Pillar Point Harbor in Half Moon Bay has a little bit of everything: fishing boats, a brewery, seafood restaurants, whale watch tour boats, kayaking outfits and other businesses related to enjoying all that the sea has to offer. When walking toward the piers to board a whale watching boat, this stand of kayaks caught my eye. They reminded me of brightly colored tiki-like sculptures beckoning me to go paddling. I couldn't help but to smile at the thought.

Pillar Point Harbor is about a 25 minute drive south of San Francisco on the Pacific Coast Highway, Route 1. The view along the drive is spectacular and on clear days you can see the Farrallon Islands on the horizon (25 miles away).