Seacliff State Park

Dad and Rebecca

After leaving Pacific City, OR headed for Seacliff, CA, we stopped along Hwy 101 for a rest and took another ocean picture that I never seem to tire of.

Rebecca and Mom enjoying their reunion at Seacliff!

The wind was blowing some and I took this picture of a rippled dunes.

Since Mike, Rebecca, Kyle and Carly were leaving one day earlier than we were scheduled to leave, Kyle decided he would like to experience what it was like traveling in an RV instead of the back seat of a truck. I think he liked it!

This little snake was just slithering along the sand dunes so took a picture of it.

Seacliff Beach

Rebecca hopped the fence and headed for the water!

Kyle and Carly are in that wave somewhere!!

That wave got Kyle I think!

Testing the waters!

Carly watching her dad and brother out in the water.

The old "Palo Alto"

Photo: The concrete ship, Palo Alto in San Francisco Bay on her way to Sea Cliff State Beach.

Why is there a ship at the end of the pier?
Was it built there -- or did it sink there?

In 1910, a Norwegian civil engineer named Fougner thought of using concrete to build ships. It wasn't until 1917 when wartime steel shortages required the use of cement for construction that Fougner's idea was used. Three concrete ships were built. Two, the Peralta and the Palo Alto, were built at the U.S. Naval Shipyard in Oakland, California while the third, the Faith, was built in a shipyard in Redwood City, California. The Peralta and the Palo Alto were built for wartime use as tankers; however, World War I ended before ship construction was finished -- so they were never used.

The Palo Alto remained docked in Oakland until 1929 when the Cal-Nevada Company bought the ship with the idea of making her into an amusement and fishing ship. Her maiden voyage was made under tow to Seacliff State Beach. Once positioned at the beach, the sea cocks were opened and the Palo Alto settled to the ocean bottom. By the summer of 1930 a pier had been built leading to the ship, the ship was remodeled. A dance floor on the main deck was added, also a cafe in the superstructure was built, as was a fifty-four foot heated swimming pool, and a series of carnival type concessions were placed on the afterdeck. The Cal-Nevada Company went broke after two seasons -- then the Palo Alto was stripped, leaving the ship and the pier to be used only for fishing.