I've always joked that historians should pick research subjects based upon a well-located archive. For the first time, I had a desirable place to go for a week of research: San Luis Obispo (SLO). I've been to various parts of California, but never the Central Coast. The closest I've been was a road trip through the region, seventeen years ago. In May 2019, I flew to San Luis Obispo and stayed for the workweek; then, I spent the weekend in Cambria, not far up the coast.
I arrived on a quiet, sunny Sunday afternoon. With some time before check-in, I decided to take a drive to Carrizo Plain National Monument; there had been a superbloom a few months earlier. I knew the flowers had passed, but the desolate drive through rolling hills and farms to a dry lake was the perfect way to move from the east coast to the vast expanses of the west coast. I stopped for photos, the only car for miles. While observations about space and time are somewhat overwrought, I'm always struck by how much distance one can travel in a day. To wake up in Philly and end up in the middle of California before sunset; I miss that feeling of escape and possibility.
Monday through Friday, I went to the library at Cal Poly to research Julia Morgan. She was California's first licensed female architect, best known for the design of Hearst Castle. My Airbnb was within walking distance of downtown SLO. As I do wherever I go, I found a coffee shop to walk to in the morning and a yoga studio for after the workday. With the sun setting later, I took photos at various spots up and down the coast during the golden hour. The town is quaint but modern: a completely temperate and livable locale.
After a week of research, I drove about 45 minutes up the coast to Cambria. I had planned to stay for the weekend to visit Hearst Castle on Saturday. While I stopped at Hearst Castle on the aforementioned road trip, all the tours were booked, so we kept driving north. This time, I planned far in advance. Cambria is a small town off Route 1. I found an Airbnb above a garage, in a hilly neighborhood, with a deck. I graded final exams, practiced yoga, walked the beach, and relaxed for the first time in months.
One sunset by the ocean, I had a friendly photo interaction with a man who saw me with my 4x5 camera. Quite respectfully, we didn't chat until after the sun dipped below the horizon. He was in town on a car club trip, and he gave me his card: "Let me know if anything comes out." A year and many emails later, a photo of that sunset is hanging on the wall in his San Diego home. He also sent me his father's camera and lenses: a Voigtlander Prominent rangefinder. While I may not seem terribly inviting of conversation, a large-format camera always opens up the possibility of an interesting interaction.
On Saturday, I drove up to Hearst Castle. I took a tour of the interiors. Afterward, you can stay as long as you like on the grounds. I spent a few hours taking photos right in the middle of the day. Some of my photos are near shadowless. It was quite exciting to tour the site designed by the women whose papers and files I had spent a week reading.
I didn't have anything planned for Sunday. I left myself time to grade final exams, but I had finished them throughout the week. After submitting final grades, I decided to drive two and a half hours up to Big Sur. I remembered it from the previous road trip, but I wanted to take my own drive. I didn't drive a mile on that trip (at nineteen with an ex-boyfriend), so I was retracing steps and rewriting the story. I stopped at Big Sur Taphouse for lunch and beers. On the way back, I took my time and stopped at pull-offs; this is much easier on the southbound trip. After hours of driving, I took a quick rest but went back out to photography my last sunset on the west coast.
The next day, I stopped at Libertine Brewing Company for lunch in Morro Bay and the Madonna Inn (a recommendation from a photographer whose work I admire) on the way to the SLO airport. The Madonna Inn is a famous, kitschy place. I had coffee and carrot cake and marveled at the step back in time. Next time, I'll spend a night there. Indeed, at this point in 2020, I can't wait for any kind "next time."
