Growing up in California, I was always equally drawn to the mountains and the ocean. A trip to the beach from our house in the San Francisco Bay Area had me anxiously peering out the window of our Buick station wagon, waiting for that first glimpse of dunes along the coast, and the smell of the salt breeze. An excursion into the Sierra foothills brought excitement of a different kind. The tall pines waited for me as we wound our way up from the San Joaquin Valley into the conifer forest.

Now that we live in the Sierra foothills, surrounded by oak woodlands and pine forests, I still get excited about a trip to the coast. This week we headed for Humboldt County, and spent a morning visiting the beaches between Arcata and Trinidad.

My favorite has always been Moonstone Beach. When our kids were little, we lived in Arcata, and I remember outings punctuated by collections of shells and a sand-filled car.

When the tide is low, the Little River winds along the beach and you can cross the sand to several caves that scoop into the side of a cliff dressed with hanging gardens.

Last Thursday morning we had a perfect visit.