Have A Seat

It looks exactly like an old Ford truck bench seat that was pulled out of a vehicle and mounted to a sidewalk in Morro Bay.

As if you would sit on the missing stuffing and kinda sink in a bit.

Except that the bench is hard as a rock.

Well done, bench designer.

Montana de Oro Bluff Trail

The Bluff Trail is a long stretch of coastal path inside the Montana de Oro State Park.

There are benches along the way.

Perfect breakfast spot.

For the olallieberry cream cheese muffin we picked up at Linn's in Cambria the day before. 

This dude thought we made an incredible selection.

So we shared a few crumbs.

Love this door in the rock or bridge connecting two rocks or a window in the waves.

See the trees in the distance that seem to be a continuation of the slope.

Never get tired of staring at the sea.

Or listening to the crash of surf against the rocks.

Check out the picnic table.

Wow.

What a view and you are surrounded by water on three sides.

Further down the trail, the docents told us to check out the blow hole as it was quite active that day.

Foam and sharp rocks.

And the sweet couple.

Docents at Montana de Oro.

Thanks for the tips!

Montana de Oro, Environmental Campsite #2

This was our view, every morning, when we unzipped our tent and looked outside.

It is a bit of an effort to get there but well worth the time and energy. We reserved the space online for our trip in December. Made sure to arrive during daylight. Parking is down below with directions to hike up the hill and get to the campsite. 

No running water. But you get an outhouse and a picnic bench.

Parking space for the two campsites.
No one showed up for #1 so we had the mountain to ourselves.

Dropped my backpack on the table and stood out on the trail
to take photos as I spun around in a circle.

This is the trail that brought us up to our campsite.

Outhouse.

Picnic table.

More woods.

We heard coyotes howl. We saw birds. We listened to the sound of waves slapping the coast below us.

We smiled and waved to 4 hikers over the course of 4 days --- very limited foot traffic.

But did see fresh hoof prints on the trail when we got back to our campsite each night.

The time of day brought new surprises.

Early morning spider webs.

Sun setting behind the trees.

Without the flash, our tent below….

…looked like this (even with a lantern on inside the tent!).

 Every morning, we saw the sun rise.

 And then we decided between oatmeal or soup for breakfast!

And hopped on the trail for another adventure.

Because down the hill, if you crossed the street, you would be on this path (I am looking back towards our campground mountain):

That would lead you to the Pacific Ocean.

With a view of Morro Rock in the distance!

Grab your gear and head on out….

Happy New Year

Here is hoping that 2015 is colorful and balanced and healthy!!!!