Morro Bay is a classic, quaint, even sleepy California coastal town, featuring two iconic fixtures: the Morro Rock—sometimes referred to as “the Gibraltar of the Pacific” . . . seriously—and the Power Plant Smokestacks. Both are iconic, but only one gets to stay, and it’s not the Stacks. The plant has been moribund for almost a decade, and trying to convert it into useable, maintainable space is beyond the small town’s means. I’ve wanted to photograph Morro Rock for years, but something else always seemed to get in line ahead of it. But when Mary and I learned of the Stacks’ scheduled demolition, we decided we had to go see both. Last summer, we did.

I usually gravitate toward monochromatic or dichromatic artwork for architecture and other human-made structures. But something about the warm temps (by Morro Bay standards), blue sky, and fluffy clouds seemed to beg for a film-style interpretation of the scene. This artwork is available, from the small-scale to the large in a variety of media, in our Gallery Shop now.

P.S. Word to the wise: if by some chance you go by EV as we did, be aware that juice was not plentiful in Morro Bay and its immediate surroundings. There is plenty within 25 miles, but don’t find yourself checking into your hotel with a 3% SOC.