The dunes run from Oceano in the north to Mussel Point in the south. A few weeks ago my family took a hike with Nipomo's resident environmental sage Bill Denneen. We parked behind the Oceano airport and Bill led us down a path running along the levy, parallel to the Arroyo Grande Creek. We crossed the creek and went into the dunes, munching on wild blackberries along the way.
Bill shared a little of his vast knowledge with us, gathering wildflowers to show us and telling stories of the old days. He pointed out large piles of discarded clamshells called shell middens, evidence of the ancient inhabitants of the dunes.
The process by which dunes are formed is truly all-encompassing. Creeks carry sediment from inland areas and deposit it into the ocean. This sediment then gets washed ashore by the waves. The winds take over next, blowing the fine sands inland and shaping the dunescape into rolling masses of sand.
The Dune Center in Guadalupe is a good resource for those making trips into the dunes. I stopped there on another trip into the dunes. Bill had mentioned Mussel Rock during his hike, a place where the rocks jut out into the sea. Finding myself curious and in need of adventure, I called up some friends and we set off.
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From the early twentieth century to the 1970s people lived in the dunes. They slept in tree-covered coves in the dunes, in cottages they built from driftwood. They were poets, hermits and philosophers, living off the bounty of the ocean. Some sought solitude, others enlightenment and lively intellectual discussion. Among the Dunites (as they were called) were many luminaries, including Gavin Arthur, the grandson of President Chester Arthur. Norm Hammond's wrote a fascinating book about these dune inhabitants called The Dunites. I strongly recommend it.
One of the more popular dune sites to visit is Oso Flaco Lake, so named by Spanish explorers who saw a rather undernourished bear in the vicinity. Here a boardwalk crosses the lake, affording close views of the aquatic birds who dip and dive under the water. The boardwalk continues through the lush dune habitat all the way to the beach.
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Our trek to Mussel Rock began from the parking lot in the Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes Preserve, at the end of West Main Street. We walked through areas that have appeared in numerous Hollywood films, from the great Egyptian city in the 1923 epic The Ten Commandments to Davy Jones' locker in Pirates of the Caribbean.
We stopped after a few miles when the beach began to narrow. I broke off from the group and climbed a dune by myself. I wanted to get a closer look at Mussel Rock before we headed back. One of my friends climbed a similar dune north of where I was, while the rest constructed a seaside house from driftwood and other articles.
The sun shone happily down upon the high dunes as I climbed. Here I was far enough away from the vehicle area to get some peace and solitude, without the roar ATVs. I gazed at Mussel Rock to the south and beyond that to Point Sal. To the north I could see the Santa Maria River delta and the dunes beyond. The blue ocean extended forever to the west. Colorful wildflowers covered some of the dunes.
I descended back down to the beach and we trudged back through the sand, but not before noticing the paved remnants of what appears to be a forgotten highway through the dunes. What were they thinking when they built this road? Most of it is now covered in sand.
The dunes are a natural wonder given to all of us to enjoy and protect. Whether it's your first time in the dunes or you've been there many times before, you're certain to find something new on your next visit.
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