I’ve been to Half Moon Bay in San Francisco, California twice in my life and it was equally as amazing both times. The first time, in the summer of 2017, was just with my parents and my little brother. The bay has a small river run-off that we played in. The beach itself has less people and seems more peaceful and calm than a sunny, happy beach. The sky is gray with low clouds because the fog is just off in the distance waiting to come in. The water is cold with strong white waves.

This past summer we went again with my whole family on July 12th. We had a picnic on the bluffs above the ocean and then walked along the edge of the cliffs. We made our way down to the waves. The river that we had played in before was much larger and we had to walk over a wood plank to get to the beach. The beach was almost empty because it was a cold, gray day. Dad bought a new camera and was filming all of us. He wouldn’t stop throwing kelp at us and chasing us. My sister and I ran into the waves and down the beach to escape, laughing the whole time. We left when everyone got too cold and wet. We piled into the car and drove back through the redwoods to the warmth of the inner coast, where it is sunny and hot, far from the foggy bay.