47.01 Montana de Oro: Oats Peak, a long and winding road through 'smoke and mirrors'.
We pass Valencia on the way to an oats breakfast on Oats Peak. Where there's fire, there's smoke, a different way of expressing the types of clouds covering the sky recently. Last Sunday, we hiked in San Diego County, the local favorite being Mount Woodson. When we commenced, the temperature was in the nineties, the time was a little past 6:30am. On our return, the gauge read 106 degrees. I doubt whether it was cooler at the peak—it sure didn't feel it. We arrived on Tuesday in Morro Bay, California to commence Hike-About 47, en route to see our grandson, further north. It's not surprising we find the town special—temperature in the afternoon, 65 degrees. When we awoke, light was missing. Strange. Low clouds from natural causes and fire issues. We headed for Montana de Oro and realized we'd have a strenuous hike of close to 11 miles but would see very little beauty from the trails as the thick clouds and mist blocked visibility. It felt eerie which was bro...