Of
course, they couldn’t have known a nuclear power
plant was going in around the corner. But its
spectre startled a conservation consciousness. And
since, due in large part to the magnificence of the
Californa Coast typified by Montaña de Oro,
the public voted in a Coastal Commission to
watchdog development on the coast.
Montaña
de
Oro
– At first, you might be led to believe
the Mountain of Gold refers to that once plentiful
and highly coveted metal which attracted so many
adventurers to California. But, the name was
probably bestowed by the Spanish explorers of the
Central Coast, who visited during Spring when the
hills are gilded with the blooms of poppies,
goldfields, and tidytips.
In
fact, the sea churns gold as well with its ochre
rocks, remnants of ancient lava flows, and you can
almost hear Vizcaino exclaim, “Holy Mother of Mary!
The gold is coming right up out of the ocean!
Montalvo was more right than he knew!”
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