July 18, 2013
Wanting a shower, we headed over to the main Morro Bay State Park camping area to use their facilities (this access is included with a stay at the Strand). While Andy went for a pre-shower run, I strolled around to see what was new. It's weird to think of my life in decades, but I've been coming to this spot for close to 4 decades. The very first time, I remember coming home from Morro Bay and not understanding why we were returning to our old house after vacation. I thought we had moved!
Despite all the financial difficulties the CA State Parks have faced in the last many years, I've been impressed with the improvements they've managed to implement here. The housing for employees is very nice, with one growing native plants in the backyard for what I assume will be park landscaping. I sometimes fantasize working at a state or national park with housing provided in the actual park would be awesome, but then you've got to be careful what you ask for. Like health insurance for many out there, if you lose your job, you end up loosing way more than a paycheck. Maybe when we retire, we'll try the whole camp host thing. The groomed trails around Black Hill didn't exist when I was a kid; there used to be only an exercise loop with stations and a painted pole-style frisbee golf course. There's also a new boardwalk along the estuary. It's artistically laid out, zigzagging through the muddy parts, but it'll mean no more looking for native horn snails for me. I have mixed feelings about that. On one hand I know things need to be protected, fenced, signed, etc., but it comes at the cost of us humans not allowed to get in touch with nature. In the act of saving, it's also distancing from raw human experience, which is ironic. Hey, lady, put that shell down and step away!
And, finally, I included the eucalyptus tree above, because I wanted to ask my nature-loving blog readers... have any of you ever heard of hummingbirds clustering in 1 or 2 trees? I could not believe the loud chatter coming from this tree, and I figured there had to be several dozen hummingbirds, if not a hundred. It was really wild.
And, finally, I included the eucalyptus tree above, because I wanted to ask my nature-loving blog readers... have any of you ever heard of hummingbirds clustering in 1 or 2 trees? I could not believe the loud chatter coming from this tree, and I figured there had to be several dozen hummingbirds, if not a hundred. It was really wild.
