Thursday, March 21 San Luis Obispo, California
The full moon rose at the Carrizo Plain but I
never saw it. Too many storm clouds
gathering and rain shortly thereafter.
The winds rocked the van as I tried to sleep. Nevertheless, yesterday morning dawned
relatively clear and dry. But I knew
more rain was imminent so made the decision to head for indoor accommodations. That being said, I took my sweet time packing
up. I took a short walk near the
campground, winding through open tracts of low grasses and chaparral. There were the usual abundance of goldfields
and fiddlenecks, but also some nice poppy stands. Here and there a jackrabbit would dart from
the brush.
Once I left the campground, I headed north
through intermittent rain, stopping when I could to photograph the dramatic
landscape. This included a hillside full
of blooming baby blue eyes near Soda Lake, the most I have ever seen in one
place. When I reached Highway 58, I
elected to drive east for several miles to catch the colors in the Temblor
Range. I was not disappointed. The hills were luminescent with yellows and
oranges. I spent a good deal of time
taking pictures before turning around and heading west on 58 toward Santa
Margarita and the coast. Classic
California inner coastal terrain along the way.
Big valley oaks and gray pines.
Splotches of wildflowers everywhere.
I played Dark Star by the Grateful Dead as I wound around the green
hills and valleys.
In the end, I decided to head to San Luis
Obispo as I had not been in that town for over 40 years. Found a decent motel and took a drive out to
Morro Bay where I could see the Pacific Coast once again. Since then I have been catching up on mail
and on writing. This morning I plan on
checking out the nearby Spanish Mission.
Yet I look forward to the last big destination
on this journey. My stay at Pinnacles
National Park. Then the long and daunting drive homeward.
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