
Christine Schmidt and Mike Warner came up with the idea of starting a discussion
about the mountains. This struck a nerve with me so I decided to start one about
the Redwoods and the Pacific. I came to Half Moon Bay as a Sophomore and was
overwhelmed by the beauty. Thanks to you Christine for being one of the first
people to make me feel welcome when I first started school there. Though I have
since moved on, as many of us have, Half Moon Bay has always seemed more like
home to my heart than any other place I have ever been. I can't think of a place
that I have been to that is any more beautiful.
Oh, there are some really great areas up north -- Stimson Beach, and down south
-- Big Sur, but those were all part of my coastside experience. The people there
accepted you for who you were, not what you owned, what kind of car you drove,
or how much money your parents made. We had our little groups of Rednecks, Stoners,
Surfers, and Jocks, but in the long run, everybody got along with (partied with)
everybody. Many times I tell people that I am from California and they say "oh
yeah, I've been to LA and San Diego." I have to tell them that the Bay
Area and northern California are like a completely different planet. I can try
to explain the beauty of the redwood forests, or the rugged beauty of the coast
line, but words cannot describe the feeling that is in my heart for that place.
Only fellow coastsiders who have also moved on can truly appreciate what a fine
place Half Moon Bay was to grow up in. Every now and then I catch a glimpse
of Devil's slide, or the Bridge over the river down by San Gregorio, in the
movies or on a television commercial, and I say, I used to live there. It is
so hard to describe to somebody what it was like to have the redwood forests
in the back yard, and the Pacific Ocean in the front. I'm on the East Coast
now, and it has it's own beauty, but nothing will ever compare... I am sure
that others can expand on the beauty we were so privileged to take with us in
our hearts.
MIKE WARNER
1977
SAM CHANEY 1976
Date: 9/22/00
Yes, I agree that we have known a magical place. Here are some of my favorites
that come to mind. The fog world high atop Montara Mtn is one place I always
go several times a year. You can find plenty of beautiful quartz stones on the
summit that are frozen in time. And the wild beach strawberries that grow on
the bluffs of pillar pt. (they're usually perfect around June 1st) so sweet.
And Listening for Screech Owls in Whittemore Gulch off of Higgins-Purisima Road
in the old growth forests.
Touching the old redwood beams that built the Johnson House outside of town,
now restored. The old forgotten, one lane concrete highway 92 road below Skylawn
cemetery built to last forever. The old train stations and vestige railbeds
of the oceanshore railroad all the way down to Tunitas creek. The old landscaping
plantings in El Granada. The IOOF building on main street, and the old church
and the art deco funeral home, and the old cemetery above town. And the growers
exchange building and the greenhouses. I was fortunate and feel strongly that
the place we lived gave us a real sense of place. It is so rich in culture and
landscape and history.
Oh, and I love the storms. I can't wait for winter, when the tourist are gone,
to go hiking in the rain through the dark cypress trees. It takes a lifetime
to gather all that the coastside has to offer but some of the most lasting memories
are when I was first discovering it-the premiere moments!
From: DONALD
SCHMIDT 1986
Date: 9/25/00
Most of my memories of HMB, the coast, and the mountains come from the many
years I spent dirtbike riding around the area. Getting on my little XR100, leaving
Villa Cardoza and heading up to Higgins Canyon for the day. Riding around up
in those mountains at such a young age seemed like a great adventure. The views
from up there were incredible. We used to be able to ride from down by the golf
course all the way up to Pillar Point, from the coast, up over the hill and
down into Woodside, all on dirt trails. Adding to the sense of adventure was
the fact that there was usually no-one else around. I live far away now but
I can still smell the dirt, the salt air and the eucalyptus (spelling?) trees.
From: ANDY
CARTER 1977
Date: 9/26/2000
In the middle of summer, you could watch the soft fog wind it's way through
the redwoods....hiking to bald knob with Scott Soult, to just sit and watch
the waves hit the coastline....picking wild blackberrys...walking the trails
at night under moonlight... boy do I miss that...
From: JAN
PEDERSON 1971
Date: 10/9/00
I grew up in Montara and in HMB before a lot of you but we all still have the
same feelings about it. There really is no place like HMB. Like you I`ve moved
and miss it{the way it was} every day. Last summer my husband and I took my
three smallest kids, age 11 and twins age 9, to the coast to show them where
I grew up. I grew up in Miramar and although my old house was still there it
looked dwarfed next to all the new ones. I was surprised to see how much HMB
had changed and sad that what we had growing up in such a beautiful place had
changed so much. I live in a small town in Iowa now and I enjoy reading all
that people say on this message board. It would be fun to hear what other people
think of HMB then and now.