When we decided to go to Hayward for Spring Break, I decided that it might be the perfect time to have some personal time. I asked my friend DaNae if she wouldn't mind going on a little adventure. Of course she was up for it, and so I asked if she also wouldn't mind planning the whole thing.
She's so good to me.
She mapped everything out, and even made all our food. She definitely deserves a prize for all the time and energy she put in.
DaNae drove up to Hayward to pick me up on Tuesday morning, and we got on our way.
Our first stop was Point Lobos.
Beautiful Cypress Trees, bright blue ocean water, colorful succulents, and active sea life.
A great beginning for sure!
After Point Lobos we headed to our camp site in Big Sur.
We set up our tent, and then headed back out for our next adventure... Pfeiffer Beach.
There was a photo in one of DaNae's books that I desperately wanted to capture.
I never did achieve my goal, but we did get some decent photos.
Trying to capture the keyhole with a few of my closest friends :)
On our way out DaNae offered a ride to a nice family who would've otherwise had to walk 2 miles with two small sleepy children in their arms.
She also pulled over on the way up to the main road to offer assistance to a car that was signaling for help. What a wonderful example of Christlike service!
DAY 2
Woke up and enjoyed a bowl of muesli with fresh strawberries.
The perfect breakfast while camping, and hiking.
Our first adventure this day led us just down the road from our camp site to a place called Pfeiffer falls which is located on Redwood Creek in Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park.
A very nice, and fairly easy trail.
There's a fork on the trail. One way will take you to the falls, and the other to the vista.
This is the vista trail, and then the view at the top.
The view was nice, but not amazing, and if you squint you can see the line of where the ocean meets the horizon.
When we got back from our hike we needed to change camp sites because the one we had was only available for one night. The new site was just a stones throw away, so we picked up our tent and walked it down the road. Once we were all settled we decided it was time for lunch. We heard of a great place where there were chairs in the river. We grabbed our pasta salad and headed over. We bought a few Dr. Peppers and headed down to the river.
This was the coolest lunch spot ever!!!
And, if you can even imagine it, the Dr.Pepper's even tasted better.
After lunch we headed over to Julia Pfeiffer Burns State park.
As we drove, we pulled off the Highway several times to capture some breathtaking views.
This photo was possibly a group of large fish (or maybe even small dolphins) that were moving in a school close to the surface of the water. We followed them for a bit and then got frustrated that we couldn't tell what we were watching.
Moving on...
Finally we arrived at our destination, and headed to the Ewoldsen trail, which was, again, gorgeous!
It was glorious!
We finished our hike with a light dinner on a picnic table near the river and then we headed over to McWay falls. McWay falls was on our list of must sees!
After a very short hike, we arrived at our destination, and it did not disappoint.
The tunnel really did an excellent job of closing our view to everything around us so that upon exiting our eyes mind could really focus on something spectacular.
As the sun set, the sky became warmer and warmer, until it appeared as though it were on fire.
It seems as though the world is His canvas.
DAY 3
This day was slightly overcast, but we didn't mind.
First on the agenda was Partington cove .
You literally would miss it if you didn't know it was there.
There are three amazing spots on this trail. The first is a tucked away creek that seems to gently flow over perfectly placed boulders. The creek eventually empties out into the ocean.
The second, is a cool hole in the rock, man made tunnel, that lets you out onto Partington cove point. This point is where boats used to moor to collect tanbark for transport.
The trail was just as beautiful as the point.
Cool old footings and anchors
Even came across a bit of sea life because the tide was out.
The third amazing view point on this adventure was on the other side of the point. It is the place where the creek meets the ocean in the cove.
WOW!
We spent most of the morning here, and when we were done we decided to go find our new home in Lime Kiln State Park.
On our way to our camp site we stopped to photograph Bixby bridge.
It is one of the few remaining concrete bridges along Highway one.
It's kind of a cool bridge!
Back at our campsite we set up our tent and then headed out on our next hike...
The Lime Kiln trails.
The start of the trail was one of my favorites!
I think because it followed the creek nearly the whole way.
And then, we branched off to head to the kilns and came to these...
...metal covered brick beasts that rivaled the height of the trees.
Then...
When we got back to camp we did some R&R... Reading, and Relaxing.
As it started to get late, we had some homemade chili for dinner (with avocados in it) and then washed up and headed over to the beach to watch the sun set.
Not as glorious as the two previous nights, but very peaceful and soothing to be right next to the water.
This was a long day full of adventure, so when the sun was set,
we headed back to our tent and hit our pillows pretty hard.
DAY 4
We decided that today would be our last day to explore Big Sur.
We packed up our tent, and all our belongings and headed for the highway.
Don't worry, there's still plenty of time in a day to get a few more adventures in.
Our first stop...
Salmon Creek Falls
This trail was short, and pretty, but if you wanted to get to the top of the waterfall, you had to go straight up. We climbed around the rocks at the base for a while...
...trying to get different view points, and then we decided we better try to get up to the top.
And even though the trail went straight up, it was quite charming.
As we found the pools at the top of the falls, they blew our minds.
I wish I could have captured their creation which was, in fact, a water wonderland.
Here is a photo of me at the very tip top (120 feet up,) looking down...
and then DaNae and I, both taking another look from a safer position...
This was a great little adventure that we didn't expect.
As we got back in the car it started to rain a little harder and the ocean was grey and cold.
We drove on, and decided to stop to see if we could spot any elephant seals at the Piedras Blancas rookery in San Simeon.
No worries, there were plenty to see
Stinky, but cool!
Next we set off in search of Moonstone beach.
We found it, as well as a few cool stones, but nothing amazing.
I was starting to get hungry, so we looked for a place to stop and cook our split pea soup.
We found a farmers market in town so we stopped and took a peak. The market was truly amazing! Because it was raining, the vegetables looked that much more appetizing and brilliant.
Also behind the market there was a little place with an overhang (to protect us from the rain) where we warmed our soup for pure indulgent satisfaction.
THEN, as if we hadn't packed enough into this trip already, we read in one of DaNae's books about pond turtles at San Simeon State park. We both thought that sounded cool so we traveled back a few miles to see what we could find. While we didn't find turtles, we did find these:
We couldn't believe how vibrant these rocks/moonstones were. We each spent the next hour or so hunched over next to the creek in search of the perfect collection. There were also several hundred perfect skipping rocks next to the creek, and the conditions were perfect, so we stayed a bit longer to skip rocks like we were kids again.
What a perfect end to our trip!
I cannot express the beauty and magnificence that my eyes beheld the past few days.
Maybe I could best explain by quoting a man who seems to have grasped the words that capture a portion of the moment:
"Nature is always lovely, invincible, glad,
whatever is done and suffered by her creatures.
All scars she heals,
whether in rocks or water or sky or
hearts."
~John Muir~
There was a photo in one of DaNae's books that I desperately wanted to capture.
I never did achieve my goal, but we did get some decent photos.
 |
(Purple sand)  |
Trying to capture the keyhole with a few of my closest friends :)
On our way out DaNae offered a ride to a nice family who would've otherwise had to walk 2 miles with two small sleepy children in their arms.
She also pulled over on the way up to the main road to offer assistance to a car that was signaling for help. What a wonderful example of Christlike service!
DAY 2
Woke up and enjoyed a bowl of muesli with fresh strawberries.
The perfect breakfast while camping, and hiking.
Our first adventure this day led us just down the road from our camp site to a place called Pfeiffer falls which is located on Redwood Creek in Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park.
A very nice, and fairly easy trail.
There's a fork on the trail. One way will take you to the falls, and the other to the vista.
This is the vista trail, and then the view at the top.
When we got back from our hike we needed to change camp sites because the one we had was only available for one night. The new site was just a stones throw away, so we picked up our tent and walked it down the road. Once we were all settled we decided it was time for lunch. We heard of a great place where there were chairs in the river. We grabbed our pasta salad and headed over. We bought a few Dr. Peppers and headed down to the river.
And, if you can even imagine it, the Dr.Pepper's even tasted better.
After lunch we headed over to Julia Pfeiffer Burns State park.
As we drove, we pulled off the Highway several times to capture some breathtaking views.
This photo was possibly a group of large fish (or maybe even small dolphins) that were moving in a school close to the surface of the water. We followed them for a bit and then got frustrated that we couldn't tell what we were watching.
Moving on...
(DaNae always searching for the best angle.
Love it!)
Finally we arrived at our destination, and headed to the Ewoldsen trail, which was, again, gorgeous!
On our way back out, we stopped to breathe.
We unlaced our tired stiff boots, we took off our socks,
and we immersed our now unprotected feet in the refreshing cool of the creek.
We found some soft rocks on the bank of it, and sat for a spell.
We finished our hike with a light dinner on a picnic table near the river and then we headed over to McWay falls. McWay falls was on our list of must sees!
After a very short hike, we arrived at our destination, and it did not disappoint.
The tunnel really did an excellent job of closing our view to everything around us so that upon exiting our eyes mind could really focus on something spectacular.
WHAT!?!?
The terrace
DAY 3
This day was slightly overcast, but we didn't mind.
First on the agenda was Partington cove .
You literally would miss it if you didn't know it was there.
The second, is a cool hole in the rock, man made tunnel, that lets you out onto Partington cove point. This point is where boats used to moor to collect tanbark for transport.
The trail was just as beautiful as the point.
Cool old footings and anchors
Even came across a bit of sea life because the tide was out.
The third amazing view point on this adventure was on the other side of the point. It is the place where the creek meets the ocean in the cove.
We spent most of the morning here, and when we were done we decided to go find our new home in Lime Kiln State Park.
On our way to our camp site we stopped to photograph Bixby bridge.
It is one of the few remaining concrete bridges along Highway one.
It's kind of a cool bridge!
Back at our campsite we set up our tent and then headed out on our next hike...
The Lime Kiln trails.
The start of the trail was one of my favorites!
I think because it followed the creek nearly the whole way.
And then, we branched off to head to the kilns and came to these...
After exploring the kilns for a bit we headed back to the fork in the trail and took it.
We were crossing back and forth over the creek, and climbing up tree roots, until finally,
we reached this beauty...
A 100 foot high, powerfully stunning waterfall
This log, that hung in the air over the water, made for a cool pause, or pose, you choose.
Then...
...this picture was taken at the top of the little fall.
There just happened to be an amazingly cozy little chair right next to this little fall.
It seemed as though someone had carved right into the rocks to make sure I had a place to drink my water.
When we got back to camp we did some R&R... Reading, and Relaxing.
As it started to get late, we had some homemade chili for dinner (with avocados in it) and then washed up and headed over to the beach to watch the sun set.
This was a long day full of adventure, so when the sun was set,
DAY 4
We decided that today would be our last day to explore Big Sur.
We packed up our tent, and all our belongings and headed for the highway.
Don't worry, there's still plenty of time in a day to get a few more adventures in.
Our first stop...
This trail was short, and pretty, but if you wanted to get to the top of the waterfall, you had to go straight up. We climbed around the rocks at the base for a while...
And even though the trail went straight up, it was quite charming.
As we found the pools at the top of the falls, they blew our minds.
I wish I could have captured their creation which was, in fact, a water wonderland.
Here is a photo of me at the very tip top (120 feet up,) looking down...
and then DaNae and I, both taking another look from a safer position...
This was a great little adventure that we didn't expect.
As we got back in the car it started to rain a little harder and the ocean was grey and cold.
We drove on, and decided to stop to see if we could spot any elephant seals at the Piedras Blancas rookery in San Simeon.
No worries, there were plenty to see
Next we set off in search of Moonstone beach.
We found it, as well as a few cool stones, but nothing amazing.
I was starting to get hungry, so we looked for a place to stop and cook our split pea soup.
We found a farmers market in town so we stopped and took a peak. The market was truly amazing! Because it was raining, the vegetables looked that much more appetizing and brilliant.
Also behind the market there was a little place with an overhang (to protect us from the rain) where we warmed our soup for pure indulgent satisfaction.
THEN, as if we hadn't packed enough into this trip already, we read in one of DaNae's books about pond turtles at San Simeon State park. We both thought that sounded cool so we traveled back a few miles to see what we could find. While we didn't find turtles, we did find these:
We couldn't believe how vibrant these rocks/moonstones were. We each spent the next hour or so hunched over next to the creek in search of the perfect collection. There were also several hundred perfect skipping rocks next to the creek, and the conditions were perfect, so we stayed a bit longer to skip rocks like we were kids again.
What a perfect end to our trip!
I cannot express the beauty and magnificence that my eyes beheld the past few days.
Maybe I could best explain by quoting a man who seems to have grasped the words that capture a portion of the moment:
"Nature is always lovely, invincible, glad,
whatever is done and suffered by her creatures.
All scars she heals,
whether in rocks or water or sky or
hearts."
~John Muir~
3 comments:
What lovely pictures and such fun! Our family used to do this on weekends a lot, but we, as far as I knew, had no plans; Dad would just drive until he stopped.
I bet you have great memories here!
Post a Comment