Inspiring — and That’s No Joke

When our kids were young, Judy and I took them on car trips all over California and visited as many parks and missions and monuments as we could.

My favorite spots always seemed to include water – a variety of beaches, lakes and rivers mostly in the stretch between San Diego and San Francisco. And among those favorites, there was (and still is) a special place in my heart for waterfalls. High or low, heavy or light, they speak to me in ways I’ve never experienced with any other natural or crafted display.

Back in the early 1990s, we were on US 101 north of Santa Barbara and were set to pass for the umpteenth time a little park that includes Nojoqui Falls. We’d always notice the sign and laugh about it, finding fun in what we all assumed was pronounced no-JOKE-ee and driving on by. (As we later discovered, the correct pronunciation is no-HO-hee.)

One summer, however, we were making a point of stopping at all of the places we’d bypassed through the years, and Nojoqui Falls was one of our goals. We reached it late in the season, by which point in its arid surroundings it was little more than a tall, thin ribbon of water – but it seemed to fall forever.

I thought of the falls again when we published the October 2000 issue of WaterShapes, which featured a cover shot of a ribbon waterfall created by watershaper Jim Lampl. A few months later, a big storm made me think that Nojoqui Falls would be in rare form, and I headed up the road for a look with my middle daughter and two of her friends. The reward for the 100-mile drive was incredible: The falls were flowing heavily and the result was spectacular – but I must say that I missed the graceful little ribbon we’d all seen on our first visit.

Since then, I’ve stopped by several times and have come to see it as a source of inspiration worth sharing with anyone interested in watershaping. If you find yourself on the road north of Santa Barbara – perhaps to visit the Central Coast’s wineries or maybe Hearst Castle? – and you come to the signs pointing to Nojoqui Falls, don’t hesitate to pull off the highway for a break. There’s a short walk involved (always a good idea on a long car trip) and wonderful memories to be created.

Video: To see a brief video of the falls in action, click here.