Independence Day in Morro Bay

I have been here for almost 2 years and I was happy to have the chance to experience the Morro Bay Independence Day. Their flyer indicated that there are tons of activities all day long for families. The bike parade starts it all off, and down at Tidelands Park there are bands and games and food from around noon through the fireworks show at night. The city trolley had special routes to take people to and from the park for the fireworks show, and I took advantage of this opportunity to take the trolley (another thing I hadn't done yet).

I waited at City Park for the trolley to take me down to the stairs atop Tidelands Park. I decided that since there were food options down at the park that I wouldn't get the all-day pass, saving 50¢ on the trolley fare. But, many people used this pass and they went between the State Park and the Embarcadero and the Park all day long. When I arrived at the Park, I was surprised to see that there were hardly any food options for dinner people like myself. I don't know if they had more booths during the day or not, but I lucked out and got the last hotdogs from one booth. It was the only booth open that was selling protein, there was still some churros and other sweets. Next time I will go to a restaurant instead, I think, if I just do dinner there.

I walked through the park and was amazed at how crowded it was. People were set up in tents and on blankets on almost every inch of the grass. I was able to find a little patch of grass by the sound guys for the band. I enjoyed listening to the music and watching the dancers while I ate my dinner. I loved all the families that were out and about. Kids were throwing balloons and blowing bubbles, and later they bought some lighted swords to play with. Boy, that lady made a killing selling those lighted toys. She bought them for a dollar each and sold them for $3!! When the band was finished, there was a lady who sang a patriotic song (pretty badly if the truth be told) and then two guys set up for the fireworks to start at 9:00.

When the fireworks started I realized that I had selected the wrong place to sit. The roof on the bandstand totally blocked the lower fireworks. As soon as people realized this, many got up quickly to move to a better vantage point. I decided to sit it out. The show was nice, I especially enjoyed the ones with secondary explosions. There was one which the crowd really enjoyed, it was one of those waterfall effects, but it was set off so perfectly that the crowd literally caught their breath. I attempted to photograph the fireworks, but only a few came out. Most of them were simply "art shots"!!

After the fireworks, it was amazing how quickly and orderly people left the park. Luckily the stairs were one-way, and people were polite. Some people chose to walk up the iceplant on the two sides of the stairs. The trolleys were waiting at the top of the stairs, standing room only. The one I was on went to the State Park first, then went back to the stairs to get more people. The traffic was so bad on Morro Bay Boulevard that they decided to pick up more people instead of attempting the traffic on the way to City Park.

I loved the experience, and saw where people set up for the best views. Next time I will try a restaurant view, unless I have a group of people who want to listen to the music. I was also happy that people were not smoking at the Park, expect one selfish guy smoking a pipe!!