The Half Moon Bay Pumpkin Festival is a major event for Bay Area residents in the fall. Pumpkin patches, corn mazes, and pony rides attract many families and traffic can back up for miles. Although the festival only lasts one weekend, a lot of the fun events and activities are open throughout October, so we decided to spend last Sunday enjoying the great weather and some Halloween cheer.

We started the day at Pillar Point Bluff where we did a short walk with a view of the Air Force Station, Ross Cove and the Mavericks surf break.

There were a few surfers playing below, but the monster waves that the Mavericks is known for weren’t showing up today.

As I scanned the ocean surface with my binoculars, I spied the telltale sign of a whale breaching: the spray of water from the blowhole. I kept my binoculars on the spot and a moment later saw the giant tail of a grey whale emerge out of the water as the giant critter dove.
After our casual whale- and surfer-watching stroll along the bluff we stopped by Half Moon Bay Brewing for brunch. You don’t have to like beer to enjoy brunch here – they have some great food, such as this crab cake benedict sandwich.

Next, we headed to our favorite pumpkin patch, a pick-em-where-they-grow field about five miles south of Half Moon Bay along highway 1. It’s a big open field and they have pumpkins of all sizes and styles.

Plus, they’re dog friendly!

My birthday is coming up, so I even grabbed a few sugar pie pumpkins. I always make a pumpkin pie from scratch for my birthday!
It was a wonderful relaxing day on the coast, and yet another reminder that I don’t have to go far from home to find fun. Happy Halloween from my little family!