CA Limited — outdoors

Spring break is right around the corner and Half Moon Bay Hostel at the Pigeon Point Lighthouse may be the perfect destination for you. Located 50 miles south of San Francisco and a little over a half hour north of Santa Cruz, this rustic lighthouse-turned-hostel is a memorable place to stay. Pigeon Point Light House | Flickr-James Balingit

Pigeon Point Lighthouse

Seated on a cliff overlooking the ocean, the Pigeon Point Lighthouse, built in 1872, was renovated by HI-USA to form the perfect hostel. Despite the age of the lighthouse, the Half Moon Bay Hostel has all the modern amenities like indoor lounges, ready-to-use kitchens, free parking, and WiFi. Step outside your door and you'll be met with a breathtaking view. Not far from the hostel you can explore tidepools, cove beaches, and a welcoming oceanfront boardwalk. Whale watching is also a popular activity and not far away you can see northern elephant seals at the Año Nuevo State Reserve. Half Moon Bay | Flickr-michael fliippoff

Half Moon Bay Hostel: Travelers Guide

Have we convinced you to plan a trip to the Half Moon Bay Hostel? If so, here are a few things to consider when planning your trip:

• There aren't grocery stores close by so make sure to stop on your way to the Lighthouse
• If you're an overnight guest, you can rent a hot tub for $7 per half hour but you need to sign up when you check-in and there is a two person minimum so no solo 'tubing ;)
• Lockers are available with locks to keep your personal items safe
• If you're bringing a group of 8+ (or meeting up at the hostel) call ahead to make a group reservation
• You can make your reservation online
• If you don't mind sharing, some options are less than $30 a night - a great bargain but make sure you book early. Dates fill up quickly.

Spring Break at Half Moon Bay Hostel

Spending your spring break at the Half Moon Bay Hostel? Check out some of these fun options for entertainment: Half Moon Bay Golf Course: If you love to golf, this ocean side golf course may be the thing to splurge on. Not only do they have a stellar course, but they also offer private lessons, events, group hosting, and fine dining. If you also happen to be planning a wedding they have a beautiful venue to offer. Half Moon Bay Golf Links - Old Course Half Moon Bay Historic Main Street: Take a quick 20 mile drive up the coast and spend some time on Half Moon Bay's historic main street. Boasting local restaurants, small boutiques, and antique shops, Half Moon Bay has a lot to offer for such a small town. Plan it just right and you can visit the Coastal Repertory Theatre showcasing local talent or possibly attend a cooking class hosted at The Ritz-Carlton. Butano State Park:  Only six miles from the Half Moon Bay Hostel, you can spend an entire day exploring the beautiful hiking trails of Butano State park in the California Redwoods. Santa Cruz: Only 27 miles down the coast is the charming and quirky town of Santa Cruz. There is an abundance of things to do in Santa Cruz limited only by your time and resources. Ride a bike, explore the boardwalk, ride a skate board, visit the Museum of Art and History, or rent a Kayak and go on an adventure. Check out the city website for current events. Santa Cruz Boardwalk | Flickr-Scott Schrantz Swanton Berry Farm: Do you love strawberries? Just 15 minutes from the Half Moon Bay Hostel is the Swanton Berry Farm. This berry farm, founded in 1983, is certified organic and gives you the option to 'Pick Your Own' berries (season starts in May) or purchase them from the Farm Stand. Check out their website for current info on locations and opening dates.

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No matter what you do, make sure to take time to relax on your visit to the Half Moon Bay Hostel at Pigeon Point Lighthouse. After all, spring break is supposed to be a vacation right? Flowers at Half Moon Bay | Flickr-Siva Subramanian Vasanth Source Hostelling International  and NorCal Hostels Cover photo by ronnietan15

They say that one man's trash is another man's treasure. In this instance, treasure from trash is an understatement. For residents and tourists of Fort Bragg, California, the trash that used to occupy what is now known as Glass Beach has definitely turned into treasure. The small town of Fort Bragg, located just twenty minutes north of Mendocino, is a destination worth adding to your road trip list. If you're coming from San Fransisco, it will take a little over three hours, while those coming down from Eureka will experience a beautiful two and a half hour drive. No matter the distance though, you'll be met with an incredible sight. Flickr-John K

The History of Glass Beach

From 1943-1949, the beaches near Fort Bragg were used as dumping grounds for local trash. Following the devastation from the San Francisco earth quake in 1906, it became common practice to toss anything you didn't want into the ocean. The residents of Fort Bragg didn't have access to a trash service so they did the next best thing - they tossed their trash off the cliffs. Everything from car parts and glass bottles to household machinery was tossed over the cliffs to The Dumps, as they started calling it, without a second thought to what impact it would have on the environment. Little did the towns folk realize that they were the catalyst to something beautiful. Fort Brag Webpage When the locals became more earth-conscious in the late 60s, they began a renovation project for the The Dumps. Hauling away all of the remaining trash, they were shocked to discover something almost magical beneath the surface clutter. Time, and more importantly the relentless waves, had beaten the trash into beautiful, smooth glass pebbles replacing the old name with a new, more fitting one: Glass Beach.

Visit Glass Beach

It's not hard to see why you'd want to visit Glass Beach. Now part of the California State Parks System and MacKerricher State Park, Glass Beach is a thriving testament to something incredible coming from something destructive. Visitors to the beach now share in the popular past time of searching out lovely, multicolored pieces of glass worn by the waves over time. Flickr-John K Each pebble has a story to tell. The periwinkle blue stones are said to be remnants from apothecary bottles while the red stones are most likely from broken glass tail lights. The green stones are likely from old soda or beer bottles discarded with the rest of the trash in The Dumps. If you're going to visit Glass Beach today, there are a few things to note:  

• The best picnic spot is on the cliffs overlooking Glass Beach #3 which is the beach farthest north
• Bring your walking shoes, you'll have to hike down to the beach
• Inside the State Park you cannot take the sea glass with you - outside of the State Park lines its OK - so make sure to bring a camera
• There is a Sea Glass Museum you can visit

It's easy to get caught up in the horror of what Glass Beach could have become, but finding beauty in the broken things is what makes this story even more amazing. It's recycling at it's finest. Flickr-John K Check out this fun video for more info about Glass Beach: YouTube: VisitFortBraggCA Source Fort Bragg City Website Cover Photo from Flickr by John K

What is there to do in Yosemite National Park? The question is, what isn't there to do? With it's breathtaking scenery and abundance of outdoor activities year round, once you visit Yosemite you will wonder why you don't make it a regular trip. Whether you're from out of the state, or live a few hours away, it is more than worth it to take a trek to this protected land for almost 1,200 miles of play room. Check out the Sequoias nestled in the valleys, the wildlife prancing around the meadows, hike up a a few majestic waterfalls, camp before backpacking to Half Dome, or climb El Capitan if you have the guts. But one thing is for sure, do not miss out on taking in this beautiful display of nature at least once in your life!

Yosemite HD II from Project Yosemite on Vimeo.

So everybody knows that you can go both surfing and snowboarding all in one day in California. But did you know that you could also throw in Desert boarding? You definitely would need a few extra toys to get the job done, but check out how these guys did some shredding on the dunes of Glamis. Source: Network A Youtube Channel

With the wintry and biting cold-ish weather coming to an end, it won’t be long before the sidewalks, the parks, the shorelines, and the off-road trails are teeming with members of California’s considerably active running community. And whether you’re gearing up for an easy-peasy 5K, an ambitious 10K, a what-was-I-thinking half-marathon (that’s 13.1 miles!), or the goal of all goals, the big kahuna, the distance reserved only for the disciplined and determined also known as the marathon* (26.2 miles), you will need all the help you can get to psych yourself up for the training prior to race day. And what better way to get the party started than with awesome tunage? Creating an effective soundtrack for running is a science – you have to have the right balance of old hits and new, with a fair mix of slow songs (so you still have some beats when you’re catching your breath) and up-tempo tracks (when you’re ready to show your fellow runners what your legs are made of). It’s also part math: You need to make sure your entire playlist is long enough time-wise to carry you to the finish line. Lastly, it’s an art – not only do you want your songs to have a catchy beat, you want them to have a lyric or a phrase with a message of sorts, one that makes you want to go and hit the ground running. Without further ado, here are 20 awesome anthems to get you properly amped for your run (Total Running Time: 1 hour, 14 minutes): *ultra-marathons are actually longer than marathons, in case you wanted to liquefy your legs ;-)