Natalie has come up with the brilliant idea of A Walk About Town, a weekly feature hosted at Coffee and a Book Chick. Anyone can participate…just write about a spot in your town, or a spot you’ve visited.
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Last weekend Hamburger and I went for a walk through El Chorro Regional Park, which is located along Highway 1, halfway between our little town of Morro Bay and the larger county seat, San Luis Obispo. The land has an interesting history. Back in the day, like a lot of land in these parts, it was used for dairy ranching. In the 1940s the land was purchased by the federal government to add to Camp San Luis Obispo, which is the original home of the California National Guard. And then in the 1970s, some of the land was deeded to the County of San Luis Obispo as part of Nixon’s “Legacy of Parks” program to create El Chorro Regional Park. This history explains why there are fenced off areas with signs stating “No Trespassing – Unexploded Munitions” posted along the trails.
For our walk, we stuck to the old road that heads back into the hills. It had rained the day before, and we didn’t want Hamburger to slip on any muddy trails. The last thing he needs is to re-break any of his still healing bones!
The road was peaceful (babbling brook, chirping birds), but a bit boring (for Hamburger…I actually like old country roads that go nowhere). But we did come across a partially collapsed bridge:
I also liked this twisty oak:
This is actually what a lot of the county is looking like right now…dry hills and oak trees. We need more rain, and then I can show you why these hills are called the Irish Hills.
You are showing quite a bit of green in these photos. We are brown. All brown right now. Too windy and dried out and 85 degrees is not helping.
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I may have put a little bit of boost on the photo.
It reminds me of Wuthering Heights. All we need is Amanda in front brooding!
I WILL do this one day. Fort Worth has some really cool areas–I’m just too lazy to drive the 45 minutes.
I have to drive to get anywhere, so I’m used to it. Unfortunately.
That old oak is fabulous!
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We’ve got oodles of oaks around here!
The root system of that tree is quite something, and I also love that first photograph as well. I wish there were more untamed and green parts in my city. You can bet if there were, I would be out there exploring them with my camera too!
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Lots of open space around here…our county is known for its “natural beauty.”
That oak is awesome although so is the bridge. Those are the kinds of places I like to walk – where you might find things like old buildings or collapsed bridges.
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The bridge was a total surprise!
Love that oak … it is kind of spooky looking though!
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We’ve got pygmy oaks, too. Someday I’ll have to feature the Elfin Forest.
What a relaxing walk. Beautiful countryside!
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That twisty-oak is gnarly! Twisty Oak… I like that sound of that; what does it remind me of? A band name?
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OOH I love the twisty Oak! I am a big fan of trees!
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The twisty oak is great, and man, oh man, that history is just itching to have a story told, I just know it! Collapsed bridges, creepy and pretty oak trees, I’m all for it. I just finished reading Baker Towers by Jennifer Haigh (loved it!), and am really into stories from the 1940s right now, fictional and non.
Thanks for participating in A Walk About Town!
Natalie ~ the Coffee and a Book Chick´s last [type] ..Baker Towers, by Jennifer Haigh
You have great places in your town!
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