Just east of the town of Morro Bay sits Black Hill, one of the Nine Sisters that stretch from Morro Rock in the west to Islay Hill east of San Luis Obispo. We had heard that the hike to the top was scenic but very short – it could be lengthened to about a mile each way by starting from a trailhead on the hill’s southwest slope. However, we must have driven right past it, because we quickly found ourselves heading up the access road that deposited us at a parking area just 1/4-mile from the summit. Jane had bought some new boots that afternoon and we didn’t want to do anything too long in case her feet hurt, so we decided to just head up from here rather than backtrack to the missing trailhead. The trail was very comfortable, wide and freshly-graded, and we made it to the top not 10 minutes after starting. The brush along the trail gives way to an open clearing at the summit, so unobstructed view abound. We finally brought with us two cameras instead of just our cell phones, so the pictures we took came out pretty nice. After enjoying the cool breeze on an otherwise warm July day, we ambled back down the trail to the van. A lovely hike, but one that was too short to be satisfying – we drove back toward San Luis Obispo in search of something else to do next.