Morro Bay (Operation Cool Down)
Links to Photos and More Travel Reports at bottom
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July 21, 2005 : It’s been so hot so long that the brain can no longer process how long and how hot it’s been. The local newspaper says we’ve had over a week of consecutive 100 degree-plus days, most of them 104 or higher. It’s time for Operation Cool-Down. My
daughter and son-in-law were planning to ride their Harleys to the Grand Canyon
and vicinity, ending up in Then it
occurred to them that it is 115 degrees in Let’s
see…Tim & Teri to the eastern Sierra where it’s cool, Mikie
in the hockey rink where it’s cool, and I’m diving into the
inferno of southern But we don’t care! We’re cool at last! The temperature on my truck thermometer dropped continuously as we headed west. We drove south and east on State Highway 41, which is joined by State 46 at Cholame. At Shandon, about ten miles east of Paso Robles, it was 98; by the time we went over the hill from Atascadero, it was 78, and as we entered Morro Bay, we found ourselves under the fog with temperatures dropping to around 60. The fog
drifted back out by the time we got set up, and it was sunny and
very pleasant. We wore the same clothes we were wearing in We went down by the bay and checked out some of the shops on the Embarcadero, then came back to the trailer for dinner. We’re about four blocks from the bay. As the sun got down to a sharp angle at six, the fog drifted back in, and soon we were putting on long pants and sweatshirts. It’s just below 60 now at 8 p.m. Mikie has been having a good time riding his bike around the area (we’re right on the street, but there is virtually no traffic). He’s been getting acquainted with neighbors and everyone who comes by walking their dog. I had to call four different parks before I found one with a space available, and it is next to the dumpster. It’s not the most ideal spot, but we do get to meet everyone who brings their garbage by. We came
back home and had an early dinner, then headed up the highway about
two miles to After
our tour, we stopped at the ocean by Cambria
for a short time, then came back to It’s 7:30
and the temperature has dropped below 60. It was mostly sunny today,
and very pleasant, comfortable in shorts and T-shirts until dinner
time. July 27, 2005
: More driving, sight-seeing and beach play today, starting with a
trip up the coast to Ragged Point, which is at the southern end of
the Big Sur
country. We drove perhaps five miles into this region, which is the
most rugged area of the We
stopped at a vista point a few miles north of San Simeon where there
are usually elephant seals basking on the beach. We saw at least 20
of them. Then we visited Back
“home” in When going to the San Luis Obispo-Morro Bay area I have always gone through Paso Robles, where the state highway joins US 101. I had always assumed that State 41 and 46 were congruent all the way from Cholame to Paso Robles, but a careful look at the map on this trip revealed that 41 actually splits off at Shandon, and winds down to join US 101 at Atascadero. Coming
home, we followed 41 all the way from We
arrived home about 2 p.m., got the trailer unloaded and put in storage,
and Mikie handed over to his paternal grandparents. I was planning
to go to
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| Ragged Point | Elephant Seals (resting, not dead) | |
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| In San Luis Bay | Pier
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View from the road to Hearst Castle |
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| Hearst Castle | The Outdoor Pool | Towers, Main House |
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| Mikie biking in Morro Bay | On the pier at San Luis Bay | Meeting some other heat refugees from Fresno |
