California Roadtrip - Day 4

July 24, 2012

Wow, where do I even begin?!  Today was a day that I will never forget.  It was probably one of the most incredible days I will ever experience.  The night before we got our breakfast at a grocery store, so we checked out around 9:00 a.m. and headed south on Highway 1.  All the way through HWY 1, there were the most incredible scenic views I will ever see in my life.  I don’t even know what words to use to do it justice.  It was incredible, breathtaking, amazing, mouth dropping, eye opening, spiritual, and wonderful to say the least.

It is here in Big Sur that I first learned how to say Amen
~ Henry Miller

We took a few stops along the way.  Where ever there was a pull out, I probably made Mark stop so I could take yet another picture.  One of the first things we stopped at was the Rock Creek Bridge, then we stopped again at the Bixby Bridge.  The Bixby Bridge is famous for its car commercials, and it is much better in person.  I can't find the pictures that I took of them right now, but hopefully I will find them and if I do, I will put them up here.  I actually can't find a lot of the pictures that we took the first part of this trip through Big Sur, so I really hope we find them!  But for now, here is a picture of the bridge that I did not take.

"Thirteen miles south of Carmel stands one of the world's highest single-span concrete arch bridges, Bixby Bridge. Its beauty is matched only by the ocean waves crashing on the rocky coastline below. Reaching over 260 feet high and over 700 feet long, it is a structural masterpiece, and probably the most photographed object along the coastal route." -BigSurCalifornia.org

Pfeiffer state park park was next on our list. There was a $10 fee to enter the state park, but you pay once and then you can enter all the rest for free. We hiked a 3 mile hike through the giant redwoods and beautiful scenery to Pfeiffer falls, which was sooooo worth it. It was a gorgeous waterfall, with cute little bridges and ginormous trees along the way.

About a mile further north on the highway, there is a little turnoff point to go to Pfeiffer beach.  If we were going to be spending a whole day at a beach, I would choose this one.  It isn’t well known, it is secluded, and very pretty.  There were all sorts of neat rocks everywhere and water crashing through the holes in the big rocks a little further away.  I could sit there for a few hours and just watch the water crash through those rocks.

While we were there, we also found what we think is the longest seaweed ever.  It probably isn't the longest seaweed ever, but it sure was giant.

 McWay Falls was next.  While all of the stops and views were nothing short of incredible, this viewpoint was by FAR my absolute favorite.  McWay Falls is the only coastal waterfall along Big Sur.  It is technically a part of the Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, but if you want a shortcut to the famous spot you can pull off the road on the west side right after the park entrance and get on the trail from there.  It'll save you a lot of time.  This dirt trail curves around and takes you straight to the trail that gives awesome views of this God-made beauty. The waterfall drops 80 feet straight onto the beach and into the aqua water.  The weather was perfect and the sun was just starting to peak through the clouds.  It was memorizing!  A MUST SEE if you ever go.

One of our last "named" spots was Ragged Point.  It was a pull-off spot with jaw-dropping views of Big Sur.  This is where we stopped to eat a late lunch, early dinner.  The food took FOREVER, but we weren’t in a rush.  It was nice to sit on look at the beautiful view.  They even had a nature park there that you could walk around in.  There were tons of beautiful flowers right by the cliff.

On our way to Hearst Cast, we stopped at a boardwalk in Piedras Blancas.  It has an up-close view of giant elephant seals.  These seals can weigh over 2 tons and are some of the ugliest creatures I have ever seen.  So all they do is lay there…at least when we were there.  A few of them were making funny sounds that sounded like they were burping, then they would just flop back onto the sand.  Some of them were hot so they would throw a ton of sand on them to keep themselves cool.  There were tons and tons of them.  And seriously they just lay there and every now and then they make a strange sound and flop to the other side....such odd creatures. 

We finally made it to Hearst Castle around 4:30.  We were debating whether or not we wanted to go to Hearst Castle because it costs $25 each, and we didn’t know if we would have time.  I am so glad that we decided to go.  It had a really neat history and the outside was simply gorgeous.  Thanks to my dad, for talking us into going to the castle.  Definitely worth it.

After Hearst Castle, we headed down to a little town called Buellton, CA to go camping.  We got there around 9:00, after the sun was already pretty much down.  The tent is set up and the neighbors seem like they are having lots of fun… ;)

Today was so unbelievably amazing.  One of the best days of my life.  There is nothing better than taking in God's amazing creation, something so beautiful and memorizing that there are not any words to even do it justice, with the one you love dear.  If seeing the Big Sur is not on your bucket list, it should be.  If you are ever in need of a vacation to restore your soul and faith, this is the one you need to go on.  The beauty that God created right here in the United States of America is probably the most astounding piece of scenery that I will ever see in my entire life.  I have already stated this, but I mean it when I say, only God could create something of this caliber of beauty! 

Make sure you click on "Older Posts" to see the rest of our trip until Day 8!