KSBY

Posted: Feb 11, 2010 10:34 PM
Updated: Feb 16, 2010 9:45 AM

The Central Coast is full of treasures, and most aren't too hard to find.   It would be downright difficult to miss the one that stretches along 18 miles of California Coastline right in our own backyard.  Yet, too many of us haven't made the effort to discover all that's there.    We should.  The Guadalupe-Nipomo dunes offer all kinds of outdoor adventures.

Most of us are familiar with the ATV adventures that are available at the dunes in Grover Beach and Pismo Beach.   But there's a whole other playground just down the arod that offers adventure of another sort.  "We're a hidden gem here in Guadalupe." says Mario Castellanos, Executive Director of the Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes Center.  "One of the things we do is get a lot of visitors from outside the area, but we get less visitors from Santa Maria and the local area."

The Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes encompass one of the largest intact coastal dune eco-systemsin the United States.   "People come to fish, to enjoy the ocean, to bird watch." says Dena Bellman, Park and Recreation Specialist for the Oceano Dunes District.   "You can kayak, there's lots of animal watching. and to know you are visiting a place that has such historical significance in California."

If you don't know where to start your exploration, the Dunes Center in Guadalupe is a good option.   You can map out your trek ahead of time there, or sign up for a guided tour that offers more than directions.   "We guide them into the dunes and teach them about flowers and plants of course, and insects" says Castellanos.

You also get a sampling of the treasures that lie below the Dunes and draw film buffs worldwide.   Cecil B. Demille's original ten commandments movie was shot there back in 1923 and below the windblown hills of sand, there is an entire movie set, referred to by locals as "The Lost CIty of Demille".   It's a part of the dunes not open to the public.  "And even if you were to visit the site, the reason we call it the lost city, is that it's lost. It's buried under sand, and there's obviously debris for most part." says Castellanos.  "But we have some of the premier artifacts here at the Dunes Center, and you can come here to see some of the incredible icons from that time."

The dunes have also hosted other Hollywood film crews for movies like Pirates of the Carribean: At World's End, Hidalgo, G.I. Jane, Odd Couple, and others.

"And while there's controversy surrounding the way a portion of the dunes is being used for off-roading, State Parks officials say a big chunk of change from the off-road fund money goes to resource management of the dunes.  "It's because of that that we're able to have what we have here and keep the balance that we do." says Bellman.

The Guadalupe Nipomo Dunes are an oasis of outdoor serenity right in our own backyard, proving once again, there's no place like home.

For more information about the Dunes, visit www.dunescenter.org.