Los Osos Sunday September 2013
by furtech
I have some friends who have a home in Los Osos, California. I had never heard of Los Osos before-- but I was familiar with her sister-city, Morro Bay and its famous rock.
I can see why they bought a house here: this city is beautiful. The people are nice- if a bit on the organic-side. But any town where drivers take notable care to give walkers, dogs and bicyclists room and do it with a smile is aces in my book.
The hiking is fantastic: the cool ocean air lends itself to nice weather year-round. There are plenty of hills and trails, along with a town that is just fun to walk around. There are beaches everywhere-- including a large sand sit (several miles long) that looks like it would be a great place to explore. The sunsets (as you can see) are like something out of a Bierstadt painting. The dawns are equally stunning: mist giving way to views of the 9 Sisters (impressive series of cinder cones) and the Morro Bay Rock.
Due to the poor soil and misty (not rainy) climate, a species of oak grows there called Pygmy Oaks. These oaks are wonderful: they only grow to a height of about 12 feet...yet are every bit like a regular oak. The result is something called the Elfin Forest: little mounds of oak groves with ancient trees that only grow to about a dozen feet tall.
I visited Spooner's Cove which has a nice climbing rock and dramatic waves.
A nice bonus is that my friends compete as cooks: all are *very* good cooks and the meals-- breakfast and dinner-- were fantastic.
I also visited two of the nearby apple growers. Ever since I picked apples in Connecticut a few years ago, I realized that I -love- fresh picked fruit. One (Avila Valley Barn) was a bit touristy for my tastes, but the other (Gopher Glen) was pure-apple and had GREAT fruit!
