Morro Rock(the one on Morro Bay, not the Sierras)

[John Kasaian]

Boy Scout camp and a trip to Washington State derailed my timetable but I did get to spend a few hours there yesterday around noon scouting locations (sadly no view camera came along--this was a trip for my bride!) There is a neat exhibit of a submarine rescue vehicle and a 30' Coast Guard "unsinkable" rescue boat in a parking lot near the smoke stacks.
Later this summer I'll try again, and hopefully link up with the Archeologist at Camp Parks for permission to shoot the painted cave (I'm hoping!) for good measure.

[Peter Mounier]

John
Next time you're in Morro Bay drop me a pm if you're so inclined, and we can shoot together, or just meet and have a cup of coffee.
Same goes for you too Joseph, it would be good to see you again.

Peter


Betterlight/Sinar P

[John Kasaian]

Will do, Peter! Thanks for the invite

[Peter Spangenberg]

Hi John-
I may have posted this before, but it seemed relevant. I shot this on 8x10 some time ago. I thought getting close to the rock provided an interesting perspective. Also, pretty easy access.
Peter

[Drew Wiley]

For some reason when I was a little kid I had an obsession with climbing sea stacks, and
remember scrambling up steep sides or Moro Rock when the family would pause there on
trips to the coast. Later when I spent summer on the Oregon coast I'd climb the stacks
there. I didn't really think of it as rock climbing per se. Didn't get into that mentality until
I started doing it in the High Sierras, although I had been scrambling up difficult rocks in the foothills for quite awhile. Arthritis in my fingers has now made that just a happy memory.

[Peter Mounier]

On Morro Rock (the Sequoia rock is Moro) there is/was a trail, if you know where to find it. It's been illegal to climb for about 40 years, and if you're caught you'll be paying, at least, a $500 fine, and more if you have to be rescued. There's a peregrine falcon nest at the top, so it's watched all the time by interested birders who aren't shy about calling the police. The Chumash indians are the only ones who have a permanent exception to the law against climbing it, and that's only for their annual solstice celebration. Back in the early 70's, Before it was illegal I climbed it with my dad and a friend. It was a scary climb for me, since I'm afraid of heights, and some parts of the trail are pretty sketchy, but the view is spectacular.

Peter

[Drew Wiley]

Thanks for the diatribe, Peter. But according to the fine print, it certainly wasn't illegal when I climbed it, and the Chumash certainly hadn't reinstated any of their alleged tribal
traditions there by that time. The return of peregrines is certainly encouraging however.
They hang out here sometimes and swoop in on the pigeons roosting under the freeway
overpass - seem to have no trouble adapting to an urban environment.

[Peter Mounier]

Drew
No offense intended, and I'm sorry if that's how you read it. Sometimes on the internet it's hard to tell what people are trying to say since there are no visible cues or body language to aid in the communication. I was just relating the current state of affairs regarding the rock, and telling my own story about climbing it.

Peter

[Drew Wiley]

No offense taken. I was just being ornery as usual. .. and being a bit cynical about revived
Native American practices which seem more like wannabee hippie culture than anything
authentic. Could be wrong... but solstice celebrations? I have a friend, a very successful
photographer in his own right, who went to live among the Chemeuvi to document their
attempt to revive tribal practices. I was an award winning documentary, but basically
looked at the futility of trying to invent something. Same with the Indians I grew up with.
90% of what their kids now know is either derived from too many John Wayne movies or
Donald Trump casino culture. There are a few notable exceptions, more the scholar type,
attempting to record the last fragments of aboriginal vocabulary and valid ethnographic
details - but for every one of them there's a few do-gooder ex-hippies trying to reinvent
a totally fictitious native American religion or whatever based upon silly stereotypes. Sad.