Coast of California

With a coastline running north and south of somewhere between 840 miles (1,352 km) and 3,400 miles (5,474 km) long – depending on how many twists and turns one includes in the measurement – it is not surprising that California offers a wide variety of coastal scenery.

Using Monterey (about 100 miles, or 161 km, south of San Francisco) as the dividing point, one can generalize that the northern California coastline is rocky, cold (even in summer) and windswept, while the further south one goes the sunnier, warmer and sandier it gets. But there are many exceptions to this generalization, the most notable of which is the overwhelming landscape in the Big Sur area south of Monterey that rivals anything in the north. A drive along California's coastal highway (Routes 1 and 101) offers stunning views over almost the entire coast.

The photos in the slide show above are the product of several different trips to California at various times. In general, they have been organized to run from north to south (though there are probably some exceptions).

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The southern end of the California coast is, of course, the border with Mexico. The border is easy to see – a rusty brown fence runs along it and even extends into the ocean. The area near the border is interesting. On the Mexican side, it is basically life as usual. There are roads, houses, at least one restaurant in view and people hanging out at the restaurant and on the beach. There is even a lighthouse and a stadium that appears to be a bullfight ring. On the U.S. side, however, it seems like a no-man's land. Although the area is called Border Fields State Park, it is not well marked and one can drive in only on weekends. During the week (when I visited) it was a 1.5 mile walk from where I could park to where I could see the fence. The entire area is one of low scrub and lots of "Area Closed" and "No Trespassing" signs on either side of the road in. There were three and sometimes four helicopters constantly circling overhead. (The people that live in the houses on the Mexican side – some of which are quite upscale – must love this constant drone.) There are also several Border Patrol vehicles making the rounds. For an aerial view of the border area, check out a Google Maps view of the U.S.-Mexico border fence photo. For even more detail (and a higher resolution aerial photo), check out Microsoft's Live Search version of the border fence and other information.

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