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ost people are familiar with the term “Gold Coast”;
many countries have one and the section of
coastline from Bacara Resort in Goleta to Rincon in Carpinteria is ours.
A less familiar term, however, is our own Montecito Coast, a short but
precious slip of land that stretches from Santa Barbara’s East Beach and
its myriad volleyball courts (beginning at the bottom of the bluffs, above
which sits the estate originally built by copper king William Clark), all
the way to Fernald Point and around the bend encompassing Sharks’
Cove. The distance is probably no more than a mile and a half, but
what
a mile and a half.
Much of Montecito life revolves around the sea, whether it’s
walking one’s dog, just walking, running, jogging, swimming, surfing,
sailing, barbecuing, or simply toasting to a New Year as the sun
sets, the peaceful Pacific plays an important role in the lives of we
who live here.
Taking a walk along this shoreline at low tide is not only
one of the best ways to view many of Montecito’s most cherished
institutions, but it can also spur an understanding of why we
love it so.
As we begin, across Cabrillo Boulevard is the Andrée Clark
Bird Refuge, named for one of the copper king’s daughters who
died at the age of 17. The girl’s sister, Huguette, fronted the
money to rehabilitate the lagoon and donated it to the City of
Santa Barbara in memory of her dead sister. Huguette is still
alive and reportedly living in New York City. She is well over
100 years old.
Crossing under the Clark Estate, we enter Montecito via
the Santa Barbara Cemetery, built just outside the City of Santa
Barbara. That the Santa Barbara Cemetery is in Montecito isn’t
unusual; the nearby Montecito Country Club is in Santa Barbara.
Offshore is a “free” anchorage that is ordinarily peaceful
enough, but sudden winter storms catch half a dozen boaters
unaware every year; many of those boats end up under these
crumbling cliffs.
The sea takes about a foot of shoreline on average, year after
year; fifty years from now – probably less – many of the graves
will have to be moved further inland, but cemetery operators have
already made plans for this eventuality. The cemetery is worth a
visit, as a number of unusual gravestones and family mausoleums
have been built there, and the small chapel was designed by
George Washington Smith, one of Montecito’s most prolific and
talented architects.
Above us, in holes in the cliffs, an active cormorant
community was not visible this day, but other birds were here
in abundance, including sandpipers, sanderlings, white herons,
pelicans, seagulls, and many others.
Across from the cemetery is the property of Beanie Babies
creator Ty Warner, whose $250 million home rests upon 6 ½
acres of an oceanfront promontory that some have dubbed
“Warner’s Bluff.” Directly behind that, going inland towards the
mountains, is Miraflores, home of the renowned Music Academy
of the West.
We are now on Montecito’s Gold Coast.
observat ions