DISCOVER

Pecho Coast

PHOTOGRAPHY BY LANCE KINNEY

gainst a stunning, wide-open backdrop of the gleaming blue-green water far below with the ocean breeze gently rustling the coastal oaks framing the scene, the fact that Port San Luis A was once the world’s largest exporter of crude oil seems inconceivable. Yet, at one point the bay became so polluted with spilled oil and abandoned whale carcasses—whaling had also been a major industry—that historic ship logs are replete with notes about avoiding Port Harford, as it was known then, for fear of “fouling the props with all the debris floating around.”

As far back as recorded history will take us, the Pecho

Coast was Chumash territory. The first known settler to the area, and the one responsible for the name was the famous Spanish (some historians claim he was actually

Portuguese) explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo. Sometime during a mission along the California coastline in 1542,

Cabrillo stumbled upon the Avila Bay and remarked that the cliffs running along the point just north of Port San

Luis were bold and “chesty,” much like a soldier puffing up his upper body while standing at attention. That translated to “Pecho” and the dramatic landscape found there today, with the exception of the Point San Luis Lighthouse, likely looks pretty much like it did nearly 500 years ago from the decks of the San Salvador.

It has been estimated that the Chumash had been living on the bountiful lands for approximately 9,000 years before Cabrillo’s arrival. And, during the Spanish mission period the lands were privatized as a sprawling ranch called

“Rancho Cañada de los Osos y Pecho y Islay.” Since that time, those bold cliffs and secluded beaches have been offlimits to the general public. However, in 1993, PG&E, the current owner of the land, built a trail winding along the rugged coastline. The Pecho Coast Trail is accessible today to the general public through a volunteer docent-led tour.

At the end of the hike, almost two miles from the trailhead, is something that Cabrillo himself could have never imagined, although certainly would have appreciated: the

Point San Luis Lighthouse. On May 1, 1888 the steamship

Queen of the Pacific started taking on water 15 miles out >>

from the Port Harford Pier. With nothing to guide his way, the ship’s captain zigzagged toward what he believed to be Port San Luis. He nearly made it, as his ship sank just 500 feet from its intended mooring. The event finally got Congress interested in the project, which local seamen had been advocating over the years. With a $50,000 federal grant, the Point San Luis Lighthouse finally became a reality and lit its beacon for the first time on June 30, 1890. The now-defunct San Luis Obispo Daily Republic tells the story: “The light is shown from a black lantern surmounting a square frame attached to the southwest corner of a one and a half story frame dwelling painted white, trimmings lead color, blinds green and the roof brown. About 50 yards to the eastward stands a one and half-story double dwelling painted in a similar manner, between the two dwellings… stands the fog signal building with its two black smokestacks, and painted like the dwellings.” The port continued to develop and expand in the years following when the breakwater—another federal project— was built up slowly over a period of twenty years beginning in 1893. With protection from the open sea, a small cove formed on the inside of the wall, which made it possible for the construction of a boat landing. This became the primary means for accessing the lighthouse. Today, Kristi Balzer, the executive director of the Point San Luis Lighthouse Keepers, the non-profit charged with maintaining and >>

preserving the structure, counts rebuilding the tiny working wharf as one of her priorities. “Not only would [the restoration] return it to the original, but it would give us the ability to share the lighthouse with so many more people,” she explains. According to Balzer, an important mission of the organization is to share the history with many more school-aged children, which becomes cost-prohibitive when the organization has to rent vans that are small enough to access it via the narrow one-lane road going in and out. “Having that dock,” she continues, “and allowing visitors to reach us by boat, would make a huge difference.”

In 1974, in what must have been an effort to save money and become more efficient, the character of the lighthouse changed dramatically when the Coast Guard fully automated the facility. By 1992, the 30-acre light station property had been transferred to the Port San Luis Harbor District. Three years later, the Point San Luis Lighthouse Keepers formed with the mission of preserving the property, and since the buildings are constantly absorbing salt water, the work, particularly the maintenance, is never done. But, the period detail, right down to the antiques found throughout the property, is remarkable. Perhaps the most moving remnant from the past is a note left by a local Chinese brick worker, an employee of the Ah Louis Company. Visible from the basement of the lighthouse, one of the bricks making up the foundation carries an exquisitely hand-painted set of Chinese characters. During the renovation, the Lighthouse Keepers had it translated, and it read: “As a bowl captures rain, may this house collect blessings.” >>

Pronounced “fray-nel,” the lens was designed by French physicist Augustin-Jean Fresnel specifically for lighthouses. Through a system of elaborate cuts, a network of glass is housed around a light source magnifying it many times its original brightness. In the late 1970’s someone shot the original Fresnel lens at the lighthouse, and it was removed and placed in the custody of the San Luis Obispo Historical Museum. In 2010, as part of its 120-year anniversary, the lens was returned to the lighthouse where it is housed today in the visitor center.

If you would rather not hike the trail, but still would like to visit the lighthouse you can take “Lucy” the Lighthouse Trolley, which operates on Wednesday and Saturday. The fare is $20 for adults and $15 for children between 3 and 12 years old (children under 3 are free). From start to finish, the tour is 1 hour and 45 minutes.

Pecho Coast Trail

- provided by PG&E

For questions, call (855) 553-7843

Reservations are required, and tickets may be purchased directly online by visiting www.sanluislighthouse.org

The Pecho Coast Trail is open to 20 hikers on Wednesdays and 40 hikers on Saturday. Check in is at 8:45am with a 1pm return time. It is a 3.75 mile round trip to the lighthouse and back. Sturdy hiking shoes are required as the trail is moderately strenuous with step cliffs and uneven footing. Children under nine years old are not permitted on the trail, and reservations are strongly recommended to avoid being turned away at the trailhead. Additionally, a signed waiver and $5 fee is required for a docent-led tour of the lighthouse. For questions call (805) 528-8758

Reservations and waivers may be submitted online by visiting www.pge.modwest.com/pgereservations

770 Capitolio Way . San Luis Obispo . 805 549 0100

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