If driving along the coast on Highway 1 is your style, soaking in the ocean breeze and enjoying the scenery; head down to the Wilder Ranch State Park this Saturday!  Just North of Santa Cruz, the Wilder Ranch State Park offers 34 miles of hiking, biking and equestrian trails that venture along coastal terraces and valleys.  This Saturday, October 23, the park is hosting the Heritage Harvest Festival from 11am-4pm!  Celebrate the harvest with various activities, living history demonstrations, live music, and the chance to create crafts.  There will also be draft horses and tractors on show, which offers great fun for the kids!  For more information call 831-426-0505. Enjoy the beautiful autumn season outdoors and relax with family and friends at this fun festival!

If, however, you prefer a more task oriented approach to the weekend; we’ve gathered up four great ideas that will, not only leave you feeling productive, but will boost your homes’ appeal!  If you’ve been considering selling your San Mateo Coastal home; these improvements will help set you apart from other homes on the Coastal Real Estate Market!   Of course, some of these may take more than just a weekend, but will pay off in the long run!

1. Mid-Range Bathroom Remodel- Spend money to remodel your bathroom and it’s likely to come back to you when you sell, particularly if you focus on the master bath. In many Coastal homes, it’s a better investment to update what you have than to spend more to add on. Some ideas include: replace the vanity and add a nice sink, replace the toilet, replace a tub with a glass door shower to create space.

2. Siding Replacement- Exteriors are often neglected. If you do a gourmet kitchen, but the rest of your  house doesn’t wear that same coat, it takes away value. Fiber-cement siding can resemble stucco, wood siding or cedar shingles. It resists fire and some brands offer 50-year guarantees.

3. Minor Kitchen Repair- If your kitchen has good flow and functions well, a minor remodel will pay off at resale. It’s easy to overspend remodeling the kitchen, but you can’t go too low-end or the kitchen will look cheap. On the other hand, don’t spend thousands for professional-grade appliances unless you’re in a high-end property.  If you’re trying to keep costs down, consider refacing the cabinets with new door, drawers or handles.  New stainless steel appliances add a clean and professional air while fresh, neutral paint can quickly boost a kitchen’s overall mood.

4. Attic Bedroom- This space is often unused, yet it can add a lot to a home!  Turning an unfinished attic into a 15×15 third or fourth bedroom with a 5×7 bath really gives your Coastal home an added bonus that other San Mateo Coastal homes may not have. The payoff for remodeling this existing space is higher than the payback for adding new space. Even putting in a modestly priced master suite addition typically costs about twice as much as finishing an attic and the return (82.4 %) is lower.

Even a one or two of these updates will help your home stand out in the San Mateo Coastal Real Estate Market!  If you’re beginning the process of selling your home and haven’t found a San Mateo Coast Realtor yet, please let us know!  Our years of experience and knowledge of the markets will make the home selling process run smoothly!

If you make your weekend plans early in the week; we hope this events or tips for ways to improve your home will spark some ideas!  As always, let us know if you have any questions or if we can help with home buying or selling process!

Kathy & Michael Rain
Your San Mateo Coastal Real Estate Experts

San Mateo Coastal Real Estate
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Walking Tours are often conducted in the cities along the coast and allow people to walk through the city while hearing about the history and all that’s currently going on in the area!  Not only do you get to enjoy being outdoors, but you’ll get a better sense of each coastal city.  There are a few taking place this weekend that we encourage you to check out!

San Mateo Walking Tour
Saturday, August 14 at 2pm
Call 650-299-0104 for more information

Tour historic downtown San Mateo with expert Dr. Al Acena.  You’ll learn about the rich history and character behind this charming city while walking through the quaint streets of downtown.

El Granada Walking Tour
Sunday, August 15 at 2pm
Tour begins at the old Ocean Shore Railroad Station
10151 Cabrillo Highway
Call 650-726-4416

The tour will begin with a short introduction of the landscape architect Daniel Burnham.  His Burnham Plan Map will start the tour.  “Reaches the Beaches” was the advertising slogan of the old Ocean Shore Railroad and includes some of the arc shaped streets of El Granada.  This walk will pass a some of the older craftsman style homes, the former Granada Hotel, the tree-lined boulevards and beautiful views of the ocean- you won’t want to miss it!

If, however, you know all about these great cities and are looking for something else to do, we have a few other options up our sleeves!  We know it’s a little foggy and cooler along the coast, so taking a trip to a nearby farm or getting in on a few local classes that are offered may be just the thing you’re looking for!  Here are a few of our favorite options:

Harley Farms
205 North Street, Pescadero
harleyfarms.com

This local goat and dairy farm is great for kids and adults alike!  Tour the farm and meet the Harley goats that are responsible to the cheeses and products sold in the farms’ shop! Visitors take a two-hour, hands-on tour, following the milk from goat to dairy, from curd to cheese. Bring farm-ready footwear and an appetite for cheese!  Check out their website for more information- spots for the tours fill up quickly!

Half Moon Bay Recreational Department
Ted Adcock Community Center
535 Kelly Avenue, Half Moon Bay
hmbcity.com

The Half Moon Bay Recreation Department is just finishing up its summer session of classes at the end of this month, but there is still a chance to get in on some of the fun!  From sailing to photography and from painting to soccer, there are a wide variety of classes offered that are sure to fit your interests!  The fall class lineup should be coming out soon, but if you’re looking for something to do now, check out the online guide!  There are so many to choose from, we can’t list them all out here, but wanted to let you know that Half Moon Bay has so much to offer for residents and even visitors!

Open Ocean Surfing
openoceansurfing.com
For More Information about camps call David Alexander at Open Ocean: (650) 867-0315

Week long surfing camps are held throughout the summer on Half Moon Bay’s beaches and there are still a few weeks left in August to join in on riding the waves!  Each camp runs Monday-Friday from 10am to 2pm and is open to all ages! The camps will give you plenty of time to learn the basics, while emphasizing the importance of Ocean Safety and Surfing Etiquette in a safe,  fun and friendly environment!  Surf Boards and boogie boards are supplied, while wetsuits are available to rent at local surf shops. Each camp session concludes on Friday afternoons with a Barbecue Lunch for all campers!!

We hope you take advantage of these “green” ways to enjoy the sites and sounds, along with the history of the San Mateo Coastal cities on the walking tours!  Or that you’re able to enjoy the other opportunities to visit local farms or even take a few classes or surfing lessons in Half Moon Bay!  If you are hoping to find a home in any of these great areas; please let us know!  We love helping buyers find the home of their dreams that matches their style and needs.  If we can help you in any way- please let us know!

Kathy & Michael Rain
Your San Mateo Coastal Real Estate Experts

San Mateo Coastal Real Estate
View San Mateo Coastal Listings
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About 100 yards from the top of the Saddle we found a path off to the left.  We decided to take it.  Another adventure that took us down a newly cut dirt path that went rapidly downhill.  Thank goodness we had our trekking poles and didn’t have to slide down the dozen step embankments on our butts.  Just when we wondered where we would come out and how far away this would be from the trailhead, we noticed familiar vegetation.  We found ourselves walking parallel to the trail and came out just before the one and only bench.  We had noticed a little path on our way up and this turned out to be it.  Hooray!  We were less than 10 minutes from our car.  A wonderful adventure and shortcut that we will take again.  However, with the very steep downhill switchbacks, we won’t be trying this in the opposite direction on our way up.

Kathy & Michael Rain
Your San Mateo Coastal Real Estate Experts

San Mateo Coastal Real Estate
View San Mateo Coastal Listings
Visit Our Website
Email Us

Just as we reached the top hill, a man came running down from the ridge overlook towards us and headed down the trail towards Montara. Not unusual in itself except that the man was naked. He did have some cloth which we assumed was a pair of shorts that he was holding in his hand and used as a cover for the front of his lower body as he passed us. Yes, he did have running shoes on.

Within a few minutes, we passed several bicylcle riders that thought we were joking when we asked if they had seen a nude black man run past them. We assumed he came up from the Grey Whale Cove parking lot and had been at the nude beach. However, we also remembered the news story from last week that talked about the Germany nude hikers invading Switzerland. The Swiss have now banned nude hiking so we wondered if the Germany hikers had discovered Montara Mountain.

Let us know if you have made any interesting sightings on our local hiking trails. We wouldn’t discourage the shy from hiking or bringing their children. The amazing sites you see of the Tunnel Project, the dead car graves, spring flowers and city views are always a treat on Montara Mountain.

We took the Great Hwy (this is Hwy.1) and drove north to the parking lot just past the Cliff House Restaurant. Here is where the old Sutro Baths and it’s ruins are located.

These baths were one of the many highlights of San Francisco. The Land’s End Trail and several other trail offshoots make for a wonderful hike with excellent views. The trail ended at the famous Sea Cliff district of mansions where we took surface streets back to our car. Along the way we passed the famous 17th hole at Lincoln Park Golf Course with spectacular views of the Golden Gate Bridge and the Legion of Honor Museum at this end of Golden Gate Park.

Below is what Wikipedia has to say about the Sutro Baths:

Opened to the public as the world’s largest indoor swimming pool establishment. The Baths were built on the sleepy western side of San Francisco by wealthy entrepreneur and former mayor of San Francisco (1894-1896), Adolph Sutro. The vast glass, iron, wood, and reinforced concrete structure was mostly hidden, and filled a small beach inlet below the Cliff House which was also owned by Adolph Sutro at the time. Both the Cliff House and the former Baths site are now a part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and operated by the United States National Park Service.

A visitor to the Baths not only had a choice of 7 different swimming pools—one fresh water and six salt water baths ranging in temperatures—but could visit a museum displaying Sutro’s large and varied personal collection of artifacts from his travels, a concert hall, seating for 8,000, and, at one time, an ice skating rink. During high tides, water would flow directly into the pools from the nearby ocean, recycling the 2 million US gallons (7,600 m³) of water in about an hour. During low tides, a powerful turbine water pump, built inside a cave at sea level, could be switched on from a control room and could fill the tanks at a rate of 6,000 US gallons a minute (380 L/s), recycling all the water in five hours.

The baths were once serviced by a rail line, the Ferries and Cliff House Railroad, which ran along the cliffs of Lands End overlooking the Golden Gate. The route ran from the baths to a terminal at California Street and Central Avenue (now Presidio Avenue). The line was filmed in 1902 by Thomas Edison, Inc., available from the Library of Congress online.[2]

The baths struggled for years, mostly due to the very high operating and maintenance costs, and eventually closed. A fire destroyed the building in 1966 shortly after, while in the process of being demolished. All that remains of the site are concrete walls, blocked off stairs and passageways, and a tunnel with a deep crevice in the middle. The Sutro Bath ruins are open to the public, but a warning sign advises strict caution, as visitors have been swept off by large waves and drowned at the site.

Currently, visitors coming to the Sutro Baths from the above parking lot are presented with a sign that describes the history of Sutro Baths starting from its construction and glamorous opening to the public in 1896. Another sign describes the later years of the site’s history up until its demolition and complete destruction by fire in 1966. As one walks up out of the ruins toward the historic Cliff House, home to two full service restaurants: “Sutro’s at the Cliff House” and “The Bistro”, as well as the “Terrace Room”, a private Dining/reception room, one can find other pictures, paintings, and relics from the golden age of Sutro Baths’ functional operation.

Seal Rock is just offshore from the bath ruins.

BTW, the view is great from the restaurant. A good place to stop for lunch/dinner or a drink. After taking this hike, you can see that one of the treasures of the Bay Area is Golden Gate Park. You could walk many paths for short or long hikes all close to our coastal communities with the bonus of being able to pick a great place to get a bite to eat in the City.

Hiking Sutro Baths and Golden Gate Bridge Views from Kathy & Michael Rain on Vimeo.

San Bruno Mountain, situated in northern San Mateo County, California, is the northernmost part of the Santa Cruz Mountains. Most of the mountain lies within the 2,326 acre (9.41 km²) San Bruno Mountain State Park, which is a landmark of local and regional significance as well as a county park, standing as a unique open-space island in the midst of the San Francisco Peninsula’s urbanization. It is adjacent to the southern boundary of San Francisco, surrounded by the cities of South San Francisco, Daly City, Colma, and Brisbane.

San Bruno Mountain is topped by a four mile long ridge. Trails to the summit afford expansive views of the San Francisco Bay Area. Radio Peak (elevation 1,314 feet or 400.5 meters) is the highest point, hosting several radio broadcast towers and NBC’s KNTV Television, serving a huge area that would otherwise have poor service in the topographically complex Bay Area region.

The mountain provides habitat for several species of rare and endangered plants and butterflies. The endangered San Bruno elfin butterfly inhabits this mountain along with certain other limited locations.

Usually it is really windy and brisk on this mountain. You can see the burned brush from last year’s fires that start up quickly on this dry hill. Not a place to hike in the Summer. As this was a warm Spring day, we got the best of the wildflowers and spotted a few butterflies. The poison oak was in full force but had yet to spread over the trails. We hiked the Summit Loop and then went out to the Peak. At this point we were as far East as we could go and were looking “back” at the City to the North and the Airport to the South. At one point we could see both the Bay and the Pacific Ocean. The views were magnificent. We ended up hiking close to 9 miles roundtrip. The paths and grades were moderate. Remember that we always hike with our Black Diamond Trekking Poles and without them, you might find the hike a bit more strenuous. A memorable hike that we will want to do again next Spring.

San Bruno Mountain Summit Loop Hike from Kathy & Michael Rain on Vimeo.

Being a Realtor is a unique profession.  Over the years, we remember going to the post office and being greeted by people commenting on how Realtors were the nouveau rich.  This year, our greeting is a comforting pat on the back as part of the struggling masses.  Like most of you, we have had to make some changes.  We started to rent our vacation condo in Maui on vrbo.com and discovered a dozen things we could do ourselves even if it took us twice as long.  We continue to find joy in every moment and happiness in just being together, finding that to all hardship, Love is the Answer.  We have seen this in our business too.
We are blessed to be in a profession that allows us to help others.  This year was a year where families struggled to make changes, to move forward in difficult situations and to come out stronger.  There is the young couple who was suddenly down to one income, a huge mortgage, a new baby, and a remaining job that became tentative.  They made a quick decision to move thousands of miles away for a new future.  She stayed back with the children as he went alone to the new job.  They spent months apart and when we got their home sold, and the family was reunited, he had to work 7 days a week as the new guy.  Her job was to find and create a home for the family in a new place.  Seeing them six months later the stress has visibly lessened.  They are joyful together, sharing the smiles of love from their children.
This year, two friends, Nancy Kinghorn formerly with Coldwell Banker and Carol Icard of North American Title Company, lost their battles with cancer.  They were in their 50’s.  They fought bravely.  At the memorial for Carol, over 300 people came to celebrate her life.  There was a “Carol’s Life” slide show playing and a microphone where people came and told stories, most very funny, of how Carol had touched them.  Michael played and sang “Tears in Heaven”, by Eric Clapton.  I can’t imagine a better memorial.  I know we will never forget either of these beautiful women.  The other day, the Realtors on the coast held our annual fundraiser auction and once again Michael was the auctioneer.  Over $7500 was raised in under 2 hours which was, miraculously, more than last year!  As a memorial to Nancy and Carol, the funds were divided between the two charities that meant the most to them, Coastside Hope and the Boys and Girls Club.  We all dug deep to show our love for our friends and help locally.
I spent two weeks in Europe on a trip with my 82 year old Mother.  Fortunately the trip was long paid for.  While out of the country, the stock market fell.  It was amazing to watch CNN and see how much our country affects the rest of the world.  It was strange being in Europe when so much was happening at home.  The trip pointed out something that I want to share and that you probably know already.  The world is a beautiful place.  I have now visited 18 countries in my life and the coast is as beautiful as any location in any of them.
Michael and I have been taking our extra time to explore the wonders of where we live; discovering walking/hiking trails from Higgins Canyon, Montara Mountain and Pacifica.  There are old Indian caves, rusted cars in places you won’t believe, views of the tunnel project that you won’t see from anywhere else and vistas of our coastline where you can see the Golden Gate Bridge.  Every hike/walk is a new adventure.  It always brings up the phrase, “and we live here”.
We tried to change it up a bit this year with a Luau in our tropical courtyard instead of a Holiday Party.  We loved seeing those of you that came over and missed those of you that couldn’t make it.   This year, Michael debuted his second album, Island Rain, on CDBaby.com which is also carrying his first CD-So Many Guitars So Little Time.  He has a new band, with fabulous musicians, and is enjoying scheduling gigs for 2009.
2009 is a hopeful year for all of us.  We hear the economy won’t be fabulous but, will be on the road to recovery.  We have a new blog site at www.CoastsideLife.com where you will find great coastal photos, market condition videos and comments on day to day events. We welcome your participation and, most importantly, your story on how you are turning lemon into lemonade, and on how; Love is the Answer in your life.
Michael and I want all of you to know we cherish our friendships as the years pass together.  We invite you to join us on a walk or hike; it’s free, beautiful, healthy and here.  We are thankful for our life of abundance in knowing you, and wish you and your families a New Year filled with love and joy.

Happy New Year,

Kathy & Michael

On Saturday we got into two cars, went from Montara to the Starbucks at  Linda Mar in Pacifica and picked up two double lattes.  We drove over to Adobe and went to Higgins where we turned and parked at the end of the street.  This is where one of the trails begins/ends going over Montara Mountain.  We left one car and turned around and went back to Montara parking just South of Devil’s Slide.

We walked along the old road going East until we got to the rangers house.  Two paths, one to the left and the right path, that we took, which is a dirt road with a straight uphill incline.  We stopped several times as we ascended to admire the views and get my heart rate under control.  About 15 minutes later we came to the paved path that we had bypassed when we took the dirt trail.

Then our time really got started following the old San Pedro Mtn. Road.  Michael started recalling stories his Grandfather had told him of driving this road in the 1930′s to buy produce in the country outside of San Francisco.  We were amazed at the effort it must have taken to build this road in the early part of the 1900′s and how long a ride this was over the mountain.

Switchbacks and views, granite hills with a cave!  We noticed another cave and then two others around the next switchback.  We realized these must be from the Ohlone Indians with great visuals of the ocean and hillsides below.  These would be great local ruins to check out if we could.

Then we came upon the view looking West to see an amazing perspective on the Tunnel project.  This is one of the sites we can’t see from Hwy.1.  The day was very clear and as we got to the top we could see the “golf ball” at Pillar Pt. at Mavericks, all of Montara, Moss Beach and the beach with surfers and cars everywhere.  Nice days like this bring lots of people wanting to enjoy the beach and the small towns of the coast.

We got to the crest and turned down the path and headed into a grove of Eucalyptus trees.  As we made the first turn we could see all of Pacifica, San Francisco, Marin County and Mt. Tamalpias and a faint Golden Gate Bridge.  Absolutely beautiful in a completely different way then the views we had left to the South.  This dichotomy reminds me of being on the Golden Gate Bridge and looking in one direction and seeing San Francisco in all it’s glory and looking in the opposite direction to the West and seeing the mouth of the Bay surrounded by rugged terrain as it opens to the Pacific Ocean.  Thus, the Bay Area which is a place of utter beauty.  Thus, the Coast, another.

As we continued down the trail the Eucalyptus grove kept closing in and creating a canopy over us.  This is a place that’s like being in the book of Alice in Wonderland.  We felt like we were spiraling into the Looking Glass.

This glorious walk is about 5 miles.  We only saw a few people walking and several bike riders.  Serene from beginning to end and a great way to spend 3-4 hours getting a workout and so much more.  Michael and I were excited.  We will return to explore the many other trails we saw on the Mountain the next time we have an afternoon off.

The next week we had a few hours one afternoon and wanted to explore the trail in Pacifica along the ocean.  We went back to the Linda Mar shopping center and got a few nibbles from the deli at Safeway.  We walked over to the parking lot next to the Taco Bell and started our adventure.  Most of this trail isn’t visible from Hwy 1 and what you see of it when driving by, doesn’t give the true feel of what this trail is about.

The all-paved path starts out level and wraps around Linda Mar beach with a slight incline.  The incline continues to get more intense as you walk north towards Rockaway Beach.  Some switchbacks that are long and curvy are great fun for bikers.  This trail is so friendly with lots of benches to stop and look at the view along the way.

At the top of the hill you drop down to the North side looking at Rockaway Beach.  The views were over Pacifica and of San Francisco and Marin.  The switchbacks reminded us of Lombard Street in San Francisco but with an ocean view and a little shopping area at the base.  Michael and I stopped at  the top where there was a bench and had our nibbles from the deli enjoying the views surrounding us and trail watching.    Bicyclist, hikers, casual dog walkers and runners were part of the mix going up and down the switchbacks.

We took our “Lombard Street” pathway until we reached the little center of Rockaway Beach.  This is a great place to look at a few shops, eat at one of several restaurants and take a bathroom break.  The restrooms are located in a passage way at the north end where businesses are on two sides of the building.  You can access them from either side.  I like the west side of this walk because there is a garden that you walk through.

After leaving the center you can turn back around or continue north to Vallemar.  This portion of the walk is a level, paved path that wraps around Calera Creek and ends up at a small parking lot at Vallemar.  The local garden club has planted a garden and put several benches with local flowers surrounding them.  People were watering the areas the day we passed by.

We felt a few raindrops and headed back south.  We chugged up our “Lombard Street” path like 2 little engines testing how fast we could go without stopping to take a breath.  We got to the crest and went down the other side of the hill with it’s gentle switchbacks making our descent to sea level.  We got back to our car just before a light drizzle started.  Another exhilarating outing.

We saw several other trails one to the west and others up on the mountain east of Hwy 1.   Everywhere we look, we have more adventures to discover here on the coast.

We had a few hours and wanted to go back to Montara Mountain.  This time we parked in the back of Montara and picked up a paved trail.   As we were walking, I wondered why we hadn’t done this before.  The trail went through lovely vegetation for about 3/4 of mile before we got to the rangers house where we had to decide if we wanted to go up the steep dirt path or take the fork to the left that is paved.  Michael voted for a new adventure, as much as we enjoyed the workout of the dirt road.

Off we went to the left where the trail was level and went into a gentle incline.  We came upon a clearing with picnic benches as we continued the 20 minute walk up the hill.  The trees formed a canopy of pine and with the sun warming the hillside the scent was warm and sauna like.  The springtime blooms were everywhere with purple ceanothus covering the sides of the valley.  We came upon a bench that seemed fairly new and was very sturdy, sitting to the side of the path and snuggled in the shrubs.  We had been ascending a moderate incline and were happy for a nice place to rest climbing the hill.  We continued up to meet the place where the dirt road reaches the paved trail to find another bench that had “Tom’s Bench” carved into it.  This looked out at Montara Beach with views looking south down the coast.  We marveled that we had only to look to the left of the dirt road junction the last time we were near and could have used a rest spot.

We went another mile going down the Old San Pedro Mtn. Road before we decided to turn around.  Since our time was shorter that day we thought we would walk down the dirt road.  10 minutes to ascend and we were back at the rangers house.  We turned left and crossed the bridge where we walked over the bridge and through the horse ranch and back down the trail to the back of Montara.

More people were starting their walks and we stopped to say hi to our friend Elizabeth who had just begun to enjoy her trail walk.  We had spent under 2 hours with stops along the way and walked 4 miles.  Another micro vacation in our day.