Eats, Writes, and Leaves

So this cute little article in the San Francisco Chronicle Sunday Travel section extols the virtues of Morro Bay as a nature lover’s paradise:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/10/09/TRIG19SNA7.DTL&type=travel

Yup, those birds sure do look pretty. And all that stunning slate-blue water, those peaky…er…peaks, the rolling surf–all 100% part of the Morro Bay landscape.

But take a close look at this picture. Something is missing. It’s missing from the south-facing beach shot in the Chron article too.

What is it?

Here it is!

Welcome to the northern end of the beach at Morro Bay. Most every press and promo photo you’ll ever see of this bay carefully avoids these three slender megaliths.

Oh that pesky human peripheral vision! It does such a number on beach lovers at Morro Bay.

The stacks cast a certain pall at Morro Bay. Their absence in all the pretty pictures is a trick photographers can pull off, but in real life, the smokestacks loom over the beach and its surrounding town, wrecking many in-person views and creating an industrial feel in what wants to be a resort town.

Oddly, the article mentions but does not trumpet the true good news about Morro Bay. Prices. Because many Californians prefer less gratuitous signs of pollution on their beach vacation, the motel rooms along Morro war for guests. And with the state park sitting right there, camping can be a viable alternative. Restaurants offer cheap seafood, and the attractions run to hiking, birding, and strategic beach towel positioning to avoid the northerly sights.