We weren't sure about the weather on Saturday, but Uncle Tom called and gave us the green light for Monterrey County then drove down to meet us in Mountain View, where the weather still looked a bit iffy. Around 11:30 on October 30th we all took off (including Eric this time) in Adele and David's rental Grand Marquis and went for a drive down 85 South, to 101 South, to 156 West, to 1 South. Our destination was Big Sur, a State Park with one of the most beautiful scenic drives of all time. I didn't know at all what to expect, but as the day became sunny and clear, and the ocean started popping out from behind large sand dunes and trees, I started to realize the beauty of the clear, blue water and the reason for our hours long expedition.
We had a picnic lunch ready and stopped at a Safeway in Carmel for a loaf of bread, then began our scenic journey along the coastline. The ocean was pristine and the land barely touched. The only development existed in the single paved road, the few bridges, and the sparse houses, magnificently built on the edges of cliffs so that the ocean was their backyard. You could see sunlit ocean for miles and miles, huge green mountains winding along the coast, and rocky edges that lined the white gold beaches. We stopped at as many lookout points along the road as we had time to. There was no way down to the beaches, unless you had rock climbing gear, and I believe they were all private property anyway. Uncle Tom was excited to show us the historic bridges that were built into the mountains and rock.
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| David and Adele |
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| Eric, ready for the waves |
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| Eric thought I was too close to the edge (she was...) |
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| This is what was below the edge |
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| Our first bridge stop |
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| We walked down the cliff a little to get a better picture of this bridge |
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| View from below the bridge |
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| Tunnel through the rock! There were so many caves carved by water that I was dying to explore. |
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| It's practically a crime that we couldn't get down to this beach, look how tempting it is! |
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| Adele |
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| Uncle Tom, Eric, and David |
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| Uncle Tom taking a picture of me! |
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| Look at that California sun! |
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We went as far north as Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, where we had a picnic lunch and did a couple of short walks. There were some very hungry and aggressive bluebirds that were waiting for us to finish so they could eat our leftovers. They were very pretty, which was their only redeeming point.
One walk took us out to one of the most amazing ocean views I have ever seen in my life. I have nicknamed it the Mermaid lagoon, because if I was a mermaid, it is exactly where I would want to live. This place used to be the private property and side yard of Lathrop and Helen Hooper Brown. In 1924, the Browns began acquiring this Big Sur acreage, and in 1940 built a magnificent residence there, right on the edge of the cliff side, surrounded by breathtaking views of the ocean on three sides. Mrs. Brown developed a close friendship with Julia Pfieffer Burns, daughter of a Big Sur pioneer family. When Mrs. Brown's husband died in 1959, she gave the property to the state of California, ordered the house demolished and the beach preserved from human contact, and dedicated the park to her close friend. As you walk through a mysterious pipe tunnel on one of the trails in the park, it leads you to the ruins of the Brown's residence, and to the incredible ocean view. Here you find the end of the creek that runs through Julia Pfieffer Burns state park. It becomes a waterfall that falls over the rocky cliffs and lands directly onto the beach and into the ocean.
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| Eric walking through the secret tunnel |
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| First view out of the tunnel |
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| Trail to the Brown's demolished residence |
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| Mermaid Lagoon (and the Brown's side yard) |
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| Eric and Adele in front of the Mermaid Lagoon |
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| Emily and Eric in front of their future home |
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| Back yard of the Brown's residence |
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| All that is left of the house of Lathrop and Helen Hooper Brown |
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| Other side yard of the Brown's |
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| What if this was your backyard? |
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| David and Adele |
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| Uncle Tom and the sun close to setting |
We didn't think anything was going to beat this, but we still went through some of the other trails in the park to see the big Redwood trees and the creek. Eric had a blast climbing across fallen tree trunks and jumping over the creek from rocks. We found another small waterfall and a banana slug.
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| Banana slug...looks like a pepper |
We decided to get home soon after this since Mia had been in her crate for a long time and we still had at least a two hour drive. On the way out of the park we looked for a great place to watch the sun set and settled on a open area next to Monterrey mile marker 19. Upon closer investigation Emily discovered a path that seemed to be leading right down to the rocks at the edge of the water. Since there were no signs that alerted private property and no fence, I decided to follow the path with my camera to get a better view of the sunset, and was soon followed by my husband who couldn't let me go alone down the darkening path. As I continued down the path, which was actually becoming a very far distance from the car and the rest of our family, I realized that I might be able to get right on the rocks, and I started running so I wouldn't miss the perfect view of the sunset. When I got to the end of the field, a very narrow and steep path led right onto one of the limestone rocks sitting in the ocean. One bad step could have sent Eric and I falling into the ocean below, where we would have died. The waters below were lined with sharp rocks whose tips barely jutted out of the blue water. Along the cliffs, the waves were thrashing violently as the tide came in. It would be a very painful way to die, but the closeness of the rocks was so exciting that we couldn't pass up this chance. I had been yearning all day for a chance to get onto the rocks or the beach. We made it to the rock just in time to see the sun set below the ocean horizon. It was an amazing experience, and not even the pictures can do it justice. I can't even explain how it felt to be on top of the rocks with the ocean so close to us. Someday I would love to get closer and go exploring in the caves along the beach, but it might take some serious rock climbing.
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| Sunset along the coast...see the lighthouse on the left? |
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| Sunset from the beginning of the path |
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| Eric following me, and the car and family waiting at the top of the hill |
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| Getting closer to the rocks... |
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| One of my favorite pictures |
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| Eric at the edge of the grassy field, almost to the rocks |
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| Eric and I in front of the rock before we began to climb it |
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| View from the top of the rock. |
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| Bad place to fall from, but very pretty |
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| Amazing view of more rocky land from the limestone rock we were climbing |
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| View from the top of the rock...can you see the caves carved into the rocks? |
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| Not a place you want to swim |
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| The rock we were climbing...look at that cave! |
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| Sunset |
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| Eric climbing, it was a bit steep in places. |
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| Water trapped on top of the rock, the waves did get pretty high, but maybe it rains more in Monterrey? |
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| Amazing view....this is currently someone's backyard |
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| I want to go into this cave someday |
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| Starting to get dark, we headed back soon after this |
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| You can't even see the car--we were so far out, but it was neat to be on the other side of the rocky cliff |
After we climbed back up the hill and were tired and out of breath, we did the drive back to MountainView and arrived around 8:00pm, where Mia was very happy for our return. Since we were famished, we went to Castro Street in search of a place for dinner and decided on Don Giovanni’s. We got the front table by the window and watched all of the people in Halloween costumes who were out for the evening. It was quite a show. The mad scientist with the flashing magnet was David's personal favorite. I was amazed at the nightlife on Castro Street. I am going to try to get Eric to take me there more often.
When we returned to our apartment we noticed a smell usually found in used Porta Johns and discovered the maintenance man working outside. It seems that there was a problem with the sewer connection and we were asked to not use any water until they resolved the situation. I felt bad that Adele and David had to walk across the road to use the laundry room bathrooms on their vacation, but we did what we had to do. I'm glad they were so calm about it because I was a bit upset. I was even more upset when no one from the apartment management bothered to let us know that the water was okay to use around midnight. We continued using the public bathrooms until the leasing office opened around 11am the next day. But we still had enough energy to do some sight seeing on Sunday before the Steelers game. Next to come: Wineries and hikes in Saratoga!
