John and Elizabeth brought William to visit last weekend, despite the rainy weather and VERY long drive. What a hoot to see them, especially as Ron is gone visiting family in Sioux Falls! The cow at the Avila Beach farm was really not that close, its the magic of photography. But the little guy sure loves learning about animals – never a scared moment!
Morro Rock is such an interesting geological feature. It is a volcanic plug, much like Devil’s Tower in Wyoming, part of a group of seven morros in the area (the 7 Sisters). A 2 mile hike from the campground brings me right to its base. The 2 mile hike back is a little more challenging as its into the wind, a daily afternoon occurrence.
Today I decided to hike from Montana de Oro State Park south along the coast, through land owned by PG&E where the Diablo Nuclear Power Plant is. I had no idea what a treat I was in for when I started out in the morning. After parking the truck in the state park, I started down the trail below towering mountain peaks that parallel the ocean for miles here. After crossing a little babbling creek, the trail led to a kiosk where a uniformed man informed me I had to fill out a hold harmless agreement to PG&E including my address and next of kin if I wanted to hike there (hmm.) He gave me a map and I was off down the trail.
My first stop was Coon Creek Beach. After accidentally dipping my new right shoe in the creek while I forded it I headed for the sea cave. The first rule of seagoers is to always check the tide, and of course as I stood there in the cave gawking and taking pictures I didn’t realize the tide was rising and it caught both my new shoes. So now I had to hike with sopping, wet, salty feet, but no problem, I decided I could tough it out.
The trail led along the coast. The layered rock formations were tilted, dipped, and folded, then weatherbeaten by the sea into amazing pinnacles and caves. The sea was a brilliant blue with the purest white foam and breakers imaginable. Wildflowers were in full force all along the hillsides and trails - beautiful orange and yellow California poppies, purple, white and blue wild radish, yellow mustard, orange bush monkey flower, and even some purple black sage. It smelled salty and perfumy but earthy. The fog horn was moaning, the waves were crashing, and of course the constant wind was blowing. Fog rolled back and forth over the mountain peaks. Each turn in the trail led to a beautiful vista, and then, (if it were possible), another even more beautiful than the previous.
My second stop was the sink hole, where the ocean crashed back and forth in a collapsed sea cave. When I looked back I could just make out my truck in the parking lot below the mountain.
More caves and pinnacles followed. As I looked out over the ocean, I could just make out whales in the distance, blowing their tops. Later I learned the humpbacks just arrived in the area and stay all summer.
The nuclear power plant was far off in the distance, ‘way past where we were allowed to hike. What an amazing place – all of you who are coming to see us this summer, be prepared, I will be dragging you over to see this!
On my way back to the car, I checked out with “The Gatekeeper” (as I found out that’s what the guard liked to be called) and hiked down this hill and back to the truck, sorry that I couldn’t stay for the sunset.
We want to go THERE in July.
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