Morro Bay announces itself with a rock. Morro Rock, a smooth, rounded volcanic plug 175 metres high, stands at the mouth of the harbour, guarding the entrance like a stone sentinel. It is the westernmost of a chain of ancient volcanic peaks called the Nine Sisters that march inland toward San Luis Obispo, and Spanish explorers used it as a landmark from the sixteenth century, naming it El Morro, the crown. Peregrine falcons nest on its face, so climbing is banned, but you can walk the sand spit to its base, and the beach is a pleasant place to watch surfers and sea otters.
The town sits along the waterfront, a small fishing port of about ten thousand people, whose Embarcadero is lined with seafood shacks, gift shops and kayak rentals. The three tall stacks of an old power plant dominate the skyline, an industrial relic that locals have complicated feelings about. The bay itself is a large estuary, one of the most important wetlands on the California coast, and it is full of herons, egrets and migrating shorebirds. Otters float in the shallows, often on their backs, cracking shellfish on their chests. Grab a bowl of clam chowder or fish and chips and eat it on the pier with the gulls looking on.
For riders, Morro Bay is a southern gateway to the Pacific Coast Highway. North of town, Highway 1 runs through Cayucos, then climbs along cliffs and open ranchland to Cambria and San Simeon, where Hearst Castle perches on a hill above the road. A few kilometres past, at Piedras Blancas, hundreds of elephant seals haul out on the beach, and there is a viewing area right beside the highway. Further north the road approaches Big Sur, with the mountains crowding closer to the sea.
The key factor here is the weather. In summer, the marine layer, a bank of cool fog, often sits on the coast until late morning, making it grey and chilly, while inland is hot. Layers are essential. Fuel is easy in Morro Bay, but supplies are thinner on the long stretch north, so fill up before you go. Highway 1 is also vulnerable to landslides in winter and spring, and sections have been closed for months, so check the Caltrans road conditions before you leave.