Mavericks, one of the most fearsome big-wave surf breaks in the world, breaks over a reef off Pillar Point, a few hundred metres from El Granada. On the biggest winter swells, waves rise to fifteen metres or more, and only the best surfers in the world dare to ride them. From the bluffs above, with binoculars, you can watch them drop down faces the size of buildings.
El Granada is a small community on the coast north of Half Moon Bay, laid out in the early twentieth century by Daniel Burnham, the Chicago architect, in a pattern of semicircular streets fanning out from the shore. It was meant to be a resort town on the Ocean Shore Railroad, which never got further than this stretch of coast. The harbour at Pillar Point is busy with fishing boats, and the restaurants on the waterfront serve fresh fish and crab.
Half Moon Bay, to the south, is famous for pumpkins, and every October the town holds a festival with a weigh-off for giant pumpkins that can top a tonne.
For riders, the ride inland on Highway 92 climbs over the hills to Skyline Boulevard, a winding road along the ridge of the Santa Cruz Mountains, and Alice's Restaurant, at the crossroads of Skylonda, is a famous biker meeting point. The roads are winding and scenic, with redwoods, fog and views over the ocean and the bay.
Pack a warm layer whatever the forecast says. In summer the marine fog sits on this coast for days, damp and grey, while ten minutes inland the ridge basks in sunshine; the transition on Highway 92 happens in a single bend. Fuel and food are in Half Moon Bay, and the harbour at Pillar Point sells crab straight off the boats in season.