SLO LIFE JunJul 2021

| VIEW
WALKING
BY MARK NAKAMURA
Do you have a bucket list of things you want to do before you
kick the bucket? See the aurora borealis? Run with the bulls
in Spain? Walk the Camino de Santiago?
How about seeing a cloud inversion on the Central Coast? A cloud
inversion is when the normally warm air near the ground and the
cooler air above it is flipped. The cooler air below is trapped near
the ground and the warmer air is above it. This allows for a view of
looking down on the clouds.
It’s hard to get out of bed early in the dark and start hiking with a
headlight to arrive at the top of the mountain before sunrise, but
when it’s foggy in San Luis Obispo, chances are that if you go a
thousand feet up in elevation, you can be looking down on a sea of
clouds.
Cerro San Luis, Bishop Peak, the mountain that is above the “P”
at Cal Poly, and, my favorite, Reservoir
Canyon Trail (also known as “The
Tower” hike) are places of interest.
Sometimes, you don’t have to get too high
in elevation. Terrace Hill is an excellent
place for photographs of the cloud
inversion when the fog is low.
This photograph was taken at the top of
Bishop Peak on a foggy morning in San
Luis Obispo. There were several Cal Poly
students up there after I arrived and took
this couple’s photograph with the clouds
below them. One of the trailheads is on
Foothill Boulevard, which is the one I
use.
SLO LIFE
MARK NAKAMURA, pursues
his passion in landscape
photography as well as
capturing the joys of
weddings, families, events,
and sports around the
Central Coast. Find him on
Instagram @nakamuraphoto
24 | SLO LIFE MAGAZINE | JUN/JUL 2021