Adventures of a Vagabond Volunteer: Visiti to Montana de Oro State Park

Thursday, April 16, 2020

Thursday was supposed to be a partly cloudy day, so I decided to do several hours of exploring. I planned to head directly to Montana de Oro State Park and check to see what parts I could access, then explore on the way back home. The day was shortened by early morning clouds and fog, so I got off to a very late start, around 8:00 A.M. I drove under a mix of clouds, sun, and fog/haze with a few stops to check out trails and Moro Bay State Park.The park was closed at the highway, and I didn't know how far I would have to walk to enjoy the beach, so I left it for another day.

I got to the Morro Bay area as the day was brightening, but with a lot of fog left. I threw away about thirty pictures of the first great view - a look across to Morro Rock, which is very colorful in the sun. But it disappeared into the mist in the early pictures. I finally got a better view of it as I was leaving the park in the early afternoon.

Morro Rock with the mist behaving better

I spent the first hour or so, climbing on the vegetated dunes, looking for wildflowers. I'd look around, then drive down the road and stop again at another pull off. I found a trail all the way down to the beach and took it down and back, with many stops for photographs.

This shrub was abundant and just coming into bloom

My hike was interspersed with lots of stops to take pictures of flowers and plants, birds, views, and a lizard.

Ice plant bud

This bold chipping sparrow let me take his picture from about twelve feet away

Another unknown

This shrub was already making fruit, kind of a cross between an apple and an acorn

I saw my first bumblebee of the season but couldn't f capture it. This is one mean looking fly.

This was the only one of this species I saw.

View of Spooner's cove from a pullout above it ....

...And from the parking lot

I never knew Nasturtiums could be invasive until I started exploring the central California coast

This could be poison hemlock - comment if you know

This was a plant that looked as though it should be in a landscaped yard

Beach morning glory

One of two adjacent un vegetated sand dunes

I didn't go any further on the road - but Cindy says I need to go back and explore further. I also found I can hike 2-6 miles along some fantastic volcanic rocks in the bay and view and listen to a sinkhole. It is only about an hour away, with no stops, so it will stay in my Bucket List.

I started back across the bay, stopping to take the bear dressed in PPE with a sign thanking essential workers for their service. I had to go past it to a turn off to another road to find a place to park. The road looked way to interesting and beautiful to not explore so I went down it for a few miles.