Pescadero Memories

John Vonderlin explains the natural wonder called:   tafoni.
Email John (benloudman@sbcglobal.net)

I.

Hi June,
As I mentioned previously, one of the most common of Natural Wonders on the San Mateo Coast, are the rock features called Tafoni. When I first started researching what was causing the unusual formations, I was amazed to find out they were not restricted to the immediate coast, but could be found in the desert or on mountaintops. While the science of their creation in different environments, in different rock types, is still a bit mysterious, here’s the text from a sign that attempts to explain Tafoni.

“The fascinating structures that cover the sandstone are called tafoni, which is Italian for cavern. Geologists first used the word tafoni to describe sandstone formations found on the island of Corsica, and the term “alveolar weathering” to describe the process that created these formations. This complex weathering process that creates the caves, columns and sandy surfaces that are smooth in some areas and covered with labyrinths of knobs and ridges in others, takes place over thousands of years. This is how it works: During the rainy season, water soaks deep into the sandstone and mixes with the calcium that is there. As the water evaporates from the stone during the dry summer season, some of the dissolved calcium is drawn out to the surface of the stone where it forms a hard outer layer called the duricrust. This evaporation process causes any calcium remaining in the interior of the stone to be distributed unevenly so that there are some soft, low-calcium areas and some hard, high-calcium areas. If the outer surface of the sandstone is cracked or broken, the softer parts of the interior erode away more quickly than the harder areas, forming caves, caverns and tafoni formations.”

I’ll attach some miscellaneous photos from my extensive collection. The first photo is from Pebble Beach.

There are a number of better photos online of this type as the combination of Tafoni and the colorful pebbles is irresistible to photographers. The second

is a variation on that same theme, but on a larger scale. I assumed the pictured rock was somebody’s beach art at first until I looked closely. It is just an example of Nature, abhorring a vacuum or finding a hole and filling it. The third photo

is a cannonball concretion with associated tafoni. The last are examples of the myriad of possibilities that tafoni displays along our coast. Enjoy. John Vonderlin

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II. John happens upon Jon Boxerman’s fantastic oddrock site: tafoni.com 

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III.  

Meet Jon Boxerman

Biography: The Loma Prieta earthquake in October of 1989 was a defining moment in my life. After those 15 frightening but exhilarating seconds, I wanted to better understand the Earth. Shortly thereafter, I enrolled in a year-long earth sciences elective, taught by Mr. Peterson at Gunn High School in Palo Alto, California.

more coming

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Image by John Vonderlin
Email John (benloudman@sbcglobal.net)

And the more traditional view:

Hi John,

I just got caught up at Pescadero Memories.  I’m especially enjoying the correspondence around Monty Parker.  Thanks as always for your gracious words.

I think I neglected to mention that I took a nasty fall during my hike on while getting in position to take a picture of Obstacle 3, The Wall.  The good news is that I managed to hang on to my iPhone (as a younger man, it might have been a beer!).  The bad news is that I landed hard on my right forearm and shin.  The impact was jarring but I shook it off, continued on my way, and pretty much forgot about it.

Several days later, however, the pain in my shin and ankle increased beyond the point of distraction.  I made a trip to Urgent Care and discovered that I have a hairline fracture of my right fibula and a sprained right ankle.  The doctor advised me to take Motrin for the pain and take it easy.  So I will rest up a bit, but I look forward to more coastal adventures.  I would love to explore the Seven Sisters with you and perhaps anchor a rope to the top of the Scree Slope.  Something to look forward to.

I hope all is well with you and Meg, and I look forward to seeing you soon.

Take care,
Larry

Hi John,

I made the sign……..He was a great friend….write back and I will fill you in.

Ron Carson

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Hi John,

I just read your website, especially the page on the Great Monty Parker

Mystery. As you may have heard from Ashliegh, my friend and I were the folks

responsible for the sign. If it is still an issue for you, let me know and I can

clear things up for you. Sorry it took so long.

Ray

Email John Vonderlin (benloudman@sbcglobal.net)

Photos by Larry Fitterer

Hi John

 The picture captioned “Main Notch Cove” actually refers to the cove immediately accessible from above. I was unable to make it into the cove immediately to the north that is bounded by the Notch wall on the north end.

 I ascended the Scree Slope to exit WW Lagoon. I would not descend that slope without a rope. I think it would be great to sink a spike in the ridge and leave a rope dangling down the Scree Slope.

 Actually I never used Ashaleigh’s rope. Instead, I exited at the north end using the rope you left behind. I then walked back to my car at Scott Creek, stopping at the cliff aboe AMBS Beach to check on Ashaleigh. My timing was good as they were just beginning to climb out.

 Thanks for encouraging naming conventions. Here area  few suggestions and requests for assistance:

 The Gauntlet – The entire section of coast from Scott Creek north to the Notch

 Obstacle 1 – The Moat

 Obstacle 2 – Trefiret’s Traverse (apologies)

 Obstacle 3 – The Wall

 Obstacle 4 – Chicken’s Roost

Obstacle 5 – The Scree Slope (or perhaps “The Slippery Slope)

 Obstacle 6 –  The Plunge

 Your name for the series of arches from WW Lagoon to the Notch – The Seven Sisters?

 Please suggest better names for the following three coves:

 North Cove (bounded by the Notch wall on the north end

 Central Cove (the one with the largest arch and your rope)

 South Cove (smallest cove with view of the exquisite arches—part of the Seven Sisters)

 Have you heard back from Asahleigh?

 Take care,

Larry

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 Hi Larry,

   Great photos. I can see why you feel it was a superb adventure. That was one fine low tide. Were you able to walk into the Notch or just close enough to take the picture? Looks pretty treacherous with all the slimies. That climb over the Scree slope doesn’t look too bad. I’ll have to try it sometime myself. How did you climb back up it? It would be nice to have an anchored coiled rope there, though. You must have used the rope at the rappel spot to get back on the cliff based on the last shot, of Ashaleigh. How was that?

  What do you think of naming the first obstacle “The Moat?” I like the “Channel,” The Scree Slope,” “Chicken’s Roost,” and “The Gauntlet.”

 Got any suggestions for the driftwood aided sheer cliff or the traverse spot or any of the other sections? I find it amusing to name them, plus it’s easy shorthand when trying to refer to them. I’ll forward Ashaleigh’s reply and hope we can combine a few of your added observations in a posting. Keep on Climbing. John

To view Larry Fitterer’s beach hike photos, please click here

(Image: Larry Fitterer)

Email John Vonderlin (benloudman@sbcglobal.net)

To read earlier “Monty Parker” posts, please click here

and here

Hi June,
I was caught by surprise last week when out of the blue the following email arrived. To say it provided a heartwarming answer to a minor mystery that has been bugging me and others for quite a while would be an understatement. Enjoy. John.

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Hi John,

I am here to crack the mystery of Monty Parker, although I must admit it brings me a lot of sadness to be putting an end to his newly created cyber life.

Monty Parker was born in New Mexico under the name Alton Monty Parker.  The AM Parker that you found in New Mexico with the same birth date is most likely the mystery man you were looking for, but, the AM in the AMBS Beach sign does not stand for Alton Monty.

All the effort put into deciphering the meaning of AMBS beach was thoroughly amusing and I enjoyed all the effort and creativity that was put into your speculations.  I never thought of our sign as a mystery and its great to see my childhood memories of my father grow into a coveted story.

I am one of two of Monty’s children and the rappel site used by the Merry Pranksters is the entrance to our “secret beach”.  When I was about 6 and my brother was about 10, my dad took my brother and I to the “secret beach” for the first time.  He carried a thick and heavy rope down the poison oak filled path from Hwy 1 while my brother and I followed with our Golden Retriever Chelsea.  Then he attached the rope to the same stakes that are still there to this day and tossed it over the edge.  I don’t remember being scared or nervous about climbing down the cliff but I think that is because my father never showed us fear and was constantly taking my brother and I on extreme adventures.   Then he lowered the dog down in a duffle bag and we all climbed down the rope one by one.  When we got to the bottom we started our exploration of every nook and cranny and this is when our passion for our “secret beach” began.  After that day no other beach would ever suffice.

We had about 6 years of adventures at the secret beach with my dad, but he didn’t always take us with him.  On June 3, 1995, my dad and a few of his friends went abalone diving at our “secret beach”.  Monty was an avid diver and had been Navy Seal trained so he was a very capable swimmer.  After their day had ended and his friends headed back up to the car, Monty went on “one more dive” by himself.  His friends reached the car and my dad never returned. After waiting for some time they went to find him which proved unsuccessful.
Hours later a surfer discovered his body up the coast. The autopsy showed he drowned although the cause of his drowning was unknown, and to this day, still unknown.  Only speculations have been made about what could have caused Monty Parker, a very capable and experienced diver, to drown.

I am not exactly sure, through all the chaos of my father’s death, who put up the sign, but I think it was my father’s friends that were with him that day. The sign was put there shortly after my father passed and over the years began to be overgrown.  I hadn’t been back to our “secret beach” for over two years now and I was overjoyed to see that it had been moved to a more accessible spot and that it had been cemented.  Thank you, from my entire family, to whoever put the time and effort into preserving my father’s memory.

And for the meaning of the sign… AMBS beach is an acronym for my immediate family names: Ashaleigh (me), Monty (my father and the “mystery man”), Brandon (my brother), and Sherry (my mother).

There is a lot to the “mystery man”, his life, and his death.  He set off on numerous adventures over his 48 years and made thousands of friends.  I only know a small portion of his tales and am amazed by every one.  Its nice to know that I could fill in the blanks of at least one of his adventures though the adventure of our “secret beach” seems so plain compared to the escapades he faced before I was born.

In conclusion, your mystery man was an adventurer that never turned down a challenge and always kept people on their toes.  There was no whining allowed and no time for sitting around. He constantly pondered the purpose of life and was always trying to learn more by doing.

I find it incredibly touching that my father’s life survives in your thoughts and imagination and want to personally thank you for creating a new and happy memory for me.

From the Chronicle, May 14, 1924

Paul Rubio Payne, alias Pane, Thomas Murphy, Percy Allen, alias Allender, Charles Munsun and Sidney Heild, allged professional bootleggers, and said to be operating a fleet of rum-running vessels between Vancouver and Pacific Coast points, were indicted by the Federal Grand Jury yesterday on conspiracy charges to violet the Volstead Act.

Allen, Munsun and Held were captured shortly after midnight, April 25, near New Year’s Point, a they were landing 241 cases of Canadian Club whiskey into automobiles. Four automobiles and the liquor were seized by Prohibition Director Rutter and four of his deputies, W.R. Paget, David W. Rinckel, Henry Toft and I.H. Cory. Payne and Murphy are said to have fled from the scene and since have been declared by the Government to be fugitives from justice.

The liquor, said to be of excellent quality, was landed at the Jay F. Steele, Steele being a member of one of the oldest and wealthiest land-owning families south of Pescadero….”

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October 6, 1926

Coast is Mute Evidence in U.S. Liquor Landing Trial
Ranch Owner at New Year’s Point Also Links Payne to Smuggling
A plain business coat said to have been made by Joseph Parente, former tailor, constituted the most damaging evidence presented against Paul Rubio Payne, alleged liquor smuggler, at his trial in the Federal Court here yesterday on charges of conspiracy to violate the national prohibition and internal revenue laws. The coat was introduced as evidence said to have been left by Payne following the landing of 240 cases of illicit liquor at the A.S. Steele ranch, near New Year’s Point, on the night of April 25, 1924.on

Steele is owner of the ranch and a willing Government witness. He said he has been farming his place for the last twenty-five years, and during the winter of 1923-24 Payne and Thomas Murphy came to see him and made arrangements for landing contraband liquor at $1 a case.

Steele assisted in the unloading of several cargoes of liquor, he told Assistant United States Attorney Eugene D. Bennett, and each time Payne or Murphy was there to superintend the landing of the liquor. Others there at the time, said Steele, were Percy Allender, on trial with Payne and Murphy; Sidney Held and Al Schultz, the two latter of whom were killed in a hijacker’s battle in Los Angeles recently.

Steele, who proved an alert witness for the Government, on cross-examination by Attorneys Kenneth C. Gillis, Edwin McKenzie and Joseph Taaffe, said that he knew he was violating the law in allowing the landing of liquor at his ranch.

“To save my hide,” Steele admitted, “I made a statement to former Prohibition Director Rutter that my place was used as a landing port for ilicit liquor.”

Outside of the embarrassment of being arrested and later released on his own recognizance, nothing further was done toward Steele by the Government, the witness testified. Steele knew he would not be prosecuted for violating the dry law, he told McKenzie, after making his statement. It was always his impression that Payne and Murphy were partners in liquor smuggling, Steele testified, because Payne and Murphy both told him “we are partners in the business.”

“Such evidence does not assume part of this so-called conspiracy,” said Attorney Gillis. “We shall show,” said Assistant US Attorney Bennett for the Government, “that the two bottles offered in evidence is only a mite of the entire lot confiscated at the Steele ranch. We merely wanted to show that real liquor was being smuggled into this country.”
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Story/Photos by John Vonderlin

Email John (benloudman@sbcglobal.net)

Hi June,
A change of schedule forced us to cancel the trip to the San Mateo History Museum last week, but we were able to use the fabulous weather to cruise the Coastside. One of our destinations was San Gregorio Beach, to resolve the issue of the Ocean Shore Railroad’s proposed path between where its trace disappears just north of the nude beach parking lot to the San Gregorio Highway 1 bridge, which must have been the site of the proposed railroad trestle too. I need to organize that discussion, but wanted to relate a couple of unrelated things we encountered.

The first is that the San Gregorio Historical Plaque #26, commemorating Portola’s Expedition stopping there in 1769, has been stolen by metal thieves.

I’ve attached a picture of what it used to look like and what it looks like now.

I’ve been noticing lately, undoubtedly due to the, until recently, sky-high metal prices, that even the commemorative plaques on seaside benches, dedicated to the loved ones of the donor are being stolen.

While we can’t watch these, often isolated “rememberances” all the time, I would urge folks to keep an eye out for people carrying unusual tools, like crowbars, and to urge their politicians to pass more restrictive laws on scrap and recycling dealers. Oregon has done so, with limited effect. Perhaps, sting operations to separate the legitimate businessman, who perform a valuable service, from the “fences” that facilitate the crimes of these “scum of the earth” thieves would help.

I call the photos I’ve attached of the largest mushrooms I’ve ever seen on the Coastside or anywhere else, “Pick Your Poison.” I was looking for an item to give scale to how large these are and found an old, but still unopened Budweiser beer can, partially buried in duff, nearby.

While I’ve been known to quaff a few, I didn’t think several years of aging would have improved its flavor. But we all know what size they are.

The mushrooms are Amanita Muscaria, a very poisonous variety, I’ve written about previously. Enjoy. John
P.S. The plaque says, oops!, said:
PORTOLA CAMP
Captain Gaspar de Portola and his party of
Spanish Explorers, journeying overland from
San Diego in a fruitless search for Monterey Bay,
camped here by San Gregorio Creek for a three
day rest and treatment of their sick. October 24-
27, 1769. Having missed Monterey, they later
discovered San Francisco Bay instead.
REGISTERED LANDMARK NO. 26
Plaque placed by the California Cenntennial Commision, in
co-operation with the County Board of Supervisors,
and the San Mateo County Historical Association
October 16, 1949.

Image: Early San Gregorio

From History of San Mateo County by Frank Stanger, Narrative and Biographical, 1938

For many years Manuel M. Bettencourt has been identified with transportation activities, owing his advancement to proven worth and ability, and in civic affairs of San Mateo he plays a leading part. He was born March 25, 1886, in San Gregorio, San Mateo county, and is a son of Manuel Bettencourt de Avilla, a native of the Azores, and Mary (Mesquite) Bettencourt. His father is one of the pioneers of San Mateo county and for a number of years operated a ranch near San Gregorio. In 1891 he brought his family to San Mateo and is now living retired.

Manuel M. Bettencourt attended the public schools of San Mateo until he had completed the curriculum of the tenth grade and this constituted the extent of his educational advantages. At an early age he went to work for E. A. Husing, with whom he remained for a considerable period, and then secured a position in the San Francisco office of the ticket auditor of the Southern Pacific Railroad Company. Mr. Bettencourt spent eighteen and a half years with that corporation, acquiring a practical knowledge of the intricate details of the railroad business, and in 1919 became connected with the Western Pacific system in the capacity of chief rate clerk in the passenger accounting department. He is efficient, trusthworthy and conscientious and since March 15, 1926 has been chief rate clerk in the general passenger’s office, office which is situated in the Mills building of San Francisco.

In 1911, Mr. Bettencourt was united in marriage to Miss Katherine Jung, who was born in San Jose, California, and they have become the parents of two children: Eleanor Bernice, a junior in the San Mateo Union High School and Robert Joseph, who is attending grammar school. Mr. Bettencourt is a member of the Decimo Club and secretary of the San Mateo Planning Commission. He is working systematically and effectively for the good of his community and has won and retained the esteen of all with whom he has been associated in the varied relations of life.

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