After enjoying a Dakota burger and a glass of wine at the wonderfully funky Cafe in Harmony last Sunday, a group of us jumped in the car and headed south on Highway 1.
Despite a strong drizzle we were game to explore a newish 784 acre park, Harmony Headlands State Park, that is located between Cayucous and the town of Harmony just outside the Paso Robles Wine County.
We found a small parking lot on the west side of the highway adjacent to the southbound lane of Highway 1 where the trail through the park begins. The path took us through hills and then open fields where we spotted a small historic ranch house and dried lake bed.
At one point during our hike we could see the ocean peaking through a small valley. Continuing on we met two fisherman with their catch of fish neatly hung on a pole. As a native Californian I was taken aback by the vibrant coloring of the fish that they had caught. I spent summers on our family’s boat in Catalina and had never seen a fish with this intense aqua coloring. Fortunately, or maybe not, once cooked the flesh turns white. Wouldn’t that be trippy to eat an aqua fish.
After our encounter with the fishermen, the hills, replete with a herd of deer, dropped behind us. And behold spread out before us was an expansive view of the dramatic coast of California in all its glory. Wow.
At that moment we enthusiastically agreed this is a spot we need to revisit, perhaps with some serious fishing gear and perhaps when it’s a little less wet.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KdKbs2CZdu4[/youtube]