Morro Bay, CA

Morro Bay is my new favorite coastal town in California. (I love you Carmel, but you're getting to be just a bit too perfect for my taste!) It's located along our beautiful central coastline and is about a four-hour drive down Highway 101 from the SF Bay Area. You could get there along Highway 1, passing through Santa Cruz, Monterey, Carmel, and Big Sur, but that will take you a bit longer. If you travel via Hwy 101, you can visit many of the Missions along the El Camino Real route (see my previous posts of these) as well as many up-and-coming smaller, family-run wineries. In late May I spent a few days in the area and rediscovered its rugged, charming environs...

Here are some scenic vistas from the Embarcadero, a pleasant walkway along the waterfront...

Morro Rock is a volcanic plug and state historic landmark - don't try climbing it though. If you get caught, the fines are steep (just like its sides!) It's also a bird sanctuary to nesting peregrine falcons...

Morro Bay is home to a large fishing fleet and hence there is an abundance of restaurants serving fresh fish...

Kayaking is a popular past time in the calm waters of Morro Bay's lagoon...

The three tall stacks of the power plant can be seen from miles around...

It's easy to stroll from downtown Morro Bay to the State Park. There's a wonderful beach on the north side of the rock...

The sunsets in these parts are stunning...

 The little known park "El Moro Elfin Forest" is well worth a visit. It provides sweeping views of the coastline and coastal mountain range as well as close up views of pygmy oaks ...

Not far from Morro Bay is the cute little seaside destination Aliva Beach, where supposedly the sun always shines. It has two piers to walk out on and a sandy beach that is a bit calmer than those around Morro Bay...

 SLO is just a hop, skip and a jump from Morro Bay. I had to stop off and see the crazy Madonna Inn AKA the Pink Palace. It really is pink inside...and crazy...

On my way back home, I stopped off in Cayucos for some more seaside views...

So next time you want to experience a less crowded and less expensive part of California's ever stunning coastline, head over to San Luis Obispo County and check out these places. I stayed in the Blue Sail Inn in Morro Bay, a clean, centrally-located, and inexpensive motel with a killer hot tub and an equally killer view.

Mission San Miguel Arcangel, CA

Mission San Miguel Arcangel was founded on June 25, 1797 by the Franciscans and is the sixteenth mission. On December 22, 2003 the area was struck by a 6.5 magnitude earthquake, which did quite a lot of damage to the existing buildings, so it was closed to the public for six years. Luckily enough funds were raised to restore it to its current state. The church is very plain inside, and its appearance today is pretty much like when it was first built. There's a cemetery behind the church which holds the remains of 2,249 Native Americans. Mission San Miguel is noted in particular for its arcade, a series of twelve lovely arches. 

                            

So, I now checked off a few more items on my bucketlist. Be sure to visit these wonderful historic sites if you ever happen to take a trip along El Camino Real.