Montana de Oro

MONTANA DE ORO STATE PARK IN LOS OSOS, CALIFORNIA

Though few people actually know it exists, no trip to the Central Coast of California would be complete without a visit to Montana de Oro.

WHY HAVEN’T YOU HEARD OF MONTANA DE ORO?

This is a question I ask a lot.  Sure, I love Moonstone Beach and it’s just around the corner from Hearst Castle, but Montana de Oro is only about an hour away.  So, why aren’t the tour buses going there?  In many ways, Montana de Oro is much more spectacular.  It doesn’t have the B&B’s or restaurants, but that’s part of what makes it so marvelous.

I think California is trying to hide it from the rest of the world.  Google Montana de Oro and check out the California State Parks Website.  You get a picture of a few people on horseback.  If I was trying to decide if the park was somewhere I wanted to visit, the page wouldn’t get me there.  With a little persistence I found a brochure on the site which made the place a little more desirable, but nothing they show or tell you says, “HELLO! THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL SPOTS ON EARTH!”

So I’m telling you – THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL SPOTS ON EARTH!

EXCUSE THE BORROWED PHOTOGRAPH

I have gorgeous pictures of Montana de Oro, but they are all pre-digital and they are all packed away.  Please go Wikipedia and enjoy the rest of what they have to say about this gorgeous stretch of the California Central Coast.  I’ll leave the history of the park to them and just tell you about my love affair with Montana de Oro.

HOW WE GOT THERE

The way in which we decided we wanted to live in San Luis Obispo County is a very long story that includes a visit to the Red Lobster at LBJ and Greenville Avenue in Dallas.  On our maiden trip to the Central Coast we somehow hooked up with a Morro Bay real estate agent who I can’t even find on the internet now.  They took us to see a couple of available houses out in Los Osos and then said we should see Montana de Oro.  They loved the park so much, they actually drove us out there themselves.

That trip to the Central Coast was actually just an exploratory visit, but once Bill saw Montana de Oro, the exploration was over.  We started looking, in earnest, for a lot to build on.  We found the lot and made the offer on our way out of town.  We set a moving date without even having a place to live.

Back in Dallas, with an accepted offer in hand, we needed a place to live while the house was being built.  It was a no-brainer.  Since we didn’t buy the lot in Cabrillo Estates, we decided we’d enjoy living there while the house was built.  We rented a house sight unseen.

I very vividly remember walking into that rental house.  We unlocked the front door and the view was so gorgeous my knees almost buckled.  I sat down on a step into the den in utter amazement.  You could see all the way from Montana de Oro to the Morro Rock.  My amazement continued for the next three years.  Yes, I said three years.  That’s how long it took us to build that house in Pismo Beach.

As astounding as my first sight of that view was, it was only the beginning.  Imagine the same view with about fifteen deer grazing in the backyard or with a family of quail strutting from one side of the yard to the other. I can sincerely say that living with that view is one of my favorite things about my life so far – even if it was in California.

DAILY VISITS?

We didn’t actually make daily visits to Montana de Oro while we lived in Los Osos, but we were there a lot.  We’d pass the entrance sign and roll down the windows to smell the eucalyptus trees.  Seems as if there was some good reason they’d transplanted the trees to the area, but I’ve forgotten it.  I just know they smelled great.

We’d drive directly to Spooner’s Cove for the picturesque view.  Then we’d walk around the Bluff Trail and let the awe roll in with the crashing waves.

Montana de Oro is pretty well known with Californians who hike and ride horses, but other than that, it’s truly a hidden gem.  I never hiked to the peak or rode a horse there, but it’s still one of my favorite places on earth and maybe I’m glad that no one really knows about it – that is except for you and me.

From Montana de Oro we drove into San Luis Obispo to have lunch with some friends at one of our favorite eateries.  Come back next week and I’ll tell you about The Upper Crust Trattoria.