Gerry and I went on a wonderful road trip to celebrate his 75th birthday!
We left LA on Wednesday, June 3, and returned home on Monday, June 15. He drove his Volvo EX-40 (100 % electric vehicle). It was a very scenic drive up the coast. Excellent weather, and fun to visit places and towns where we've never been.
The first scenic stop on Wednesday was at Montano de Oro State Park, a lovely coastal state park which we visited 16 years ago. Montana de Oro State Park is about 10 miles south of Morro Bay, where we were staying Wednesday evening at the Harbor House Inn.
The park features rugged cliffs, sandy beaches and beautiful views of the ocean. We took a very scenic and easy 4.2 mile hike on the Bluff Trail in the afternoon.
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| One of the first overlooks on the Bluff Trail |
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| Turbulent waves crashing ashore |
Moving inland for the final stretch of the hike, we loved the wild flowers below and the American kestrel falcons overhead.
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| A field of beautiful California Poppies |
We ate dinner in Morro Bay at Taqueria El Guero, where we ordered delicious tacos; very flavorful and authentic, with handmade tortillas.
A nice stroll after dinner, with a view of Morro Rock, a stunning 576-foot volcanic monolith rising from the Pacific Ocean at the mouth of Morro Bay, as the sun set directly behind it.
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| Morro Rock at the harbor |
Thursday morning, June 4th, we drove down the narrow peninsula to take a daytime photo of this "Gibraltar of the Pacific" from a different angle before leaving town and heading north.
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| Morro Rock up close |
Thirty minutes later we arrive at the town of Harmony, (population 18, elevation 150 ft.) founded in 1869.
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Gerry is in sweet Harmony
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| Antiques and a sculpture outside the art gallery in Harmony |
Onward, up the coast to Piedras Blancas State Marine Reserve, about six miles north of San Simeon, where we stopped at the Elephant Seal Rookery and viewed thousands of massive northern elephant seals along the beaches.
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| Look at all them Elephant Seals hanging out! |
Onward to Limekiln State Park, where we hiked 1.8 miles along the Limekiln Creek Falls Trail. It contains four lime kilns from an 1887–1890 lime-calcining operation.
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| Mary in front of an historic lime kiln |
Second hike of the day was along Pfeiffer Falls Trail and the Nature Trail in Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park. We walked about 2.4 miles in the park. Scenic, and relaxing.
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| Gerry, on the Pfeiffer Falls Trail |
We continued the scenic drive up the coast, past Big Sur with very scenic overlooks, until we reached Pacific Grove, and checked into the Monarch Resort Hotel where we stayed for two nights, Thursday and Friday.
