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Published: September 2nd 2008
Pfeiffer
One of several stunning beaches, Pfeiffer, Big SurTHE BIG SUR, MONTEREY COUNTY Sunday 31st August
Today we drove down to Santa Cruz, had coffee at a little beach town called Capitola and then on to the Monterey Peninsula and Carmel. Capitola is real hometown America at its most charming. Tomorrow is Labour Day so lots of families were at the beach for the weekend. The old jetty was built in 1857 and like the town itself is unashamedly rustic, basic and simple. Along the riverside people were preparing floats of flowers for the celebrations the next day, whilst others played or watched a “horseshoe throwing” competition on the sand. Other families had made a golf course out of sand castles on the beach. Amazingly, this was all happening by 9 a.m. We had left Palo Alto really early at 7 a.m. because we still haven’t adjusted to the fact that we are 8 hours behind GMT. Carmel is completely different to Capitola. It is very picturesque, perhaps a little consciously so but with a fabulous white sandy beach. We made a few enquiries but decided that Carmel was too expensive for us so we headed on South.
The Pacific coast of California is truly stunning.
Capitola wharf
Wharf Capitola 1857 Driving the Big Sur on Highway 1, Monterey County is sensational. Majestic cliffs plunge down to crashing surf on pristine empty beaches, whilst Condors fly above hunting. The backdrop to this coastline is mountainous, with orange and red heathers, wild herbs and flowers adorning the craggy slopes. Between these colourful ranges that sweep down to the ocean, there are towering Redwood forests. We found a really good place to stay at Big Sur. We are in a cabin in amongst the redwoods in the Pfeiffer state park, near a tumbling stream and there are big wild turkeys pecking around the trees; truly beautiful. On the downside it is freezing cold here at night, having reached over 30 degrees in the daytime; quite a contrast!
Monday 1st September
It is 8.30 a.m. and freezing cold still. Our cabin has no heating and it is 16 degrees inside; and we miss good Spanish coffee! It is time to get going! From Pfeiffer there is only one road south and that is Highway 1, so we got back on the road to enjoy more stunning coastal scenery. This must be one of the most beautiful coastal drives in the world
Capitola bridge
The creek bridge in caapitola and people come from all over the world just to drive it, especially if they own a Harley. We met lots of bikers riding the Big Sur. All along the cliffs on this southern part of the coast there are pink pampas grasses growing wild. There are still splashes of red and orange heather in between so it is amazingly colourful, especially since the cliffs border a blue, turquoise and white ocean.
The coastline is completely unspoilt, hence the abundance of wild life. We saw seals swimming in the coves, pelicans diving for fish and huge elephant seals basking in the sunshine on the beach. The elephant seals come ashore twice a year to sunbathe and breed. When they arrive the beaches are roped off and viewing areas are manned by volunteers to ensure their safety from ignorant tourists. An excellent idea! The volunteer we spoke to said “We Americans thought we had killed all the elephant seals (in the hunting days) but here they are!”
The common seals are most entertaining. We stopped on an outcrop and looked down at the kelp beds, where the seals like to feed. After a while a head popped up from the surf
Capitola
Capitola, Santa Cruz throwing horseshoes competition
and two soft eyes looked inquisitively left and right as though doing an imitation of a prairie dog popping his head up from a cave and then looked straight at us. Before long there were three or four more seals coming to see who we were. They pop up to look then dive down again and pop up elsewhere so it is quite a game spotting them. It is a privilege to see them.
By early afternoon we got to the end of the Bis Sur and left Monterey county. We have found a lovely little resort on the ocean with cheap accommodation, caled San Simeon. Here we plan to stay for a couple of nights, so no driving tomorrow, just walking the cliffs, swimming and a picnic on the beach. Love it here! Perhaps the jobs-worth at San Francisco Passport Control had a point. It would be very easy to just stay awhile if it were not for the fact that there is still so much more of this wonderful world to see! Right now, California is surpassing expectations.
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