I enjoy taking Highway 46 from Highway 1 near Harmony….south of San Simeon and Hearst Castle to highway 101 in Paso Robles. The views can be spectacular. There is a vista point along the highway heading east that affords a spectacular look back toward Morro Rock and the Morro Bay area, weather cooperating.

About a year ago I was driving my mother from her home in Los Osos, CA to Bakersfield, CA. I normally catch Highway 101 in San Luis Obispo and head back to Paso Robles and then on to Bakersfield. Mom prefers “her’ route! Mom has the route timed and the stops carefully designated to accommodate her “needs”. That means we drive her route and on her timetable! That is unfortunate for me! I almost always travel with a camera or two or three! On this trip I had just two. As we began the climb up and over the Coastal Range toward Paso Robles I caught an amazingly clear view of the Morro Rock and the Bay. It was early morning within the golden hour after sunrise. It was  absolutely amazing. I pulled of into the turnout and was prepared to snap a few shots. Again, unfortunately, I was not in charge and this was a disruption to her timetable. I “snapped” as many visual mental images as I could with out stopping. The images were and are still held in my memory . The problem is – I haven’t figured out how to hook a USB cable to my brain and download the images. You will just have to trust me that they would have been awesome through the camera lens.

I have driven this route four or five times since that trip but the fog, the sun or the clouds precluded a photo shoot. In early November this year I got a chance. The Morro Rock view was nice but still not close to the image I have stored in my itty bitty brain. I was pleased with the morning light on the fall colored vineyards just outside of Paso Robles. Click on an image to scroll through the gallery.

I am going to keep trying to get the shot!

TTFN

Bishop