Big Sur Excursion

With waves breaking against its spectacular cliffs, a ride down to Big Sur along the coastal route of Highway One is another highlight of our stay in Monterey Bay.  The road winds along the shore dropping off precipitously from its precarious position along the sides of hills that run steeply down to drop-off cliffs and the huge rocks the surf has carved out of them in the waves below. Whether ancient man or us, no one could pass this way without pausing to admire nature’s work.

The redwoods of Big Sur and three tiny campgrounds are the ultimate goal along with lunch at a roadside restaurant there with all fronting the river that runs through Big Sur of the same name.  The campgrounds are mainly for tents and small campers that can maneuver down narrow entrance drives.  Once there, most sites backup to the river with huge redwoods rising all around them.  It is easy to see why the sites are booked up for two years in advance and could be for years more if the owners cared to make the bookings.  It seems the whole world wants to stay here where cell phones and Wi-Fi are virtually non-existent.  Maybe the world does crave a place to literally escape from it all.

It is here that we met an owner who vacations on San Juan Island where I lived for ten years and where Jim and I met and were married.  How appropriate that someone who loves the forests of Big Sur would also be in love with another place on earth that drew me to its wildness too.

We ate lunch surrounded by Stellar Jays.  These beautiful blue jaybirds were happy to surround our outside table and delight us with their antics and conversation while we dined.  They were looking for a few morsels and we were looking for a few good photos.  All of us were satisfied with the outcome.  Sitting outside next to the river hidden by foliage amid a few rays of sun breaking through the mist from the ocean, we couldn’t help but think we were on vacation just like everyone else!