From old Spanish coins to shark teeth to beach glass to seashells, every beach has treasures to make it special. The beach's treasures might even be the gorgeous views or spectacular sunsets! We at Beach Treasures and Treasure Beaches love to explore, and we would be thrilled if you would join us on our treasure hunts.
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The line it is drawn The curse it is cast The slow one now Will later be fast As the present now Will later be past The order is Rapidly fadin’ And the first one now Will later be last For the times they are a-changin’.
Seeing vehicles driving on the sandy beaches along the Gulf of Mexico is nothing out of the ordinary. Long-Dun Beach in Cameron Parish is a fine example of a rustic beach (no facilities) on Louisiana’s Gulf Coast where beach goers happily drive right onto the sandy shoreline and proceed to pick the perfect parking spot for a day brimming with sun and fun at the beach. These drivable coastlines are treated as byways and standard rules of the road apply.
Long-Dun Beach is a lovely stretch of sand located along the 180 mile long Creole Nature Trail in far southwestern Louisiana. With 26 miles of blissful beachcombing heaven to choose from, the natural beaches of the Creole Nature Trail are perfect for finding driftwood, whelks, oysters, angel wings, and moon snails. With a little luck, you may even find a sea bean or two!
These colorful beach treasures collected along the shores of Louisiana’s Creole Nature Trail.
In my opinion, the very best views of the celebrated Golden Gate Bridge are from the lovely urban beaches of San Francisco!
Beautiful Baker Beach, located on the Presidio’s western shoreline, is just short drive from the tourist mecca of Fisherman’s Wharf. This one-mile stretch of soft sand is especially popular with fishermen and picnicking families.
The Golden Gate Bridge from Baker Beach
How about that view?!
Would you like to know more about San Francisco’s many wonderful urban beaches? Here are a few of our previous posts:
Let’s face it. Some people are mountain people. Other folks prefer the desert.
Then there are those of us who would rather spend our days at the beach.
But what if you could have the best of all of these worlds? What if you simply didn’t have to choose?
Willow Beach, Lake Mead National Recreation Area
Wild and wonderful Willow Beach really does have it all! Mother Nature’s delectable buffet, Willow Beach has beautiful mountains, hot and sunny desert, and welcoming beaches! Less than an hour south of Las Vegas, Nevada, this amazing recreation area is a relaxing respite from the lights, action, and crowds of Sin City.
Located on the east banks of the Colorado River within the Lake Mead National Recreation Area and surrounded by stately mountains, this Arizona oasis is the perfect place to stretch out and relax with a good book or to launch your paddle adventure. Take a dip in the cool, fresh water or stake your claim for a day of fishing right here, smack-dab in the middle of the sun-drenched Black Canyon region of the Mojave Desert.
And that, my friends, is how we fit one of our favorite beach escapes into
“I could never stay long enough on the shore. The tang of the untainted, fresh and free sea air was like a cool, quieting thought, and the shells and pebbles and the seaweed with tiny living creatures attached to it never lost their fascination for me.”
On September 8, 1900, Galveston (Texas) suffered a devastating blow from a powerful hurricane. The storm surge washed over the entire island, knocking buildings off their foundations and taking the lives of thousands of Galveston’s citizens.
Galveston Seawall, Galveston Island, Texas
On September 7, 1901, in an attempt to prevent future storms from causing such massive destruction and catastrophic loss of life, the Texas State Legislature approved an act providing for the construction of a seawall for Galveston’s Gulf of Mexico coastline. The initial 3.3 mile long segment of the new Galveston Seawall was completed on July 29, 1904. Standing approximately 17 feet high, the concrete barrier was engineered to be 5 feet wide on the top and 16 feet wide at its base. The outer face of the Seawall was curved to carry waves upwards. Riprap was deposited along the base of the Seawall facing the Gulf Of Mexico in order to disrupt wave action and prevent the wall’s foundation from being undercut.
After the Seawall was completed, dredged sand and slush from the seabed were pumped into the city of Galveston to raise the ground by as much as 17 feet above its previous elevation! Isn’t that amazing?
Galveston Seawall and Seawall Beach, Galveston Island, Texas
In 1977, the Galveston Seawall was listed in the National Register of Historic Places. In 2001, the Galveston Seawall and the regrading of the City of Galveston were jointly named a National Historical Civil Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Civil Engineers.
A visit to Glass Beach is on many a beachcomber’s bucket list. The “sand” here is mixed with rainbow colored eye-candy! Being that this stretch of Northern California’s rocky coastline was (once upon a time) a municipal trash dump, the shoreline is now a colorful mosaic of wave polished ceramic bits and sea tumbled glass.
“Old” Glass Beach Treasures
Many years ago, when Greg and I first visited Glass Beach, the evidence of the citizens of Fort Bragg, California, and the surrounding area dumping household garbage straight into the ocean was stunning. Old cars (and their parts), ceramics, housewares, appliances and glass poked out of the bluffs and littered the beach. By the early sixties, attempts were made to control what was dumped, and the dumping of toxic materials was prohibited. Finally in 1967 plans were begun for a new dump away from the ocean.
“New” Glass Beach Sand
Today, the old dump has been cleaned up and what you’ll now find is beautiful, sparkling, sea glass-speckled shoreline “sand.”
Getting There: From Highway 1, turn west on Elm Street (Denny’s is on the corner) and drive a few blocks to Glass Beach Drive. Park at the intersection and walk down to the beach.
Even on a cold and rainy December day, signs of the Christmas season give Hermosa Beach, Schumacher Plaza, and the pedestrian friendly pier a really festive and fun holiday atmosphere!
It’s easy to turn this one into a family friendly beach scavenger hunt! Simply pick a geometric shape for the day and head out to the seashore with the whole clan. The kids won’t even suspect that they’re actually doing math! How cool is that?
Today’s beachy shape is the circle. On our past beach trips we’ve spotted circles on everything from safety signs to rescue vehicles and sand dollars to sea anemones. How about you?
alainaflute
Greg
Jody
E.G.D.
Beautiful Santa Cruz
Main Beach from the Bluff, Santa Cruz
Cowell Beach in Santa Cruz, California
16 beach volleyball courts are available for rent on the main beach in Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz, California
Santa Cruz Treasure Hunter
Main Beach and Cowell Beach
Main Beach and Cowell Beach, Santa Cruz
Main Beach and Cowell Beach
Play it Safe at the Beach!
Santa Cruz Beach and Boardwalk
View from the tracks
Main Beach and Cowell Beach
From the beach to the boardwalk
Santa Cruz Sands
