Settings Real and Imagined
The Estela Nogales Mystery series is set in one of the most beautiful parts of California, the central coast near Morro Rock. The fifth book in the series, The Boy Who Bought It, will soon be released, so I thought it would be fun to repost this updated short road trip through the settings, both real and imagined, that provide the background for this award-winning series.
We’ll begin our journey at the intersection of Arroyo Loco Rd and Highway 41, connecting the charming and real towns of Morro Bay and Atascadero. This intersection and the village of Arroyo Loco are purely imaginary, but it’s easy to picture the old roadhouse there by the corner, and remember the rusty ice chest where we found the body in Iced Tee. Just out of sight up the hill is the lot where Will’s house burned down in Fire at Will’s.
Heading east, we wind through the Coast Range and into Atascadero, site of the all-too-real maximum-security prison for the criminally insane. Arroyo Loco’s residents often wonder if their village has been visited by a former inmate. East of downtown are the twisting oak-shaded residential streets where I always get lost, and where Estela once found a bloody knife embedded in a front door.
A ten-minute drive north brings us into the quaint town of Paso Robles. Here, we wander alongside the dry riverbed where Estela and her friends searched for Nina in Missing Mom. The riverbed is real; its homeless denizens must either be hiding, or are imaginary. Nearby, we can stop for a juicy cheeseburger at the real Cowgirl Cafe. If we’ve timed our visit right, we might even be able to watch the classic cars cruising Paso Robles’ central plaza, and catch a glimpse of Detective Muñoz’s meticulously restored Camaro.
Highway 46, crossing the countryside from Paso Robles west to Highway 1, is one of most scenic drives in the state. On a clear spring day, you can see across miles of rolling green hills frosted with lupine and mustard flowers to the deep blue of the Pacific Ocean. Breath-taking.
Turning left onto Highway 1, we approach the town of Cayucos, with the posh houses up on the hill and ramshackle bungalows close to the beach. Just south of town you’ll find the scruffy and unofficial dog beach where Estela loves to walk and think through the mysteries that confront her. Right there on the beach is where we find the body in The Boy Who Bought It. Keep your eyes open, and you may see Shiner, the real border collie, romping with his friends and running through the surf there.
The town of Morro Bay is already popular with tourists, and needs no introduction. We can walk around the base of Morro Rock, the remnant of an ancient volcano, and look upward for real nesting peregrine falcons. The nearby embarcadero, and especially the Bayside Cafe are worth a stop, if only to imagine Estela and her detective friend Muñoz enjoying the view and waiting for the mobsters to show up and reclaim their cabin cruiser.
Inez’s combination sheep ranch and dog day-care business is imaginary, although you can picture the green hills south of Morro Bay dotted with white Merino sheep. Continuing south, you’ll pass the real state Men’s Colony prison, and if you know just where to look, you might see Helen’s car parked in the lot.
I’m going to leave you at the entrance to the California state university campus where Estela is employed in the counseling center. Last spring an unpopular professor plunged to his death from the library mezzanine in Deadly Disguise. Fortunately a feat like that would be impossible in real life. Estela is off for the summer now, and looking forward to lots of time to read, relax, and puzzle out who did away with that boy found dead on the beach.
I hope you enjoyed this imaginary road trip, and that someday you get to experience the real adventure. If you already love the central coast, please share your memories and favorites places in the comments below.
Loved the tour. Makes me want to hook up the trailer and go down the coast.
Yes! Wait, aren’t you already gone?