Morro Bay, California
March 16–17, 2022
March 16–17, 2022
I spent one night sleeping in an Albertson’s supermarket parking lot in Morro Bay, in preparation for my drive up the PCH to stay with my uncle and aunt in Salinas. Unfortunately, small towns have a different feeling about van campers than massive cities like LA, and I woke up to a flyer on my windshield notifying me that I could be fined or even towed if I parked overnight again. Sheesh! Still, Morro Bay is a beautiful town, and the dogs and I walked along the shoreline and took in the views. I had a yummy dinner at the Bayside Cafe and breakfast at the Morro Bay Coffee Company.
On Friday afternoon, I headed north on the Pacific Coast Highway. I’ve looked forward to this drive for the entire trip, and I was very glad to be doing it with Vincent rather than towing Donna, between the steep dropoffs, hairpin turns, and outstanding views that nearly lure you over the edge. I stopped to stroll the dogs at Estero Bluffs State Park (site of the shipwreck you see below), to admire the beautiful pebbles just north of Moonstone Beach, to walk the long pier and get my toes in the water at Hearst San Simeon State Park, and to marvel at the snoozing elephant seals all over the beach at the Elephant Seal Vista Point. Mochi was enraptured by the seals, and we all admired their squeaky noises, sand-flipping fins, and flop-flopping progress to new sleeping spots along the shore.
I impulsively pulled over for a hike on the Salmon Creek Trail through the Silver Peak Wilderness a bit further up the road, and the four-mile round trip offered spectacular vistas, dense forest, bursts of flowers, and dizzying drops from the side of the narrow trail. I spent a bit of time hiking with an elderly backpacker who was on his first big trip after falling off his bicycle, breaking his leg, and winding up in a nursing home while he recovered. Two years later, he was back on the trails. I hope I’m as tough as that guy when I get to my late seventies! After the hike, I continued up the coast, catching a gorgeous sunset, and made it to Salinas just a bit after dark.
On Friday afternoon, I headed north on the Pacific Coast Highway. I’ve looked forward to this drive for the entire trip, and I was very glad to be doing it with Vincent rather than towing Donna, between the steep dropoffs, hairpin turns, and outstanding views that nearly lure you over the edge. I stopped to stroll the dogs at Estero Bluffs State Park (site of the shipwreck you see below), to admire the beautiful pebbles just north of Moonstone Beach, to walk the long pier and get my toes in the water at Hearst San Simeon State Park, and to marvel at the snoozing elephant seals all over the beach at the Elephant Seal Vista Point. Mochi was enraptured by the seals, and we all admired their squeaky noises, sand-flipping fins, and flop-flopping progress to new sleeping spots along the shore.
I impulsively pulled over for a hike on the Salmon Creek Trail through the Silver Peak Wilderness a bit further up the road, and the four-mile round trip offered spectacular vistas, dense forest, bursts of flowers, and dizzying drops from the side of the narrow trail. I spent a bit of time hiking with an elderly backpacker who was on his first big trip after falling off his bicycle, breaking his leg, and winding up in a nursing home while he recovered. Two years later, he was back on the trails. I hope I’m as tough as that guy when I get to my late seventies! After the hike, I continued up the coast, catching a gorgeous sunset, and made it to Salinas just a bit after dark.
