Mar 10

Mar 10 What Did You Do in Pescadero?

The tiny town of Pescadero (pop. 643) was our destination when we went on our drive on Hwy 1. We really didn't know what was special about it, but our aunts seem to adore this place. Small towns possess their own charming qualities after all.

So what did we do in Pescadero?

1) We went to Made in Pescadero, a furniture store featuring beautifully and locally handmade furniture.

Just hanging out on a reclining sofa with this awesome coffee table that D wanted to take home with her.

All the big pieces of furniture are crafted with locally sourced wood. Our aunts apparently got their bed custom-made from this place.

2) We went to the local market: Arcangeli Grocery Co/Norm's Market.

The market is quaint with a great wine selection. But what they are really known for is their various flavors of artichoke bread. They have variants like cheddar herb garlic, which understandably, is the customer favorite.

3) We went to a goat farm -- the Harley Farm Goat Dairy.

Harley Farms is a restored 1910 dairy farm in 9 acres of pasture. What started out with six pet goats grew to today's herd of 200 alpine goats. When we were there the baby goat count was at 122. They're so cute!!!

Open year-round, Harley Farms hosts farm and dairy tours daily. Visitors get to see milk move from goats to dairy to cheese.

Dairy worker prepping milk for cheese making.

Chèvre decorated with edible flower petals.

Harley Farms also hosts retreats and events. Upstairs from the shop is this surprising hayloft of a party space. The chairs and grand table are structurally distinct. There are French doors that lead to a balcony where you can view the animals and the expanse of the farm.

We think this space would be great for a Game of Thrones themed party.

Back down to the shop, we perused their selection of cheeses and other goodies including farm fresh eggs, bath and spa products, local honey, goat's milk chocolate truffles, and goat cheese cheesecake.

Visiting a working farm was fun. We have always known that we're not the farming kind of people. We enjoy urban living too much, but we do appreciate the hard work and dedication that farmers put into their farms.

We did all this with a little over an hour allotted for exploring Pescadero since we had to be some place else that afternoon.

Here are a couple more parting shots before we headed back to Santa Cruz.