I recently visited the East Bay and South Bay areas of San Francisco. I wanted to see the Pacific Ocean before I left and was told that the ocean was only an hour away from Campbell, CA. I had no idea that I was headed for Santa Cruz, CA.
I arrived at the Santa Cruz Boardwalk and was really stoked about being there. One of my favorite movies is the Lost Boys (original movie) with Keifer Sutherland. I couldn’t believe that I was starring at the same boardwalk that was used in the film. Due to the amount of people at the boardwalk and beach, I didn’t get the chance to wander the boardwalk. I plan on going back and will make sure I arrive at 8 am or 9 am.
From the boardwalk I drove to the Santa Cruz Harbor, East side. I parked on the street and walked towards the beach. As I took my shoes off to walk on the beach, I was disheartened to see the amount of debris on the beach. It was disheartening. It’s no wonder that the oceans are raging. They’re probably mad as hell because human beings are screwing up the planet instead of respecting and taking care of it.
Here’s a tip: if you want to park on the street, make sure you have a permit. I received a $45 ticket because I didn’t read the sign very well: “No parking Mon.-Fri. 8 am – 5 pm. Permit only.” I missed the “permit” only part. You can buy a permit (now I know) from a trailer that is located at 9th Street. Permits are $7.00.
On the beach I found plastic bags, bottles, an abandoned football, and other trash. What does this say about the human race? Apparently, some of us are still a bunch of Neanderthals! There’s no reason to use the beach as a big landfill when there are garbage cans available for trash. Here’s a tip: bring your own trash bag and take your trash home with you. This way you can recycle glass and plastic.
It’s interesting that I received a $45 ticket for parking on the street, but people can trash the beach and oceans without any penalty. Where are the police “beach” cops? Perhaps they’re too busy patrolling the streets giving tickets to out of town visitors. Paying attention to traffic is more important than looking for posted “No Parking” signs.
Our beaches and oceans deserve respect. Without them the human race wouldn’t survive. What would we do if our oceans become so polluted that they can no longer serve mankind? What will happen to the animal life in and around our oceans? They will no longer exist which means possible cures for diseases could be lost. Instead of working with our environment, we work against it. This is counterproductive.
Continuing to desecrate the Earth’s ecosystems will be detrimental to human beings, animal, and plant life. If humans don’t want to become extinct along with plants, animals, and minerals, then I suggest all of us do our part to clean up the planet and show it some respect. Otherwise we could all be in for a rude wakening. If you think some other planet in our galaxy or another galaxy far, far away will welcome us with open arms, you’ve got another thing coming. They’re more likely to “use” their force and turn all of us away or vaporize us!
Rebecca