AT FIRST GLANCE... one could find several similarities between Morro Rock and Half Dome. True, they both call California home, and they're both distinctively shaped, so much so that the mere outline of each drawn on a piece of paper could fairly accurately represent their famous forms. But Morro Rock juts out into the Pacific Ocean, which is made of water-- spoiler alert -- while Half Dome is plunk in the middle of Yosemite National Park, the mountain-majestic, forest-pretty Sierra expanse. Still, despite one landmark being located in the Pacific, and one in Yosemite, they still feel tied by appearance, legend, and their ancient geologic timelines. Bringing them closer, at least in spirit, is a new adventure passport called Summit to Sea. Created by The Morro Bay Tourism Bureau and Yosemite Mariposa County Tourism Bureau, the passport pairs up both beautiful places "to encourage travel from the summit of Half Dome to the Seas of Morro Bay." This adds up to "exclusive deals on various activities" like kayak rentals, wine tastings, boat tours, and more from March 1, 2016 through the end of April.
THAT "MORE" ALSO INCLUDES... lodging discounts, like ten bucks off your second night spent in Morro Bay (a whole bevy of hotels and motels are participating). If you want to switch it up and head for the Yosemite-close foothills, and take in some Golden State stories, you'll also receive an admission to the California State Mining & Mineral Museum as well as the Mariposa Museum & History Center. It's a good match-up for those those trot-around-ers who can't quite decide if they want to do a Pacific-cool, Central Coast-y getaway or one around the hilly environs of the Sierra Nevada. "Do both," is the clear answer here, and get some discounts in the meanwhile, and ideas for get-out-and-do activities, too. Want to eye the full lodging/museum/everything discount list for your Summit to Sea trip? Peruse all here, and then try, for yourself, to draw Half Dome and Morro Rock. They're two of the West Coast's most famous hunks o' stone, though, of course, Half Dome is granite and Morro Rock is dacite. Call them true California cousins on the iconic natural wonder-filled family tree.