Tag Archives: Montana de Oro State Park

Cathedral of Earth, Sea, and Sky

30 Monday Nov 2015

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Spooners Cove Thanksgiving 2015

Montaña de Oro State Park, CA

All that we see,
all that we breathe,
all the places we walk or swim or fly,
all that is distant,
all that is near,
all that is empty,
all that is full,
all that comforts us with familiarity,
all that invites us into newness,
all that opens us to challenges,
all that surprises us with wonder,
all that humbles us in awe,
all things now living,
all ancestors, loved ones, friends,
all whom we hold in our remembrance,
all ancient trees,
all tundras, savannas and prairies,
all deserts, everglades and forests,
all morning brightened mountains,
all shimmering vibrant seas,
all cloud dotted skies,
all of these sing of one source,
all of these move to one timeless rhythm,
in all ways that matter.

(c) Mark Lloyd Richardson, Thanksgiving 2015

Taking Comfort

04 Friday May 2012

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For ten years, I lived just five miles from Montana de Oro State Park along the central coast of California. I was able to run on the trails there two or three times a week. Now I live nearly an hour away, so I don’t get there nearly as often (especially with the price of gas)! But just a couple of days ago I met my son Ethan there for a quick run before he headed off to work. I was grateful to be with him, and to again be in that magnificent place. In addition to being beautiful, I find it humbling as well – in its vastness, it reminds me of my mortality!

Running at Montana de Oro State ParkHere’s a poem I wrote five years ago after a run by the ocean:

Taking Comfort

On the bluffs where I run
the beat of my heart drowns
in waves of sound and sight,
my body moving with the elements.

I am in love with the ocean.
It tells me I am small.
I take comfort in this truth.
In the battered sands of time I disappear.

While others seek fame and fortune,
I seek only to return to the waters
that stretch as far as the eye can see,
to be carried off into some distant sunset
where life on this troubled earth ends
and a new consciousness begins.

I am in love with the ocean.
This should come as no surprise.
The ocean tells me the truth…
that I am the one who will pass away.
I am the one whose life upon this glassy
blue and green sphere is transitory.

Words (c) 2007 Mark Lloyd Richardson
Photo (c) 2010 Dallis Day Richardson

Still I lie down

21 Wednesday Mar 2012

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Dallis and I followed up our annual eye appointments in Los Osos recently with a quick trip out to Montana de Oro State Park (about 5 miles from our eye doctor’s office) on the central coast of California. After hiking along a trail overlooking Spooner’s Cove, as we made our way back to our car, Dallis spotted this bobcat. While she snapped several great shots (this is my favorite), I fumbled around with my camera and got nothing!

However, I did write this poem, inspired in part by the environment we were in and in part by the look in this bobcat’s eyes!

I open my eyes to the morning,
To the sky bursting with light,
The massive ocean-seared rocks,

The rolling bluffs covered in scrub.
On this bright, enchanting day,
The earth spins in desperate want,

And I am awake to its sorrows.
Still I lie down in soft blades of comfort,
Grateful for all that is seen and unseen.

Words (c) 2012 Mark Lloyd Richardson
Photo (c) 2012 Dallis Day Richardson

These Mountains of Gold

19 Monday Mar 2012

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There is a hidden jewel on the central coast of California called Montaña de Oro State Park. In English, it would be translated as Mountains of Gold State Park, and in the spring that is precisely the image that comes to mind as the poppies come into bloom and cover the bluffs in brilliant orange overlooking the Pacific Ocean. For ten years we lived just a few miles away from this gorgeous corner of earth, and I logged thousands of miles running the park trails. It became a kind of sanctuary for me.

In celebration of the first day of spring, here’s a poem I wrote about the unique beauty of these mountains of gold as I experienced them, accompanied by beautiful photos taken by  my wife Dallis! The poem was originally published in our area newspaper, The Tribune, in April, 2010.

These Mountains of Gold

If you stand here
and lean against the sky
you see a field of poppies
stretching toward a distant blue,
their golden petals outshining
even the morning sun.
In these mountains of gold,
black tailed deer graze in glory,
snowy egret stand in serene repose,
regaling you in their white gowns,
and choirs of chaparral
chant ancient anthems
rising from an ancient sea.
If you stand here
this place becomes a temple
and clothes even you in awe.

Words (c) 2012, Mark Lloyd Richardson
Photos (c) 2012, Dallis Day Richardson