Morro Bay Calmness and Beyond

My wife and I begin our second week at our seaside, Morro Bay apartment. To appreciate our love of Morro Bay, realize its “laid-back” ambience, sufficiently distant from the hectic, population centers of Los Angeles and San Francisco.We have also found its location to be an ideal gateway place for entering the famous cliffside environs of the Pacific Coast Highway. (PCH).

For this year’s stay , I clearly underestimated the time readjustment factor from our India tour back to California. As much as I would have loved to quickly resume my sleep schedule based on my normal sensitivity to light and darkness, such would not be the case. Fortunately, relaxation from road travels last week would seem to conquer my incessant insomnia with time. In fact, for much of my waking time this week, I would settle for staring out my bedroom window at the magnificent “Morro Rock” or occasionally venturing out to the nearby beach to feed hungry critters.

Conquering at last my mental fog, the timing seemed right, today to venture north on the “PCH.”Our itinerary would begin with a leisurely omelet breakfast at the “Pieman Deli” in picturesque Cayucos. A short conversation with the famous Pieman, himself would reveal that in his younger days he actually served as a personal chef for such celebrities as John Glenn, Chuck Norris and Eddie Munster. We would conclude our brief stop in Cayucos by sitting quietly near the pier to watch the surfers test their skills on the challenging, Pacific waves.

A short drive up the coast, we reached the always popular popular “elephant seal” beaches. In spring time, female cows by the thousands migrate to this spot to lie on the protected beaches to await the yearly mating ritual. Watching these land-awkward mammals can be quite entertaining as they slowly slide their immense bodies around the sand, fighting for precious space amidst their clustered masses.

Our final stop today would take place at the famous Hearst Ranch/Estate and nearby Historical Beach Park. Deciding to forego the $25.00 tram tour up to the Hearst Castle, we would amble around the Visitor Center to obtain historical tidbits about the family history of the William Randolph Hearst era. Concluding our short visit with a short walk along the well preserved Hearst pier, I imagined a time when the “rich and famous” movie stars of this era unpretentiously distanced themselves from their famous lives in Hollywood in this unassuming beachside location.

The Central California coast north from Morro Bay clearly provides a visually stunning place for my urban challenged mind to relax. In the spirit of my recent India travels, perhaps I have even found a Hindu-like place of pilgrimage. In such case, the self- meditative potential of these unobstructed coastlines of jagged Pacific seashore will timelessly stick in my mind as a much needed spiritual inspiration.