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| Beach Bum for a weekend |
| Around 11:00 I packed up the tent and drove up towards Big Sur, stopping at the southernmost grove of coastal redwoods (found it quite by accident, I was looking for a place to pull over to use the restroom! lol). I also stopped at McWay Falls, a graceful tall waterfall that empties directly into the Pacific Ocean, supposedly the only one that does. Although the state parks in Big Sur were full, there are several private campgrounds and I found a campspot along the Big Sur River and next to an albino redwood tree. Still haven't quite figured that one out... Its needles were cream colored, and it was a short tree, more of a bush really, so it was living, but not thriving. There were other redwoods surrounding it so I figured it must be deriving its nutrients from another tree since it could not photosynthesize...? That night I drove over to Pfeiffer Beach, which is on Los Padres National Forest Land down an unmarked road. I struck up a conversation with the fellow in the entrance fee booth about how I was surprised it was Forest Service land (most of the land on the coast is private or State Park land). He let me in for free once he found out I was a Forest Service employee And so I spent several hours down there, but I think I was the only single person on the beach Even the dogs I saw were paired up! lol There are a couple of arched rocks off shore and I took a whole roll of b+w film photographing that lovely stretch of sand... (Click here for those photos) |
| On Sunday I drove up to Carmel and met my sister and brother-in-law at the Mission where they were married last year. We drove down to Point Lobos State Reserve and basically hiked the perimeter of the park. We saw lots of sea otters, one a mom carrying its baby on her belly. We also saw sea lions, harbor seals, a peregrine falcon, and lots of other birds. The north side of the park is amazing... gigantic old twisted Monterey cypress clinging to the towering cliffs above clear turquoise blue water. Beautiful... |
| I had dinner with them in Carmel and then we parted and I headed back south to Big Sur. I stayed at another private campground under a cluster of redwoods and that night it rained and it was quite peaceful hearing the drops on my tent all night. Yesterday morning I woke up, packed up the wet tent, and headed south. I cut back to the east on the Naciemento Road, a crazy Forest Service road that climbs straight up the mountain. And I thought Hwy 1 was twisty, turny, and cliffy! This road is amazing. You climb straight above the ocean and wind over grassy headlands that are dotted with yucca and other desert plants, but then you wind your way back into wet valleys dotted with redwoods. From desert to rainforest in the matter of a hundred feet. Incredible! Eventually the road winds its way down through oak woodlands and the drier east side of the Santa Lucia Mountains. There are a few nice campgrounds in that area, and I didn't see another soul for about 40 miles... On the eastern side I stopped at the San Miguel Mission, one mission I hadn't visited yet, but was disappointed that I couldn't see the inside of the church which was damaged by the Dec 22 earthquake. Then I cut back over to Hwy 46 on a back road and eventually made my way back to the Central Valley and then the Sierran foothills and then home. So I guess I got my first 3 bag nights in for the year, albeit they were car camping bag nights. Looking for another 7 or so next month :) Pfeiffer Beach Black and White Photos Big Sur Summer 2003 Big Sur Fall 2005 Big Sur Spring 2008 Point Lobos 2008 Back to Day Hiking Back to Road Trips Back to Tarol's Homepage |
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| I'm back at home after a long weekend spent on the amazing central California coast. I did not have any plans except for meeting my sister and brother-in-law for a hike on Sunday somewhere north of Big Sur. I like doing trips like that, just go and see what you see and let the wind take you where it blows. Friday night after work I drove the 3 hours or so to San Simeon and managed to find my way about in the dark and find a decent campsite at San Simeon State Beach. In the morning I walked on the beach there for a few hours. It was a glorious mild-weathered breezy morn. I just moseyed about watching snowy plovers and examining the driftwood. It was nice to have no agenda, nothing I had to do... |
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