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On Scenic Routes · John Evans www.OnScenicRoutes.com
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Rural Pescadero
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Pescadero countryside  |
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IT'S EARLY ON A BRIGHT, SUNNY weekend morning in Pescadero, on California's San Mateo coast. The two-block-long main street is empty, except for a scattering of parked cars. The sun has cleared the mountains, and the old store fronts along the west side of the street, all the way to the Congregational church, are aglow in the morning light. Early morning is a good time for a walk in Pescadero. At this hour the colors are vibrant, and the air is tinged with baking fragrances from Arcangeli’s store, of cinnamon rolls, ollallieberry pies and raspberry croissants in the oven, overlain with the aroma of fresh roasted coffee. When it’s quiet like this, the only traffic you might run into is a couple of dogs pulling their owners on a leisurely saunter down the center of the street. And then, with a metallic groan, the huge metal door at Made in Pescadero is rolled to one side, letting light into a showroom of hand-crafted furniture. In another store, and then another, signs are changed from "closed" to "open," and more doors are propped ajar. At Muzzi's Market, they begin piling oak firewood into the grill for the afternoon's barbecue. And with that, Pescadero starts another day. |
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IN PESCADERO, YOU CAN SAMPLE pastries and browse in a variety of shops. But the main appeal is the town itself: a quiet, tiny, very out-of-the-way country village surrounded by miles of tranquil countryside. This a place where time can slow down, if you allow it to -- a place for leisurely walks past gardens, and clapboards and Victorians built a century ago. If you happen to be in town around five in the afternoon, you may see someone rush out of Duarte’s Tavern, tape a sheet of paper next to the front door, and rush just as quickly back in. It's a list of the evening's specials, usually including five or six kinds of fresh fish available that day, along with such things as crab cioppino, local Dungeness crab, and artichoke ravioli. Duarte’s is known for its berry pies. Its large kitchen garden out back provides most of the vegetables served. In the waiting area there is displayed an award given the restaurant by the James Beard Foundation. Even in Pescadero, someone can take notice of you. |
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| PESCADERO'S MAIN STREET is called Stage Road. In the early days it was the main stage route along the coast. Beyond Pescadero, the road enters the hills, a narrow country lane twisting, turning, rising and then dropping on its way to San Gregorio. This is a countryside of ranches, of pastures, of sheep dotting the grassy hillsides, and of ridge-top views of the ocean. The road requires slow driving, a good thing because the landscape deserves a lingering look. Ultimately, you’ll end up at the San Gregorio General store, pretty much all there is of San Gregorio. Inside, there is a bar, and then shelves stocked with clothes, crockware, hats of all kinds, cast iron cookware, seeds, books, and toys -- just to name a few examples. There is usually a bluegrass band performing on weekend afternoons. |
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| Pescadero is on the San Mateo coast, 36 miles south of San Francisco and 34 miles north of Santa Cruz. From either city, follow State Highway 1 to the signed turnoff to Pescadero. The drive from Highway 1 east to Pescadero is approximately two miles. |
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