We had had to postpone our annual Labor Day hike due to our daughter, Chelsea’s, pending labor of her own, but we still managed to get over to Pismo for a few days later that week. We had been contemplating a number of hiking options in the area and, having driven down south to Solvang the day before, we decided to head north and give the Point Buchon trail a try. Where Pecho Valley Road ends in Montana de Oro State Park, PG&E property begins – the utility has several thousand acres of buffer land surrounding the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant. Unknown to many, PG&E allows public access to the northern section of this parcel, but only on certain days of the week, only along the Point Buchon trail, and only after visitors sign a waiver at a guard station near the property entrance. We found the parking lot easily and could see the sign-in post across Coon Creek to the south some 400 yards away – the trail leads south along the bluffs from there, where hikers can make a 1-1/2 mile loop or can continue another 3 miles or so down the coast, cutting some of that distance off when using the inner eastern loop for their return. After signing in, we walked down the western loop overlooking Coon Creek and its pristine beach – a lateral trail can be followed to the beach itself, but we stayed on the loop trail and arrived at a collapsed sea cave called the Sinkhole, where ocean water surges through a tunnel into a deep crater ringed by a guard rail. From there, we proceeded south down the bluffs to Point Buchon. East of the point, PG&E has prepared an overlook with a bench and some signage, and after climbing the short slope to check that out, we continued south past the return loop trail to follow the bluffs southward to Disney Point. This headland is so named because the movie “Pete’s Dragon” was filmed at a mock lighthouse constructed here in the 1970’s – beautiful cliffs, natural bridges, and undisturbed beaches are all seen along the way. South from Disney Point, the trail angles up and away from the water, becoming less of a utility road and more of a single track after a gate onto leased ranch property. Our goal was Windy Point – although the trail proper continues another 1/2-mile beyond the point, it loses all its elevation and much of its scenic value as it does so, so the point seemed to be a likely turnaround for us. We were not at all disappointed – rounding the final hillside, views opened up to the south, allowing us to see all the way to the power plant itself. We rested on the bench here for a while, then turned for home. It was a very pleasant walk and we encountered only two other hikers on our way out, choosing the cutoff to complete the loop back to the guard station. The skies were a little hazy this day – we’ll have to come back this winter when the air gets really clear.