The River

The Arroyo Seco river, flowing east out of the central coast Santa Lucia mountain range, is uniquely beautiful. Fed by its tributaries, Slatey, Cherry, Piney, Woodtick, Horse Canyon, Sweetwater, Vaquero and Reliz creeks, the Arroyo Seco River is the major source of water for the region. About eighty feet above the river, on both sides, are benches and terraces where pioneer and contemporary homes are intermingled with farmland predominately devoted to lush vineyards. The upper slopes on both sides of the valley are mostly covered with oak trees and chaparral. In the winter and spring, the open areas are a resplendent green, with wild flowers in much profusion providing an incomparable picture of blazing beauty. By summer and into the fall the fields are tan and tawny, appealing in their own way, until the rains come and begin the seasonal cycle over again.

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* The poem and description of the Arroyo Seco River is lifted from the book “The Arroyo Seco” by Albert Coelho