{"id":4202,"date":"2023-05-24T20:23:54","date_gmt":"2023-05-25T00:23:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.tubridy.net\/newblog\/?p=4202"},"modified":"2023-06-10T09:18:34","modified_gmt":"2023-06-10T13:18:34","slug":"seven-sisters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.tubridy.net\/newblog\/excellent\/seven-sisters\/","title":{"rendered":"Seven Sisters"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Driving around the area I was stunned at how beautiful it was. Something came back to me about Rome being built on seven hills. Sure enough, so were San Luis Obispo and Morrow Bay! I remember taking a hang gliding session while I was going to school. I was friends with an older student from New Jersey. I wish I could remember his name! Anyway, he and I experienced hang gliding on the side of one of these sisters. It was a rush!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

SLO Town<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Like every other place I have lived, I hardly remembered SLO town at first – except for the street names. Madonna, Higuera, Monterey – all very California names! The area I lived in seemed a bit familiar but that was about it. It still had a good feel about it – no high-rise office buildings or fucking outlet malls on the outskirts of town. Lots and lots of traffic though!<\/p>\n\n\n

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McLintock’s Saloon – cheap beer and eats for a starving college student!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

McLintock’s Salon was still there. I vividly remember going down on Friday night for 25-cent sandwiches and 50-cent beers while listening to Fleetwood Mac Rumours<\/em> \ud83e\udd29 for the millionth time!<\/p>\n\n\n

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Student Project<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Cal Poly had a reputation among the other Cali Universities of being a ‘safer’ place to send your kids\u2014no alcohol on campus, stricter dorm rules, etc. When I went there there was no liberal arts program (there is now!). It started as an agricultural school and had many degrees around that including Home Economics. At that time this was a field dominated by teenage girls and had the reputation of being a fluff degree while they were working on the actual degree – an MRS! These girls were affectionately known as Poly Dollies!<\/p>\n\n\n

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Downtown San Luis Obispo on Higuera – the main drag where all the pretty Poly Dollies hung out!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

One of my roommates went on to marry one of them. She eventually became the chief dietician for the state of California! No fluff there!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Morro Bay<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In all my travels I have rarely seen something as striking as Morro Bay and Morrow Rock. The last of the Seven Sisters, at the end of the large bay, is a stunning sight \ud83e\udd29.<\/p>\n\n\n

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View of Morrow Bay from Monta\u00f1a de Oro State Park<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Between my junior and senior years at college, I finally made some money working as a roustabout for Union Oil. I bought two cameras, a Canon SLR and a used Nikonos II underwater camera. The first picture (with my own camera) I ever took was on a dive in Morro Bay. The camera had a flash gun that used disposable bulbs. You carried a sack of them and changed the bulb after every shot. Can you even imagine? Anyway, I actually got a few great shots including this one.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Diving in Morrow Bay<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

I also dove several times off the rocks on the ocean side. Talk about a harrowing experience! You would wait for a lull in the wave action, jump in, and swim like hell. Getting out of the water was even trickier, as you can imagine!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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No diving this time! We had an enjoyable walk around the park hoping for the fog to lift!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Elephant Seals & Ragged Coasts<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We were hoping to spend a day driving the Pacific Coast Highway. This famous stretch of road goes from Morrow Bay to Monterey Bay and is by far the most spectacular drive along the coast I’ve ever driven. Unfortunately, due to the heavy rains in Cali last winter, the road was closed just past Rgged Point.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Highway 1 was damaged by Winter storms<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

We drove up as far as we could stopping along the way to view the amazing Elephant Seal rookery. In several spots along this part of the coast, Elephant Seals come short to mate, give birth, and molt during different times of the year. This was the molting season. At the peak, it is estimated that over 18,000 individuals will occupy this stretch of the coast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Adult males may grow to over 13 feet in length and weigh up to 4,500 pounds. Watching them move in an undulating fashion was a sight to behold – they can go pretty fast if they have to. <\/p>\n\n\n\n