We awoke to a clear blue sky and a beautiful sunrise. Well when I say we awoke, we had spent probably half the night awake. We pulled into the Shandon rest stop just off the 46, about 10 miles outside of Paso Robles around sunset. Although quiet when we first arrived, as we bedded down for the night in the Basecamp, we were vaguely aware of other traffic coming and going. And then there was the trafffic that stayed. Those huge articulated lorries with the noisy generators that thrummed all night long. In the morning, we realized we looked a tad out of place.

Don’t mind us tucked in the corner!

Recent temperatures in Santa Clarita have been a regular 100F+ for a couple of months now. So our jaunt up to Morro Bay promised a welcome respite from the relentless summer heat. From my point of view, I was looking forward to a few days by the coast with sun, sea and sand. But as we approached the coast, we saw it. The cloud. Like a dense curtain of grimy cotton wool, it lurked ominously.

Darren rolled his eyes as I reached for my phone to check the weather forecast. ‘Partly cloudy’ it said. As we continued towards the coast, we were caught up in the heavy rolling fog as the cloud and the sea air inevitably intertwined. And there was no ‘partly’ about it.

Still, first on the agenda was a swim in the estuary. As I peered through the mist to the murky water, I once again questioned why I was doing this. Darren went to check on any particular swimming restrictions and was told to be careful of the jellyfish. “Don’t worry though, they’re not the stinging kind” she reassured. Previously undecided, it was at this point Darren opted for paddle boarding rather than swimming. Something about being able to look out for me better up there than in the water. Hmmm…

Wetsuited up and shivering, I approached the water’s edge warily. No sign of jellyfish. OK, here goes. Oh but first, there’s a serious underground garden of reeds to fight your way through, complete with unidentified bird poo scum floating on top.

Once beyond the reeds, it was face first into the water, and after the initial shock of cold abated, the exhilaration that I was actually open water swimming took over. Caveat… still not a swimmer, still a lot of splashing going on, a lot of stopping going on, and still not averse to reverting to doggy paddle at any moment.

But what made this swim super special was the wildlife. Did I mention the otters? California sea otters, of which a good percentage of the endangered population just happen to live in Morro Bay. Uber cute, they float on their backs with their paws stuck out of the water. They also hold hands with one another while taking a nap, so as not to drift too far. And so up popped an otter, like right where I was swimming. To say I was in my element was an understatement!

On the way back, I was happy at managing about 200 yards without stopping, and paused to get my breath back, casually treading water as Darren glided smoothly past on his SUP. “Behind you!” he commented. The subconscious danger of jellyfish jumped to the forefront of my mind and I turned around with trepidation. Only to see an inquisitive seal, his head just a few yards from mine, wondering what on earth was all that splashing about? Talk about up close and personal! Realizing it was nothing to get excited about, he gave a sigh, sunk back under the water, and with a swish of his flippers, he was off.