It has taken me a little while to get through all the photos from our August California Trip and even longer to get final post put together. Today I wanted to share some of my favorite snaps from our time in Big Sur. We rented a convertible towards the start of our trip and drove to Napa & Sonoma from San Francisco (as you saw in my posts here, here and here). Afterwards we headed off to Big Sur and Lake Almanor to finish our trip.
We headed out of San Francisco and drove up the coast through the fog. We made a pit stop in Pacifico to grab some breakfast burritos we had heard good things about and then headed to check out the Mavericks surf spot in Half Moon Bay. It was the wrong time of year for surfing and the tides were low so it was pretty desolate but we could still imagine what it must be like to watch surfers attempt to brave the water here. The warning signs about the harsh tides and waves were enough to keep everyone out of the water that day.
As we got closer to Big Sur, we pulled off at Bixby Creek Bridge to get a few photos. There was a huge crowd of people of the ocean-side of the road, but we knew better (thanks to my research) that the ideal shots were from the inland side. The road looked to be closed off to cars, but we walked past the gate up the hill and looked down towards to the bridge and water to get the views above.
I've seen plenty of water views on the East Coast but nothing compares to the views of the Pacific Ocean along the 101. It was hard to stop taking pictures at every turn, since the views seemed to get better and better.
We were ready for a late lunch by the time we got into Big Sur and headed to Nepanthe, as we had heard the views were amazing and the whimsical vibe was worth experiencing. We were able to get seats outside along the edge of the terrace where we had the outlook you see in the above photo right in front of use while we ate. The food was tasty, but the real reason to check out this place is to experience the views. Worth stopping by for a bite or mid-afternoon coffee.
After lunch we drove further down the 101 to find McWay Falls. Which was one of my favorite stops of the trip with the blue colors in the water and tree-covered cliffs hanging above. The waterfall here is one of only two waterfalls in the whole state of California that flow directly into the Pacific Ocean. We learned that there had once been a house built on the cliff right here for a wealthy couple, imagine that view everyday out your window!
We left McWay Falls and were on a mission to find our last site-seeing spot of the day before dark set in - Pfeifffer Beach. We were not quite sure how to find the beach or where exactly it was, since Pfeiffer State Park is quite large. We ended up asking a park ranger where to go and off we were. We hadn't planned to be on the beach right at the golden hour of sunset but it we ended arriving at just the right time to take some amazing photos.
This beach is pretty secluded and relatively unknown by tourists, which meant it was totally unspoiled and pretty empty. You have to drive down a long, super narrow, winding wooded road to even get to the entrance so it was not an easy feat.
The beach however was worth the search. The huge rocks reminded me of Canon Beach in Oregon but with much more forceful water splashing around them. As we walked down the beach the colors changed dramatically when the sun was either on top of or behind the rocks, giving a huge range of colors in our pictures below.
Setting up the GoPro to get some timelapse sunset shots.
I had heard there was 'purple sand' on this beach but we only noticed it on our way out. This could definitely be easily missed as it was only up the hilly dunes, not on the flat beach itself. Apparently this purple sand is actually from manganese garnet particles washing down the hillside.
Rather than spend our night in Big Sur in a hotel, we opted to rent a cabin at Ripplewood Resort. We had our own cabin along the creek complete with a personal fire pit. We planned ahead and bought supplies to grill and make s'mores in Monterrey so we were plenty prepared when we arrived. The Resort's store does have quite a large selection of all the items you need in case you do forget cook-out supplies.
Right outside our cabin where amazing redwood trees and a beautiful creek. For two New Yorkers, this was a welcome scene to wake up to in the morning!
We left Big Sur in the morning and headed to our final destination of the trip, Lake Almanor to visit with some friends who have a house there. I left my camera aside and enjoyed the weekend, but did manage to take a few photos the night we arrived. We took some drinks out to the dock and just watched as the lake and sky transformed into different colors and patterns. I took so, so many photos but narrowed it down to a few of my favorites that I wanted to share.
Needless to say, we had an amazing trip out West. I have always lived on the East Coast but can definitely see myself moving to the West Coast eventually, it's really hard to top all of the natural beauty of California.
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