United States is an amazing place for a road trip. Where else can you find such a stunning diversity of landscapes and nature, and endless miles of magnificent roads. Our bucket list has has USA right at the top for many years. Now our 14 day California Road Trip had become a reality.
Our plan was to pick up a hire car at LAX and to drive up Highway 1, aka Pacific Coast Highway. This would take us through Morro Bay to San Fransisco. Then we would drive back to Los Angeles taking the inland route along the Sierra Nevada Mountains.
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Our road trip plan was simple. All our accommodation was pre-booked about 2 months in advance to secure some great discounts. We used our old favourite booking.com to find some great deals, mixed with some AirBnB experiences. We did not plan our itinerary at all on this trip, apart from accommodation. In fact we did very little research prior to the trip.
Our plan was to ‘make it up as we go’ from each of our pre-booked stopover destinations. Driving North from Los Angeles our first stop was Santa Barbara, where we visited the marvellous marine sanctuary of the Channel Islands. Our second stop was Morro Bay, a picturesque coastal village just North of Santa Barbara.
Tip: You can read about our stopover in Santa Barbara HERE.
What’s There to See at Morro Bay?
Our stay was brief in Morro Bay. We only booked one night at the lovely Harbour House Inn. We wanted to see as much as we could in the short time we were at Morro Bay. It was after all our shortest stopover for the entire road trip.
After a day of whale watching in Santa Barbara we drove north along Highway 1 and arrived in Morro Bay about one hour before sunset. We drove straight to our accommodation, the Harbour House Inn and checked in.
I asked the receptionist where to find the best place to watch the sunset in Morro Bay. She explained that most people at the Inn just sit on their balcony to watch the sunset for uninterrupted views, however since our room was on the ground floor this wasn’t an option. The hotel receptionist told us the best option was to head to Morro Rock for sunset.
Tip: You can read about our Santa Barbara Whale Watching adventure HERE.
Morro Rock
Morro rock is the solidified core of magma from an ancient volcano. It’s a very impressive sight, standing 581 feet tall and visible for miles around. It is in fact one of a chain of 13 similar volcanic plugs along this part of the coastline. It’s a great place to bring your binoculars or telephoto lens, as the rock is home to many sea birds nesting and doing birdy things.
We arrived at Morro Rock about half an hour before sunset, to find a spacious unpaved car park flanked by an estuary on one side and a lovely surf beach on the other. The magnificent Morro Rock was in the middle. As soon as we pulled up next to the estuary waters we saw a bunch of Sea Lions playing, only 20 metres from the edge of the car park.
We have not seen many Sea Lions in the wild before, which made these fun-loving fellows mesmerising. After watching these guys for a while, we moved the car to the other side of this gigantic car park, near the surf beach and Morro Rock. This, we decided, is the best place to watch the sunset in Morro Bay.
Surf Beach
The Morro Rock car park, we discovered, appears to be a kind of Mecca for surfers. The nearby surf beach was a party zone for a large number of surfers enjoying the sunset on a moderate swell. It is a magnificent beach too, with dozens of holiday makers enjoying the expansive beach.
The conditions were idyllic, the backdrop stunning. It kind of makes me wish I was a surfer, it’s an awesome way to experience the coast. A sunset surf on an idyllic Californian beach – I’m not sure if it gets much better than that.
Sunset at the rock
Time to put on the photographers hat and get some stunning sunset photographs. We had never seen the sun set over the Pacific Ocean! Us Aussies tend to see Pacific Ocean sunrises or Indian Ocean sunsets, so this was a special sunset for us.
It’s little moments like this that make holidays so memorable, all those new experiences. The sunset was glorious, deep orange with the magnificent Morro Rock in the foreground. Flocks of sea birds flying to and from Morro Rock added some great perspective to the photos.
Where to eat
A lot of the surf safari guys were coming in from the surf and having their dinner right there in the car park, in the back of their cars. Great idea, this is a good way to save on expensive restaurants. However we were in the market for a nice take-away meal. We followed the coastline south for about one mile from Morro Rock and found several popular restaurants dotted along the shore-line.
We went for a take-away fish and chip shop, that’s what we like to do visiting coastal towns. I guess our expectation is that the fish may be the catch of the day from the local fishing boats. Sadly, a frozen fish meal was the end result. Oh well worth a try.
Where to Stay
Because we booked our accommodation on booking.com, we had already read several reviews and knew what to expect here. The Harbour House Inn was rated very highly at 8.1. The way we use booking.com to find our perfect accommodation is:
- Look for heavily discounted places
- Look for a high user review score
- Read a bunch of user reviews to see if it suits our needs
We are rarely disappointed by following this trusted formula, and always secure some great discounted accommodation. The Harbour House Inn was no exception, it was a gem. It’s set back a little way from the main tourist strip which may account for the cheaper than normal rate. However the rooms were huge and well equipped, and we had parking right next to our front door which was super handy.
After a long day of touring the Southern California coastline, the super-comfortable Harbour House Inn was blissful and we had a wonderful overnight rest.
The Board Walk
Next morning after our complimentary breakfast we just had one or two hours to look around Morro Bay before leaving. First stop was a stroll along the harbour boardwalk part of town. This part of town has numerous cafes and eateries spread along the boardwalk.
As you stroll along here you’re rewarded with great views of the estuary and marina area, of Morro Rock, and of some local wildlife. We even spotted a floating platform a hundred or so metres out from the boardwalk full of barking Sea Lions.
Once again we were mesmerised by these playful creatures. Seeing the wildlife of Southern California was fast becoming the highlight of our road trip.
Activities
Down at the harbour boardwalk there were a lot of different water-based activities. We saw lots of people hiring kayaks, stand up paddle boards, and other self-propelled craft. As a matter of fact there are several places where you can hire these craft along the boardwalk.
On the day we visited it was a very calm, safe and sheltered waterway. Under those conditions it’s perfect for taking the kids out on a paddling adventure, where you can paddle right out to the Seal Lions out in the middle of the estuary.
We overhead the kayak hire guide giving one of his client directions to find Sea Otters. He was instructing his clients “just paddle over to those rocks, and you will usually see a couple of Sea Otters in the water”. I closely followed the line of where his finger was pointing.
Soon after we left the board walk area and drove to where the guide’s finger was pointing. We desperately wanted to see some Morro Bay Sea Otters before we left town.
Sea Otters
Next we stopped near a boat ramp along a rocky fore-shore, about a half mile around from the harbour boardwalk. I was sure that’s where the guide was pointing, so we excitedly scrambled out onto the rocks looking for wild Sea Otters. There were none there, but we did see some squirrels scrambling over the rocks.
Off in the distance, about a quarter-mile around the rocky shore, we thought we saw some splashing in the water. Whilst my wife and son followed the paved footpath to the new location, I went back and relocated the car.
We headed to the same spot as the previous night, the Sea Lion spot. What we found were 2 groups of Sea Otters, floating on their backs resting and playing with each other, tossing and turning in the water. In the foreground there were still more squirrels scrambling around the rocks.
Never in our wildest dreams did we imagine we would see wild Sea Otters on our road trip! The otters were only 30 or 40 metres off shore so they were very easy to see and were a lot of fun. But the road trip must go on, so time to look for the next adventure.
Up The Road
We had a really enjoyable and relaxing time in Morro Bay. The town has a really relaxed vibe about it, and makes you really feel like you’re on holidays. We were pleasantly surprised by Morro Bay, which has so much to offer visitors.
Morro Rock itself is an iconic landmark and also worth seeing, especially because you can drive/walk right up to it. Note that climbing Morro Rock is not permitted.
We definitely recommend an overnight stop in Morro Bay, there is plenty to see and do! We ran out of time to visit the scenic Coastal Parks with their miles of walking trails, I hear they have some of the best walks in the area.
If walking trails or hiking is your thing, then perhaps you should stay 2 or 3 nights. As for us, it’s good bye to Morro Bay and onto our next stops, elephant seals and the magnificent Hearst Castle.
And here’s a short video of the Morro Bay Sea Otters, enjoy!
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