APTOS HILLS & THE APPROACH
Like most exceptional estate properties, this rural retreat begins to establish its presence and its essence long before you reach the beginning borders of its own private oasis of lush topography and delightfully diverse and welcoming environs.

Driving South along Highway 1, between Capitola and Carmel – your eyes are often drawn to dramatic snatches of the Bay that open up along the way, the sparkling blue waters reflecting the glimmer of dancing sunlight, the rugged outline of the Monterey Peninsula stretching off into in the distance and a continuous ribbon of white beaches tracing the gentle and loving contours of the most hallowed sanctuary of waters found anywhere along the California Coast.

But more and more you also find your eyes and your heart inexorably drawn to the tapestry of landforms that rise and beckon on the other side of the road you travel.  These are the Aptos Hills - their rich green pastures,  expansive island meadows rife with native grasses and gnarled old oaks, their prominent ridgelines and rounded knoll tops  woven together and integrated into a vast carpet of majestic forest that elevates in grandeur towards the highest peaks of the Santa Cruz Mountains – standing like silent sentinels presiding over a year-round climate unmatched anywhere in the world and a daily panorama of beauty that easily, comfortably, gracefully extends from tree to sea and back again – as many times as you want to make the journey.

Turning off the Larkin Valley/San Andreas exit at Highway 1 and then onto Moon Valley Ranch Road,  the columned gate leading to Racehorse Lane and its picturesque equestrian center quickly inaugurates and establishes a rich rural ambiance and relaxing tone. Pleasant white fences run along the hillsides, a small country lane winds past a well-kept collection of barns, paddocks, riding arenas and of course, an array of magnificent horses stand proudly, grazing in the lush, flat, bottomland of the valley surrounded on all sides by the wealth of nature’s bounty.

Winding slowly up Moon Valley Road you climb slightly in elevation until you reach the gated entrance to Mockingbird Ridge arbored by the embrace of overhanging trees whose tufts of Spanish moss wave almost imperceptibly in the soft ocean breezes. Coming through the gate you continue to rise along a ridgeline as coveys of quail race alongside and in front of you while an occasional deer looks up to note your passing. Unexpected openings in the trees and the fence lines reveal the growing fullness of the valley below – a year-round pond sits in placid repose,  riding trails radiate out and disappear into the trees along adjoining hillsides,  the intriguing roofline or façade of a neighboring estate home on its own separate ridge comes momentarily into view.

Still the small private road draws you on and along and closer to home, unfolding in layers of beauty and emotion with each new turn or juxtaposition. Restful. Scenic. Compelling. The approach to home is like an inner and outer labyrinth of intimate meaning carrying you towards the center. The home inside the home that provides a sense of refuge, safety, comfort and sanctuary for our daily lives.

Reaching the property you may see a hawk circling majestically overhead. You may feel the sun warming your face or detect the hint of salt mixed with the sweet scent  of blossoms in the air. You may sense the vast mystery of nature that is opening its arms even wider in every direction.

As you wind slowly down a new driveway leading to its own private knoll top, your orientation shifts and as you arrive in front of  this custom Lattanzio single level design with its “prairie” accents harmonizing seamlessly with its setting, you realize that your journey has circled once more, back on itself and suddenly you are staring are the splendor of the Bay  opening up in vast new proportion from a higher vantage point that reveals its full, breathtaking unfolding in all its magnificence.