Archive for the 'Morro Bay' Category
A nifty hotel deal for 50-and-over crowd in Central California
November 4, 2009 5:57am
OK, so you’re still 12 years away from drawing Social Security and 15 years from getting Medicare. Aren’t there any perks for turning 50? Well yes, and we’re not talking about getting an invite in the mail to join AARP or receiving snarky birthday cards with over-the-hill jokes. The over-50 set can score reduced room rates and more this winter at five inns in San Luis Obispo County in Central California.
Deal: If you or someone in your party is 50 or older, you’re eligible for the “Nifty Fifty” special at five inns run by Boutique Hotel Collection: Apple Farm Inn in San Luis Obispo, the Cliffs Resort in Pismo Beach, Inn at Morro Bay in Morro Bay, Sycamore Mineral Springs Resort in Avila Beach and SeaVenture Resort in Pismo Beach.
The details of the deal differ from inn to inn. But generally, you’ll get discounts on your room, food and items from the gift shop. Room rates vary by location, and not all rooms may be included in the deal, which is subject to availability and other restrictions.
Higher fees at California state parks start today: Where to find details
August 17, 2009 5:34pm
Starting today, Aug. 17, it will cost you more to visit and camp at many California state parks. In some cases, the cost has doubled.
The increases stem from California’s budget crises, which has put the state billions of dollars in debt. “In these dire economic times, we can longer afford to keep our fees at their current levels,” State Parks Director Ruth Coleman said last week in announcing the fee hikes.
Officials waited until today to release a park-by-park rundown of the new fees for day use and camping. Among Southern California parks affected, with sample fees:
> Anza-Borrego Desert State Park: Parking went from $6 per day year-round to $5 to $8, depending on the season. Borrego Palm Canyon developed campsites with hookups were $24 to $29 per night, depending on season; now $35 year-round.
California coast trip, Day 5: unexpected rewards in Morro Bay, cranky elephant seals farther north
January 6, 2009 12:46pm
Sometimes the key to a great travel day is something you did the day before — making a reservation, say, or getting a tip from a local. In my case, the key to a great Day 5 was what I failed to do on Day 4.
If I’d bothered to check the weather for Morro Bay, I’d have seen an overnight low in the high 30s — and that alone might have banished the thought of a little hike at dawn. But I didn’t see the weather report, and I did get up early and hustled up to the top of Black Hill (661 feet above sea level and very close to my hotel).
The reward didn’t come easily. I got to the top all right, but the sun and clouds played peekaboo for a good half-hour before spilling light over the rippling green hills, the long spit of seaside dunes, the coastal mountains to the north (Santa Lucia?), and finally Morro Rock itself, which rises 578 feet from the sea. That was a nice moment, which I savored with my hat on snug and fingers stuffed into my pockets.
And about the sea. If I’d read that weather report, it would have prepared me for an afternoon high of about 58, with light rain. That’s not the sort of news that prompts most people to say, “Hey, let’s go sit in kayaks and let the wind come screaming at us across the frigid water!” Read the rest of this entry »
California coast trip, Day 4: Battle with an Oxnard surrey, inspiration at El Capitan beach
January 6, 2009 6:00am
A day of change and strange little surprises. First, Mary Frances, Grace and I hopped on a surrey at the resort in Oxnard, aiming to roll carelessly north and south, as we did on bikes in Hermosa Beach. The beach around the Mandalay Bay resort is vast and wide, with low dunes and a stiff wind kicking up great feathery sprays atop the breakers. The riding path ran parallel to the beach.
But the surrey (and no, there wasn’t a fringe on top) is a strange contraption. And this one didn’t seem to like us. Even with the wind at our back (and the winds were big again today), it was a battle for two grown persons (and one 4-year-old passenger) to build up any momentum at all. And because the thing is so bulky and wide, turning is like performing a pirouette in a dump truck. I’ll never complain about a chance to meander alongside so much wide-open beach, but I do suspect that the surrey was actually created as a medieval torture device. Read the rest of this entry »
12 books of Christmas: ‘Route 66 Backroads’
December 21, 2008 6:00am
Whenever I crank up my 1912 Columbia Grafonola, my mother asks why I’d want to play that old windup phonograph when digital music is so much clearer. She’s right, but there’s just something authentic about hearing it on the original.
It’s the same principle with Route 66.
Sure, the interstate will get you there faster, but driving the Mother Road gets you closer to history. If you know someone who’s enchanted with the double six, “Route 66 Backroads,” by Jim Hinckley with photos by Kerrick James, Rick Bowers and Nora Mays Bowers, may be just the ticket (Voyageur Press, $24.99).
Monarch butterfly reserves in Mexico and California
July 10, 2008 11:43am
The Monarch butterflies’ beautiful setting-sun-like orange and black hues make them some of the best-recognized insects. One of the best places to see them in full flutter is at Mexico’s Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve.
The site, officially known as El Santuario de la Mariposa Monarca (Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary), was just added to the UNESCO World Heritage List. But there are also several California homes for the monarchs. See below for more information. Note that the best time to see these butterflies on North America’s West Coast is in the fall and winter.
Big Sur Basin Complex fire update from evacuated Ventana Inn resident
July 7, 2008 9:41am
Laura Elliott has been living in Big Sur, at the Ventana Inn & Spa, since January of this year. She’s also been blogging and taking lots of Big Sur and Basin Complex fire photos, some of which are excerpted below from her most recent updates posted here.
Laura has evacuated but e-mails that she may be allowed to return to Big Sur and the Ventana Inn as early as this coming week. Stay tuned for more on-the-ground updates from Laura; check the Ventana Inn website for official opening and closing updates.
[Ventana Inn, Big Sur]
[Big deer at the Cottage, outside the Ventana Inn & Spa]
