Cliffside Hikes, Beach Picnics, and A Visit From The Quail Next Door In Montaña de Oro State Park

After spending all day wandering around Morro Bay, we have little time to travel to a campsite before dark. Fortunately, Montaña de Oro State Park is only six miles south of Morro Bay. We experience such a small fraction of the park. But what we manage to see is fantastic. As the sun sets, we find a campsite, but we don’t stay there for long…

A Note About Last Night

Last night was a matter of heated debate. When the scratching and scrabbling sounds began, I perked up my ears immediately. I knew that sound: mouse.

This certainly wasn’t the first time that a mouse had invaded our adventuremobile. Followers of the blog will remember our unwelcome guest in the redwoods two years ago.

So, I was ready and gearing up to start emptying out the camper and evicting our stowaway in the middle of the night. But Cowboy shook his head. “It’s the tree branches,” he insisted.

There
Was
No
Way

I know the sound of tree branches. I know the sound of mice. This was one and not the other. It was that furious, soft scratching followed by a pause, typified by small rodents burrowing. And, frankly, the last time we had this debate, I was right. I have the pictures to prove it.

This time, I was not right.

When I came outside to humor Cowboy’s theory, there the delicate tips of the branches were, gently dancing against the aluminum surface of the camper. Inside the echo chamber that is our Avion, the sound could have come from anywhere, but standing outside and watching the tree bend in the breeze it was clear: we needed to find a new camping site!

A Morning Vistor

While our evening may have been much ado about nothing, we did have visitors in the morning. A cacophony of California quail swarmed the site. The California quale is the state bird.

We are struck by the bright coloring of the males. The females are well camouflaged but the males sport a striking blue plumage.

One notable downside is the lack of cell service. This is normally a no-go for us. But as it is only one night and we are not up to working as it is. So, we manage.