THE MOUNTAIN OF GOLD

THE MAGNIFICENT BLUFF TRAIL

AT MONTNA D' ORO

 Every visit to Montana D' Oro State Park

is a gift.  Its pristine Bluff Trail is spectacular

and some of the most beautiful coast line

in California.

 Today's post is shot so that you can get a 

sense of the views as you walk the trail.

 Stunning geological formations and

secluded beaches and coves abound.

 In the frame below is a unique view of the famed 

Morro Rock, seen in the context of the Santa Lucia Range

and the Bay.

 Hikers can depart the Bluff Trail and climb up toward

the highlands.

 The art of nature is very evident on the trail.

 The non Pacific views are also stunning.

 The drive into and out of park takes you through

a beautiful stand of old eucalyptus trees.

When on the Central Coast you should allow time

for a visit to the "Mountain of Gold."  

There are times in the spring and summer when the 

poppies and other yellow blooms earn the 

name.  Magnificent in any season.

See you down the trail.

LOOKING INTO THE PAST

NAVIGATING THE SHOALS OF

LOCAL GOVERNMENT

The task seemed simple.  Determine what, if any, 

easements may cross our property. There is no

record of any in our deed and real estate papers, but 

we wanted to be certain.  Off to San Luis Obipso and to the County Recorder.

Nothing in their records of our property, but, we were told, the Assessor might have a record the Recorder does not.

Up to the Assessors Office.  Nope, nothing filed there

but to be sure, we were advised, we should check

with Planning and Public Works. Off we go, over to the old Court House building.  Well, we get a new copy of

our property line, a record of the most recent survey

and explanation of the survey makers and again

no record of easements.  But to be sure we should

go to the County Recorder.  We started there, we tell him.

Well, he says, you can do a search of past property deeds and titles.

Back to the Recorder's Office and we are set up with a computer and given help in doing a search of all of the 

past property ownership chain and transfers. We examine

if any of those deeds contained easements.

Well, we learned the name of our part of the ridge, at 

least the name dating back to the 1920's.  We followed

ownership back about 3 clicks and found no easements.

Just to be real sure we check with our Cambria community

service district (they handle water and roads) and

no record there either.  A half a day of pursuit and

not one person was anything but helpful, courteous,

and friendly.  The young lady in the County Recorders office, with whom we dealt twice, was especially helpful.

And it was very kind of the CCSD office to call us

with additional guidance.

It was fascinating to see the records of our property

from 4 agency views, each with their own facet of the prism.

Interesting also to note how real estate records,

transactions, maps and all have evolved. The

keeping of those records is still transitioning from old books

to computer files.

I've covered government from the Federal to local level and have always thought that government that is best is

that closest to home.  Our little foray today validated 

that for us. Thanks to those who helped us. 

See you down the trail.

AN EVENING IN HARMONY

A SUNSET KNIGHT

 Harmony Cellars perches atop a gentle hill over looking Harmony, just a few miles down the Pacific Coast Highway from Cambria.

 On this evening one of our favorite singer songwriters

was singing in the sundown.

 Jill has a lot of friends and fans.  The setting was

perfect for an impromptu cocktail picnic.

 Rocky Butte and Black Mountain sit off on the horizon

 with Harmony Cellars Zinfandel closer at hand.

 Jill's beautiful vocal stylings painted the mood.

 The Harmony hill top added its romance

 A piece of rainbow appeared

 and the setting sun added that golden light

 A sunset concert leads to a mellow

California night.

See you down the trail.

THE WEEKENDER :) LIGHT

AN EXTRAORDINARILY BRIGHT IDEA

This is a powerful idea.  As we struggle 

with all the problems of energy, sustainability,

poverty and economics, here is a 

concept that represents both hope and

imagination.  It demonstrates that human

creativity and resourcefulness are powerful

tools.  Thanks to Beverly for sending 

this video.

Have a good weekend.

See you down the trail.

THE CABLE & THE ROCK WITH ICING

SERVICE WITH A SMILE
You've read earlier laments about an
interruption in phone or computer service.
Interruption is truly disruption of 
the flow of a day.  We've had frequent
Charter outages over the last couple of weeks.
The quality of assistance of the voice at the other end of
my cell phone has ranged from belligerent and nearly hostile to truly compassionate, helpful and friendly.
Generally the tech or service assistant has 
been pretty good.  It is more helpful when the other 
person is in the US.  I'm not a xenophobe, but over the
years I've learned more good things happen when 
the service rep is in the states. Speaking to a 
fellow citizen does not guarantee better service,
but the odds are better and I can understand what they say.  During our last outage-this afternoon-the young male rep was very helpful, apologetic and explained the problem
was with a "node" in the office and he was surprised
by how frequently the problem has occurred.
He was a pro. 
 Companies make mistakes
when they don't train and insist that service and 
sales representatives put the customer first.
We may not always be right, but it doesn't hurt to 
train the staff to at least make us feel that way.
One of the absolute best at doing this is
 IN AND OUT Burgers. There you get quality 
service with a smile.  Today's Charter
rep also gets a star. It is our money we pay,
for service we expect, and when things go awry
it helps if the "help we call" seems to 
understand that equation.


A ROCK WITH TOPPING
Morro Rock, looking like cupcake maybe.

See you down the trail.

GOOD MOON RISING & A GOOD FLICK

REEL THOUGHTS

IDES OF MARCH
One thing this film does extraordinarily well
is to put the viewer into the hubris and flow of a
a modern campaign organization.  Too many of the 
"low information" voters see only the candidate and
rarely give thought to the "industry and business" behind
the front man or woman.  I have known and covered
campaign consultants and staffers since the late 60's and 
frankly think many of them are more interesting than
the candidates for whom they worked.
The story line is engaging. The directing is superb. The acting is also top rate.  Ryan Gosling is the best of the lot
but Philip Seymour Hoffman, Paul Giamatti, George Clooney and Marisa Tomei all give you your money's worth.
Clooney, who directed, said when the film was 
originally scheduled, it was pulled because they thought it was too cynical.  It didn't "fit" with the incoming Obama 
administration.  Times have changed.  


HARVEST LIGHT OVER

THE SANTA LUCIAS

With apology to Creedence Clearwater Revival
I see a good moon risin'.
This presented itself as we sat at the dining room 
table the other night.
The Harvest Moon is the first full moon, closest to the autumnal equinox. It appears to have an orange glow and 
seems larger, because it is lower in the sky-in 
case you wondered.  
Regardless of science or astronomy,
there is something special in a Harvest Moon.
And as you have surmised, it is a Harvest Moon because
farmers could continue to work after sunset.
A great show!

Good light to you.
See you down the trail.

DIVING THE MONTEBELLO

SEARCHING THE DEEP

 Deep sea exploration begins today six miles off shore of

Cambria at the wreck of the Montebello.

The ship was was hit by a torpedo from a Japanese

U-boat on December 22, 1941, a couple of weeks after

the attack on Pearl Harbor.

 The tanker had taken on 3 million gallons of Santa Maria

crude oil at Port San Luis and was bound for a refinery.

Today the Montebello rests on the ocean floor, 900 feet 

below the surface. It is that oil and the condition

of the hold that is at the center of the exploration.

A remotely operated vehicle will take sediment samples,

and do a procedure called a hot tapping.  A small hole

will be drilled through the hull and samples from inside

will be pulled.  Scientists speculate the crude oil,

which has spent 70 years in the dark and 40 degree depth, will likely resemble peanut butter, but no one knows for sure.  When the hole is drilled, a valve will be attached to prevent leakage.  

The Coast Guard and California Department of Fish and Game hired Global Diving and Salvage based in Seattle.

I hope they have their act together. Drilling into an old ship at that depth is fraught with risk.

The objective is to determine what potential environmental risks are posed by the aging ship and the oil.

State Senator Sam Blakeslee has taken the lead in spurring federal and state officials to investigate and monitor the wreckage.  

A series of flights have been launched using a thermal spectral technology to measure the viscosity of sunlight on the Pacific in the area of the wreck.  If oil was leaking, the readings would indicate such.

At the time of the sinking, the War department tried to cover it up, buying up copies of San Francisco Newspapers.

They did not get the local San Luis Obispo Telegram Tribune

and though largely overshadowed by other war news,

the story remained in the minds of Central Coast Californians.

You can read an account and narrative of the event by

linking  here to the Cambria Historical Society.


So for the next couple of weeks,
modern technology reaches deep and
into history, to touch an artifact
of one of the rare shellings of the American
mainland. While the Japanese U-boat fired on the
crew of the Montebello as they scrambled in lifeboats, the survivors escaped their hostile action but
the primary target that night could still pose a threat.

Stay tuned.
See you down the trail.