Lance Shields
Photography

On a long weekend in January 2024, my wife and I took off for a quick trip in Morro Bay. Part surfing, part eating out, part van camping, we spent a beautiful 3 days escaping the rain in the Bay Area. Our first day and night was spent in a part of SLO county not well known by most called Montana de Oro State Park, camping in the Islay Creek Campground, which offers nicely spaced primitive campsites. The highlight of our stay there was a glorious walk along a trail that follows the Montana de Oro cliffs with views of beautifully colored and textured rock formations, big waves, and birds gliding across the sunsetting sky.

The next morning was spent surfing Morro Strand Beach one of my favorite spots for its small crowds and fun waves. That day I caught my share of 3-5 ft rides, although it was closing out quite a lot. We then headed to our favorite breakfast spot in Cayucos, the ever-popular Hidden Kitchen. This gem is famous for its savory blue corn waffles and blue corn tacos. We ate our fill at an outdoor table while enjoying the sun and watching the waves breaking near the pier. We then drove up to Cambria and enjoyed a dog walk at Moonstone Beach on the boardwalk.

The second night we spent at Morro Strand Beach campground. Feeling like eating out we traveled into San Luis Obispo. We tried an Italian restaurant Giuseppe's Cucina Rustica, which was surprisingly delicious, had great service, and was very affordable compared to San Francisco. We promised ourselves to go back there again. We also enjoyed some cocktails at the uncrowded and classy High Bar. Again a great find and worth revisiting next time in SLO.

On the third day, we woke up and went to Morro Rock to check out the waves. It was breaking fast and clean at around 5-7 feet with loads of local central CA surfers out enjoying rides already at 9 am.  I suited up and took my 7 ft bonzer out to mingle in the "wolf pit", and while it was crowded, I managed to grab some fast lefts that made the trip down there worth it! We then went for lunch and sampled some locally caught seafood at the low-key and delicious Tognazzini's on the Morro Bay docks. We enjoyed some mellow tunes of a seasoned-looking fellow who played all the songs of my childhood. After filling our stomachs and feeling good after our relaxing stay, we did the 4-hour drive back home.