Big Sur Day 1

Road trip to Big Sur!  Luckily I had two days off in the middle of the week, which allowed me to explore more of this amazing state of California.  I set lose southwards in my housemates Ford Explorer Sport, bumping the tunes, and falling in love with driving again (might have to get myself a car one of these days).  The drive south through Monterey passed quickly and then within an hour, I was already pulling over to start taking pictures of the coast.  Once you leave Carmel and civilization (aka cell service, houses, shops), it's just you and the coast, that rugged, infamous coast.

The first main stop in Big Sur (when going south) is the 1932 built Bixby Bridge which blows you away.  Enormous in size and grandeur, it literally stops traffic on both sides for pictures, of both the bridge and the beach below.












I hiked up a dirt road inlands for a mile to get a good shot looking through the arches.  Not many people head up there, as Big Sur is often done as a day trip.  But I was just cruising, with no direct plans, just going off where I pleased and loving life.  Best way to travel is without a set schedule, and I had two days of straight exploring whatever looked good.













From the bridge, it was onwards, stopping pretty much every 5 minutes at the viewpoints and turnoffs to check out the view.  There were views of epic rocks scattered along the coast, waves crashing into cliffs, the windy road inclining up mountains and of course, the local flora and fauna (California poppies, wild mustard, hawks and vultures being the main sights).  With no time frame, and a car to my name, I could just cruise and stop whenever the view or amount of cars stopped told me to.  Here are a couple of pictures from the start of the trip:

Next was a stop at Pfeiffer Beach, which was actually full of people.  I parked on Hwy 1 and hiked the 2 miles down to the beach, enjoyed splashing around in the water and explored some of the arches carved over time into the rocks on the beach.  Rather than hiking back up, I scored a ride with some cool Southern Californians.  Then back on the road!

McWay Falls at Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park is perhaps the most photographed image from Big Sur, with dramatic waterfalls crashing down onto an isolated cove.  The falls used to land directly into the ocean until a 1981 landslide brought in sediment and created the beach.  There was also a house, know as the Waterfall House that overlooked this bit of paradise until the 70s.  That was a top 10 house in the country for sure.  While super busy with tourists, this area is a must see and worth the time.  Park on the road for free and walk down through the tunnel under the highway to get to the falls.

After a few more turnoffs and a couple of modern bridges, it became time to put the feet up and relax.  There's a forest road that allows camping on the shoulders and I headed up to score a sweet spot overlooking Hwy 1 and the ocean.  Perfect place to get in some relaxing, reading and watch the sunset.  A German family on a 3 week US tour parked nearby and kept the conversation entertaining.  Twas an amazing day, and day two would prove to be just as good.  Long live Big Sur!

My spot for the night

End of the day.  No more sunlight, and straight sleeping ahead!