Story has it that the Red October was scuttled on a river off the coast of Maine. I beg to differ.

We are working our way up the coast of the California Republic, and made it to Morro Bay. For you Dodgers and 49ers fans, Morro Bay sits somewhere between Santa Cruz and Santa Barbara. For you easterners, Morro Bay sits about midway between San Francisco and San Diego. For you Red Sox fans, it is west of Fenway.

While this is a fabulous place, the passing of our dog Rosie was a huge loss for us. She will always be fondly loved and remembered. As anyone who has ever loved and lost, though, we too must move on.

Back to Morro Bay. If you’ve never been here – it is your loss. We are camped in Morro Bay SP and it has been fabulous – “Position A” in the world of location. Reservations are a must since this is such a popular destination. Most sites do not have water and electric but there are about 20 sites with both.

Literally the campground is across the street from a kayak boat launch so bring your boats! We paddled several times around the bay and got to see beautiful views, interesting birds, and wildlife up close and personal. If you don’t own a kayak, don’t despair – plenty of rental shops around town.

If you play golf, the Morro Bay Golf Course is about 2 minutes away from the campground. The views from the golf course are breathtaking and rival courses like Torrey Pines, only instead of paying $275 I paid $14.

The town itself is really cute – lots of cool places to see and visit, and a ton of restaurants – although we did not visit any. But for those more inclined to dine out there is really a rich variety of places, although clearly you will be better served if you like casual dining – and fish. Fresh fish, literally off the boat.

We didn’t do a lot of hiking, but there are a bunch of trails to choose from. We chose the Bluff Trail in nearby Montana de Oro SP in Los Osos. The trail (about 4 miles total) runs right along the craggy coastline – stunning.

If you kayak you will be delighted with paddling even if you never leave the bay. We paddled out and about to see plenty of birds, beautiful views and wildlife that included Otters and Sea Lions. The Otters are really cute and the Sea Lions are slugs – but don’t get too close; those bad boys are big and they have big teeth!

One day we took a road trip (about 45 minutes) to see the Hearst Castle, about 30 miles north of Morro Bay. This is a spectacular place. Of course, for anyone who has ever been to our house there is no need to go see the castle (redundant).   Otherwise, this is a great and interesting trip. Nice digs for a place that got used a few weeks a year.

Nearby to the Hearse Castle in San Simeon is a bay where Elephant Seals congregate to mate, rest, and raise little ones; not necessarily in that order. When I say little ones, keep in mind that the male Elephant Seal can weigh in at 5,000 pounds at a length of 16 feet long.

Oh, you were interested in the Hunt for Red October? Yes, well, we found it – tied up at the docks in Morro Bay. For those that don’t read Russian, the writing on the side of the boat says Red October. Either that or it is a message from Svetlana, a single Russian college student looking for a husband. I’m going with Red October.

Visit this place!!!