Big Sur, CA

We drove south along the coast to visit Big Sur today and checkout the campgrounds located there.  I am certain the trip was my first journey along this stretch of the California coast.  The coastline is beautiful, dramatic and drops off hundreds of feet from the very edge of the road to the ocean below.  One surprise Big Sur held for both of us was the presence of redwood trees.  It qualifies also one of the nicest trips of the week because of the pleasant people we encountered during our time there.

The town also met our requirement of a good place for lunch (even though our only choice of a restaurant turned out to be somewhat expensive.)  Originally, the restaurant was across the street in the home of Ellen Brown who opened up her living room and dining room to the public to serve “hot apple pie” in 1934.  Lodging rooms were added on and this became Big Sur’s first resort.  It was moved to its present location on the opposite (west) side of Highway One when the paved road between Carmel and Hearst Castle was completed.  It has been a family business ever since with the apple pie still on the menu!  Next time we go there, we'll have to try the pie!

All of the campgrounds there are located down along side of the Big Sur River.  We learned that the river is closely monitored for fishing which is only allowed on a catch and release basis.  The river can also become destructive when heavy winter rains raise Big Sur River’s water level above its banks where the campsites are located.  At the time of our visit, the river was low, meandering its way through rocks and pools toward the sea.  The scent of the redwoods permeated the air and singing birds created a chorus of sounds.  There is neither cell phone service nor Internet here which heightens the sense of “getting away from it all” as we entered into a primal forest of trees hundreds of years old.

Traveling this road is interesting.  We passed a naval station with a lighthouse on an island not unlike the huge rock island we saw at Morro Bay.  A narrow road winds up around it up to several buildings and a lighthouse built along its crest.   There are several concrete bridges on Highway One built in the 1930s with beautiful arches reaching down to support columns rising up from canyon valleys leading to the sea the road crosses and visible as we wind our way along the serpentine curves that form the road.  Monterey pines grow along a few sections of the road with branches shaped by ocean winds.  Add this to your “must see” spots in the world if you get to California.