Seminal moments

There's something about waking up at day break to the sound of waves crashing on the rocks 100 feet below your hotel balcony.  It's God's metronome.  Non-stop motion that has been happening millions of years.  Hypnotic.

I slept with the sliding glass door open because I didn't want to rob myself of one second of that experience.  I make it a point to rise early when I'm vacationing.   There's no better time to appreciate the allure of everything nature has to offer than when the sun first comes up and the rest of the world is still asleep.

When I finished my walk down the beach and all through downtown, it was time to hit the road for the second leg of our trip.  Onward and upward to Big Sur.  Buckle up.
  
On the way, we stopped to snap a couple pictures of the elephant seals that call San Simeon home.  

I'm supremely jealous of their lifestyle:  hang out on the beach, cruise around for a lady-friend, eat, drink, and sleep.  Sign me up.

Just after San Simeon, you start your ascent towards the Los Padres National Forest.  

Looking back towards San Simeon from the ascending Pacific Coast Highway.

One of the real joys of driving this stretch is listening to my dad fret irrationally over the structural integrity of the "turn outs" along PCH (small gravel areas where you can stop to snap a picture or let faster traffic go by).  I take an unhealthy pleasure is listening to Big Joe freak out if I get within 10 feet of the edge. 


"Hey.  HEY!  Now goddammit, I told you, don't get too close to the edge.  This is a heavy vehicle."  As if this slab of California coast is going to fall into the ocean the very moment I drove this SUV onto the shoulder. The same shoulder that 50 million other cars have pulled onto since they began construction on Highway 1 in 1919*. 

*here's a link to the history of this stretch of road.

Before you commit to this drive with its hairpin turns, harrowing switchbacks, and heart-stopping cliff edges, you better make sure of two things: 1)  you don't have to use the bathroom and 2) you don't need gas.  Your choices will be severely limited.  And if you want to experience the basic tenet of supply and demand, try filling up at one of the gas stations along this highway.  Hoooo boy.

If I owned this station, I would add "....so pay up, suckah"

Gorda is the first sign of civilization once you've reached altitude.  It's a cool little "town" with an inn, store, gas station, and tremendous views (of course).  It's a good place to stop and catch your breath.

 

This is directly across the street from the Whale Watchers Cafe.  Make sure you look both ways before crossing the street.

Our next stop was one of the real gems of this trip, the Lucia Lodge.  I don't know why I don't remember being here before, but I guarantee I'll be back.  The lodge was originally 4 cottages built on a cliff's edge, overlooking a big cove.

  
There's a restaurant attached to the general store/front desk and attached to that is an indoor seating area.  If you choose to eat inside rather than the outdoor patio, we can't be friends.  It actually should be against the law.

This is one of those places you just need to sit quietly and take it all in.  The sound of crashing surf in the distance, the smell of the ocean, the warmth of the sun, and the serenity of the moment.  This is the kind of place that inspires masterpieces, rouses emotions, and galvanizes the soul.  It's a vision you will never forget.

Guess who's wearing the straw hat

It's almost unfair to couple excellent food with these panoramic vistas, but Lucia does it.  

An old, unused building on the grounds of Lucia Lodge

Recharged and invigorated, we're ready to enjoy the next 25 miles to the Big Sur Lodge.  I want to get there, check in, and take a hike before dinner.  

Highway 1, for the most part, hugs the coast. Thus "Pacific COAST Highway".  But Big Sur actually sits in a valley, just inland in the Los Padres National Forest.  It's also the southern most home of California Coastal Redwood Trees.  These are the oldest and tallest trees on earth.  It's impossible to put into words just how impressive these things are.  They can grow to 300 feet tall, and some of these very trees that stand today sprouted when Jesus walked the earth.

After we checked into our cabin, I put on my hiking boots and headed up the Valley View Trail inside Pfieffer Big Sur State Park.  This is a mile long trail up one of the mountain sides that create the Big Sur Valley.  It's a moderate trail that'll break a sweat for a 50 year old guy who doesn't do cardio.  But man....  1000 feet up, looking down on the valley, majestic trees as far as you can see, the Big Sur River, Highway 1, and way off in the distance, the ocean.  When I finally made it to the top, I literally said out loud, "Well.....that was worth it."

A picture might be worth a thousand words, but that's still not enough

I wish I could have stayed there until the sun set, but A) I could hear dad's stomach growling from a mile away, and B) my son texted me, "get off that mountain.  You're prime cougar bait."  He doesn't say much, but when he does, he's makes a compelling point.

I made it down the mountain safely and uneaten, got cleaned up, and went to Deetjens Big Sur Inn for dinner.  This place has been around for 80 years, built by Norwegian immigrant Helmuth Deetjen who welcomed adventurists traveling the newly paved coast highway.  The place hasn't changed a bit.  It's a perfect accent to the surrounding redwoods and natural beauty.  And not that it really mattered because dad and I were thoroughly enjoying each others company, but the food was fantastic.  Dad had the duck and I had the Tofu Milanese with polenta and sauteed veges.  We might have had a bottle of wine, too.   

One more day to go, but here's some more pictures.

The Big Sure River

Cabins at Big Sur Lodge

 
 

Flowers at Lucia Lodge