Known locally as SLO, the town developed around a mission founded by Father Junipero Serro, the Franciscan priest who founded nine missions in California when it was part of Mexico and governed by Spain. The Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa began in 1772, the fifth of what would become twenty-one Spanish missions in California. The physical building is a unique design, with two naves forming an "L", built over a period of years. It has been used as a jail, a courthouse and base camp for the "California Battalion" led by John C. Fremont in the 1846 Mexican War that resulted in California becoming part of the U.S. It was restored in the 1930s.
There are a few other historical buildings in town. I don't know the denomination of the cute little church or what is going on with its paint job.
The world-famous Madonna Inn started as a small (12 rooms) motel in 1958 and has grown to 115 rooms, each decorated in a different whimsical theme. It has a restaurant, bakery, spa and other amenities, including fourteen charging stations for Tesla automobiles (and four more being added). There are a lot of Teslas in CA, understandable given the very high gas prices here.
Since SLO is inland, I drove to Pismo Beach to check out the local coast. This is another nice town with a dramatic shoreline of both sandy beaches and huge rock formations.
There are also lovely homes and gardens to be found here.
Back in Morro Bay, I visited Montan`a de Oro State Park, a very large and popular park that offers both beaches and wooded areas for hiking, picnics and camping.
The only downside to my week in Morro Bay was the rainy weather. Initially, the rain occurred mostly at night so didn't affect me, but the last two days were total washouts. The park manager mentioned her rain gauge showed more than 1.5 inches in one day. There was a break in the rain just before sunset on my last night, creating a majestic combination of rainbow and sunset unlike any other I can recall seeing.
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