Pismo Beach Preserve offers hiking trails, flowers, views
1 PISMO BEACH, Calif. — Twenty minutes into an uphill trek in the 880-acre Pismo Preserve, my small group of hikers rounded a turn as the noise from Highway 101 dissipated. As if on cue, the preserve’s bonsai-like lone oak, which many consider its symbol, appeared through the fog and mist, growing out of a rock pedestal. Other coastal live oaks stood nearby as if in deference. They were lovely in their own right, with weathered branches draped with long, pale-green lace lichen dotted with dew. The preserve, which opened in January above Pismo Beach and is the latest addition to San Lui...