Lopez Lake Park: The Place to Hike, Bike, Ride, Boat or Slide

Early morning hikes at Lopez Lake are among the most peaceful activities found along the Central Coast.

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Big Sur: A Trip from Here to Eternity

Big Sur is one of those California Postcard places: steep mountain cliffs plunging to the Pacific, cut by canyons with burbling creeks and waterfalls and towering trees. But it's also a state of mind.

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Cayucos - The Classic Beach Town

The coastal town of Cayucos is less than 2 miles long and a half-mile wide, but it's easy to get lost here: lost in the sounds of ocean waves rolling onto the sandy shore; lost in thought on the gently swaying municipal pier; lost in conversation with visitors and locals at beachfront bars and restaurants.

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Battles, Birth, Sex on the Beach

One of the North Coast's newest attractions is also one of its biggest. Literally.

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Montana de Oro State Park is Wild

A red-tail hawk floats upon thermals high above Alan Peak, Oats Peak and Valencia Peak, then swoops toward grassland atop the white bluffs of Montana de Oro State Park.

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Whale Tales, Albacore and More

The strangest thing Rick Bush has ever seen snagged on a fishing line off the Central Coast is a Long-Nosed Lancet fish.

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'America's Castle' on the North Coast

On a clear day, you can stand on the terrace in front of the Neptune Pool and gaze out at the Pacific Ocean, sparkling five miles and 1,600 feet below, and realize just why William Randolph Hearst chose San Simeon for his castle.

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