So we drove through the eucalyptus grove, rounded a curve and there in front of us was the magnificent Montana del Oro beach – Spooner’s Cove.
We had heard that this is a favorite place to view beautiful sunsets, but being that we were there 9:00 in the morning and were once again dealing with marine layer – I have no proof that the sunset-viewing recommendation is true.
Montana del Oro is named mountain of gold because of the many golden-colored wildflowers spread across the park – however, with the exception of the field where we saw the deer, we didn’t see any wildflowers, so once again I cannot personally back up that statement. But the park has more than 8,000 acres (one of the largest of the California state parks), so there was a lot we didn’t see.
The cove itself was worth the trip. The rock formations are angled – all the same angle, so even though you were standing straight up and down, you felt as if you should be leaning.
The water crashed into the rocks – look at the one picture and you see the water forming a miniature water fall.
Interestingly, Cindy bent down to pick up a rock (the beach is covered with pebbles, rather than sand) and was surprised to find it very lightweight – later I read that they’re a type of shale.
Most of the time we were there a young couple was taking pictures of their baby – probably about a year old – playing in the pebbles with the cove in the background. I’m sure they must’ve gotten some good shots because they took about 300 of them – but then again, I’ve been known to take a few pictures myself 🙂
