The Ghost of Tom Joad Knocking at the Door: A Pilgrim's Journey into the CaliforniAmerican Heartland--28. Morro Strand Beach

Morro Rock from Morro Strand Beach, Steve Brown 2022

1.  Arrival

Marci and I pulled up to Morrow Strand Beach in the dark.  The campground is little more than a parking lot with tent sites just off the pavement, in the sand, before some low trees that shelter you somewhat from that constant wind and sound of the thundering sea.  Anywhere else, I'd snub my nose at such a campground.  But here, it is complete because all you need is the sand and the sea.

We set up camp in the dark, working mostly by the light of our neighbor's fire and lantern (which were quite near), and a couple of our own flashlights.  The sites were close enough together that I felt the obligation a couple of times to go over and apologize for opening and closing the trunk of the car so frequently, but each time the urge quickly fell away as the sounds of clanking dishes and laughter as our neighbors made dinner sounded so warm and unperturbed.  I decided they were having way too much fun to be annoyed by the closing of a trunk, no matter how close and often it was.

Still, I was filled with anxious anticipation, waiting for that moment when I could leave camp behind and walk out and meet that magical moonlit sea!

After I made a quick dinner and washed the dishes, I did eventually get that chance.  It was brief.  The wind was strong and cold, and I was incredibly tired, so I didn't stay long.  I can't remember if Marci walked out with me or if I was all alone.

I just remember seeing the moon and the distant grey whitecaps, which appeared large even that far away, although if I remember right, the tide was actually pulling out, and there was more wet sand than there usually is along a beach.  I don't know how much of this is true.  I just know it is accurate to what I see in my mind now.

What I do know for certain is that I was cold, I was tired, and so I didn't stay long.  I came back to camp, and Marci and I walked over to the restroom together, and as soon as we got back, we went to bed.

By then the neighbors were in bed also, and I was able to fall to sleep to nothing but the sound of the sea.  It was a distant drum, a low rumble, constant and soothing, but not threatening.  I soon slid into a deep sleep, and whether I dreamed of fishing boats, and storms, and of a Savior walking on water, I don't know.  I just know that as soon as I awoke, even though it was cold, all I wanted to do was get out of that tent and witness that great ocean once again.

2.  A Morning Walk Along the Beach

Normally, the first thing I do when I exit the tent in morning is make a mad dash to the restroom.  The second thing I do is light the stove and put on a pot of water to boil.  I warm my hands by the flame for few minutes, and then I gather wood and start a fire.  Everything is about getting heat first.  Taking in whatever stunning landscape surrounds me waits until I'm reasonably warm.  But because the California coast is not just another grand landscape, and because it was warmer than I expected, although still chilly, I skipped the whole getting warm bit and hit the beach as soon as my bladder was empty.

And was it stunning.  I've seen a lot of rocks off the west coast, but I've never seen anything remotely as majestic as Morro Rock rise out of the water.  I'd done my research, watched many videos about the area, but nothing prepared me for the real thing.  Seeing it out there, seemingly surrounded by waves, is astonishing.  I was totally unprepared for it.

Joy!  That is what the west coast is to me.  Walking along the sands, hearing the rhythm of the surf, taking in that sodium sunlight, everything constantly filtered by a mist that hovers along shore and thickens and thins and thickens again.  Everything rocking, waving, in and out of focus--the coastline constantly changes--a ridge once blotted now stands out in vivid clarity.

I was back to where I always belong.  By the sea!  I cannot describe how good it felt to soak in that weak, warm filtered sunlight and just be.

I rushed back to camp to make breakfast, wake Marci, so I could share how glorious it is to walk by the ocean and witness that rock shimmering even as it is softened around the edges by that magical mist that constantly moves along the coastline.