An Adventure in Relaxation - Part 1
I took a trip to Morro Bay, CA this past December for some much needed relaxation and recuperation with my travel companion and close friend Michelle and I'm so happy we did. In case you don't know, Morro Bay is a smaller town located on the central coast of California, just west of San Luis Obispo, that is often forgotten throughout the year despite offering some of the most pristine beaches in California, amazing weather year round, and absolutely gorgeous scenery north and south.
I'll admit that the town isn't a fancy exclusive resort town and the amenities it offers can be rather slim in some regards, but what it lacks in amenities it makes up for with an abundance of rest and relaxation and outdoor activities.
I've personally been to Morro Bay dozens of times over the years and even lived in Los Osos (an even smaller town just south of Morro Bay) for a year at one point. There is a particular route I take practically every single visit to the region that drops through downtown, and further down onto the waterfront. The drive is relaxing and particularly scenic but I love it because it pretty much captures the entirety of Morro Bay in a nutshell and offers some amazing views of the bay and of course of Morro Rock which dominates the skyline no matter where you are in town.
For this particular trip we had decided to camp at Morro Bay State Park Campground which I'd personally recommend any day of the week. It's an awesome campground situated within a Eucalyptus grove located directly across the street from the southern end of the bay.
Our arrival into town was almost perfectly timed, especially in terms of the light, as the sun was setting onto the horizon and golden hour was well under way. We made sure our doggo Orion got his necessary doggo time in of course which is always fun to watch. He loves beaches but is still afraid of the ocean... oh well. :)
One of the things I love about photography is the study of light and its effects on the world around us and Golden Hour offers amazing opportunities to do just that. It produces, almost every time, the absolute perfect balance of light and dark, long shadows and brilliantly lit landscapes.
Knowing we had such great light and the time sensitive nature of it all, it wasn't long before we were off to another "beach" if you could call it that. The shoreline itself is littered with thousands of abalone shells, all of which were plucked from the seas and consumed by the hundreds of birds resting in the trees above us. It's quite the sight.
This is definitely one of my favorite views of the harbor, with Morro Rock in the distance. It's hard to imagine how large that rock is until you're standing underneath it, looking up, following its solid stone facade to the top, 581 feet above. It's most definitely an impressive sight. Incidentally, Morro Rock is a part of a chain of "Volcanic Plugs" known as the Nine Sisters, with the highest of them rising 1,600' above sea level just inland. All of them offer fantastic hiking opportunities and views for miles. Definitely worth spending time hiking them if you're into hiking but for this particular visit, I stuck to the coastline.
I've captured Poquito a few times before, and even met the owner once, but it's always called me back for more. Poquito is a hand crafted dinghy owned by a local woodworker in town and easily one of my favorite watercraft in the harbor despite its size. The name is accurate, as it is quite tiny, but it is nevertheless majestic in its own right as it sits proudly on the shoreline waiting for use.
Looking south reveals Los Osos in the distance, and a bit closer, the Inn at Morro Bay, which is one of the nicer hotels in the region. If you're looking for a clean place to stay in Morro Bay, that's a good place to start. Further south, just past Los Osos to the right of the frame, you can just begin to see the gateway to Montaña de Oro which is easily one of the most beautiful portions of California coastline you'll ever see. If you've never been, plan your trip now.
...oh and if my brief description of it didn't appeal to your senses, here's an unrelated photo from a previous trip years and years ago.
As the sun set on the horizon, we began our journey back to the campsite rounding up a pretty amazing evening. The views were just amazing as I hope you can imagine.
With an abundance of photos, it's difficult to select which ones to show and which ones to save for another date, but one photo I have saved should allow us to wrap up this post on a high note. This was a brief photo taken from within the campground itself and what can I say that hasn't already been stated above. What an amazing region. :)
Thank you so much for your interest in our adventure. Would love feedback on this post and attached photos as well as perhaps suggestions on how to improve for the future posts I plan to share with you.
I'll post the second half tomorrow as we ventured into Big Sur and further north up the coastline.
Until then!