Tide pooling season is in full swing along the coast, and spots like Moss Beach — just a short drive south of the city — are putting on a show. We're talking chitons clinging to rocks, mysterious blue sea creatures, pink algae crusts painting the shoreline like nature's own graffiti. It's the kind of thing that reminds you why people put up with $3,500 studio apartments in the first place.

The Fitzgerald Marine Reserve at Moss Beach is one of the richest intertidal zones on the California coast, and it's free to visit. No app required. No $15 congestion fee. No six-month permitting process. You just show up, wait for low tide, and let the ocean do its thing.

Here's the thing we love about tide pooling as a pastime: it's the anti-San Francisco activity. There's no government program administering it. Nobody's asking for a $2 million feasibility study on whether sea anemones improve equity outcomes. The ecosystem just works — organisms competing, cooperating, and adapting without a single bureaucrat involved. Imagine that.

If you're planning a trip, check a tide chart and aim for a negative low tide for the best pools. Wear shoes you don't mind getting wet, don't pick anything up, and stay off the mussel beds. The reserve rangers are serious about protecting the habitat, and rightfully so — this is one public resource that's actually managed well.

Sometimes the best argument for limited government is just looking at what thrives without it. The tide pools were here long before us and, if we leave them alone, they'll outlast whatever boondoggle Sacramento cooks up next.

Get out there this weekend. Your wallet and your sanity will thank you.