It was Jason’s turn to plan our anniversary outings this year. He asked if I was up for going to Big Sur, and I said sure, even though I didn’t know exactly where that was. Here’s how our explorations of that vaguely-defined section of California’s coast materialized.
First thing is first. What is Big Sur? A town? A park? A VIP? No, it is the slice of the California shoreline roughly between Carmel and San Simeon. It is rocky, dramatic, and distinctly remarkable despite its imprecise boundaries.
Our first day in California, our anniversary, we spent walking along Monterey’s Cannery Row, a cute touristy area lined with little shops and lapping tides. We ate lunch on the pier, drenched in unexpected sunshine, while the waves sent jellyfish fluttering about below us. We chuckled at the sea lions barking rowdily to one another on the Coast Guard Pier. After a walk through the succulent-covered sands of the Marina Dunes Preserve, we feasted on Mediterranean fare at Dametra Café in Carmel. Spontaneous dancing, delightful serenades, and the best Greek salad I’ve ever eaten were all part of that memorable meal.
The next day felt big indeed as we took in Big Sur. If one were to drive nonstop from Carmel to Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, which is only a portion of Big Sur, the ride would just take an hour; it took us all day. The stops along this route were plentiful and plenty distracting. We decided to start with our top priorities and see what we had time for after that. Turns out, we didn’t have time for anything after that.
We stopped at the Rocky Creek and Bixby Creek Bridges. Bixby, a 714-foot-long arched structure, is claimed to be the most photographed bridge in the United States, but how do you calculate that? It was an aesthetically-pleasing arc whatever its ranking. We ate dinner at Nepenthe Restaurant, a secluded establishment along the way, while hovering 800 feet up on a seaside cliff. It was gorgeous! Pfeiffer Beach was our next detour. This beach was rather unusual with its famous Keyhole Arch and purple sand. The last thing we were able to fit in before sunset was a short walk to view McWay Falls. McWay Falls is an 80-foot waterfall that splashes onto a pristine beach just beyond the reach of the surf. It sounds like the fabricated setting of some bad island romance flick, but it’s real, and it was not bad.
We started the last day of our short vacation at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. The Monterey Bay Aquarium is often regarded as one of the top ten aquariums in the United States, a ranking it deserves. The sea otters were my fav! (No surprise there.) Three otters were in the exhibit that day: Gidget, Selka, and Rosa. The rest were off mentoring others of their species. The otters were bigger and longer than I had imagined- weighing about half of me- and they never stopped moving. Otterly adorable!
We could easily have spent a couple days gazing into the aquarium’s kelp forest and learning more about Monterey Bay’s habitats, but we were soon off to Carmel Mission, Carmel Beach, and 17-Mile Drive. 17-Mile Drive is a scenic ride through ritzy Pebble Beach and a half dozen of the fanciest golf courses ever conceived. Some of our favorite points of interest along those miles were Ghost Tree, Point Joe, and the Lone Cypress. The sea wasn’t the only thing restless on this peninsula; the air seemed rather rushed as well. Consequently, we were unusually motivated to keep many of our stops brief.
For those headed to Big Sur, however you define that area, keep in mind a couple things. The food is awesome! Make time to eat lots of it! And be prepared to be colder than you anticipate. With forecasted temperatures in the 60s to low 70s during our visit, Jason and I brought shorts and tank tops. We should have brought coats instead. Brrr! Seventy degrees isn’t very pleasant when you factor in exuberant coastal breezes and frequent fog.
I didn’t have any expectations of Big Sur, since I didn’t know much about it before this trip. So, to say my expectations were exceeded wouldn’t really mean anything. Instead, I’ll just say that it was a good trip full of scenic waters and tasty food. Sure, I’d go back to Big Sur.