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You, me and the sea
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Shelter Cove is an idyllic destination for those who just enjoy lazing around
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FALL IN LOVE WITH NATURE At Shelter Cove
It is just the place. A place which offers hum tum ek kamre me bandh ho, aur chaabi kho jaaye kind of romantic privacy that honey-mooners yearn for. We are talking about Shelter Cove, the idyllic little get-away hugging the Pacific.
In California, beaches and privacy are a contradiction in terms, more so on week-ends when we see people filling every inch of space like the Olive Ridley turtles on the Orissa coast. Imagine, against such a grim scenario, the prospect of ‘just you, me and the sea’, as promised by Shelter Cove. Wow!
As a family seeking escape from the sickening din of every-day life, we hit highway 101 from the City of the Golden Gate. We drive through the famed redwood country and climb up a magnificent hill-range. As the spiralling road takes you to the top of the range, a stunning spectacle unfolds suddenly, leaving you awe-struck. The sight of the mighty ocean, its waves lashing the foot of the hill-range below. The sun is just dipping behind the horizon. The sight remains framed firmly in the mind’s eye for a lifetime. A writer has rightly described it as the place where ‘the sea and the land meet with a vengeance’.
Excitement mounts as we hear that Shelter Cove has a ‘mystery’ dimension too to it — it’s called the Lost Coast. History and geography have conspired to keep this part of the Pacific coast out of bounds for people until mid-19th century. This stretch of coast as well as land remained unknown long after the rest of the United States was mapped. Hence, the name, Lost Coast. The only deep water port over a long rugged coastline, Humboldt Bay here remained obscure from sea-farers because of its narrow and treacherous opening. It was witness to many shipwrecks. Reaching the bay by land was not easy either, because of the rugged coastal mountains that stretch 150 miles inland.
Chill winds blow as we reach Shelter Cove, also known as ‘Paradise’ and ‘Gem of the Lost Coast’. We check in at ‘Tides Inn’ where every suite offers a spectacular view of the Pacific. ‘Look ma, the sea is so close. I can’t believe it’, Kaivallya, my grand-daughter, screams in delight. Yes. The waves almost lap the base of the hotel building!
We wake up to a thrilling sight the next morning — deer frolicking on the beach!
Another compelling sight beckoning the tourist at Shelter Cove is the Cape Mendocino lighthouse. If you are of the lazy kind and wish to do nothing but lie down, you can still spend hours and hours watching the waves rush or recede or watch hopefully for spouting of a distant whale. It is difficult not to fall in love — with Nature.
How to get there: Take Highway 101 from San Fransisco and exit at Garberville or Redway. Shelter Cove has hotels offering accommodation with all amenities. There is an airstrip with day landing facility.
DASU KESAVA RAO
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