A Different Beach

Seacliff State Beach, just down the highway a bit from my usual walk.

The pier leads to the remains of the Palo Alto, a concrete freighter built for use as a tanker in World War I. The war ended before the ship was finished, and it was eventually purchased and towed to this location to be used as an amusement destination. She was sunk a few feet in the water, and rests on the sand. The pier was constructed in 1930, and there was a dance hall, cafe, heated swimming pool and several carnival concessions on the ship itself. All that excitement lasted for two seasons, when the company went broke, stripped the ship, and left the whole thing sitting there to be used only for fishing. The boat part is unsafe has been closed to the public for some time, but you can still walk out on the pier. And, no, I don't know how a concrete boat can be expected to stay afloat.


Hipstamatic: Jane lens; Float film