Blogs from Big Sur, California, United States, North America
Plasket Creek near Big Sur
Published: May 6th 2012North America » United States » California » Big Sur
May 1st 2012
Tuesday, May 01, 2012 I woke up a little before day light. I can tell the light is coming by first hearing the robins. The Jays start just as the light changes. It is the same every time I have camped along the ocean. It is my alarm clock. Debi is lying next to me very serene and beautiful but not ready to get up. I make coffee and walk across Highway 1. The ocean is overcast but the fog has lifted above the cliffs. I am the only one there with endless ocean all around me. I feel like a tiny speck in the universe of nature. The beaches here are very rocky. Every time a big wave comes in, the rocks roll back and make the most wonderful gurgling, tingling sound. Wedsday, May 02, ... read more
American Fun! San Luis Obispo, San Jose, San Fran and Ohio.
Published: December 30th 2011North America » United States » California » Big Sur
December 27th 2011
As you may have noticied we have been extremely busy over the last week and a bit... thanks to great company, food and catching up with family, friends, alcohol etc... After leaving the hotel in San Luis Obispo on the morning of the 15th we drove the coastal route (highway 1) all the way to Carmel Valley (where Elliot's Aunt and Uncle live). We had a great drive, making coffee stops of course and saw elephant seals, some local art, Big Sur, Carmel by the Sea and... read more
California Dreamin....Big Sur
Published: October 25th 2011North America » United States » California » Big Sur
October 19th 2011
California Dreamin…….Big Sur We have been driving this coast for 2.5 weeks and it continues to entertain us with its grace and style. The whole coast has been beautiful, and when you add in the fact that there is sun, warm temperatures, beautiful flowers and birds everywhere; well you just cannot beat California! We arrived in Big Sur after a long drive from Santa Rosa. We had a reservation for Treebones.com resort. You can reserve Yurts or campsites there. They modeled themselves after the Oregon State Parks that have Yurts, just like the ones we stayed in at the beginning of our trip. We knew the weather would be good so we opt to put our own tent up. What a great idea as we were blessed with the best site on the property. The first ... read more
September 13th 2011
Who says the U.S. can’t be exotic? I commemorate the return of my blog with a last hurrah in the country I leave behind. It’s been four years since I’ve been here, four years since I started this blog, four years since life really began. It seems to be coming full circle, as I once again spend my last moments as an American in California. And California seems like the perfect transition. You see, California and France are remarkably similar; what stands out to me more than anything is their similar geography. Bold sceneries, dramatic backdrops, intense topography; it combines the best of all environments. Much like France, it manages to capture all four seasons at a time, somewhere within its territory. The only exceptions: California has deserts, France has castles. I don’t know if it’s ... read more
August 15th 2011
This entry is about a road, not a place. After our great time in Monterey, we headed South to Ventura on the Highway 1. We left pretty early, which made it for even a better drive. The sun was out there, but the fog was in full power hugging the coastline too. This made it for a very bizarre drive. The Highway One here is one more time anything else than a straight road. It's bend after bend after bend. I wish I would stop every two minutes to enjoy the scenery, but I still end up stopping every 5 minutes to get blow away by the beauty of the place. This is a paradise road to drive a Mustang on. It's a place where if google map tells me there is one hour drive, I ... read more
August 3rd 2011
Cruising down the Pacific Coast Highway, California Highway 1, is a treat not to be missed. Magnificent cliffs, winding turns, gorgeous views around every corner, and endless breathtaking vistas, and stunning sunsets abound. From just south of San Francisco to Santa Cruz, Monterey, Carmel by the Sea, and Big Sur, the road is mostly along high ground, until you descend the twisted rolercoaster road into the San Simeon area. ... read more
Back to Basics - The Coast Route
Published: May 29th 2011North America » United States » California » Big Sur
May 20th 2011
After clearing the chaos of the Bay to Breakers we picked up our rental and began our road trip south. Heeding my brother’s advice on Walmart’s rather liberal return policy we decided to shop there for a few of our camping and road trip needs. A word of advice though – a $20 tent from Walmart is indeed a $20 tent, and it would appear that waterproofing costs extra. The tent’s debut outing was an epic fail as it died under the windy and rainy conditions, and meant that we spent our first night camping in the car. Our neighbour greeted us in the morning, asked us how we’d slept, and remarked (rather smugly) that he’d seen our tent blowing across the campsite during the night. A trip to Walmart later that day saw us upgrade ... read more
August 24th 2010
This coast line is spectacular to say the least. We stopped at Hearst Castle and took the tour there. We looked at Elephant Seals on the beach at Cambria before taking in the sights of the coast road.... read more
May 30th 2010
Sat. 30 May - 5.15pm in a coffee shop in Monterey - the Rock Fest has already been, sorry - did the bus trip down to Nepenthe/Big Sur - some spectacular vistas down there - one or two attached - and jsut came straight back as nothing at Nepenthe - a gift shop and a restaurant I guess, so it was a 6 min stop before the bus turned around. I am staying in Salinas which is a 1 hr bus trip from here as was unable to leave San Luis Obispo on train until 3.40pm as bus at 12.40pm was full - so got to have lunch with some friends of Douglas and Mary with whom I stayed - details on that will follow. Its Memorial Day long weekend so coming to Monterey at that ... read more
Pismo Beach to Big Sur
Published: April 27th 2010North America » United States » California » Big Sur
April 27th 2010
24th & 25th April 2010 Big Portions, Big Sur & Big Beauty. Well, if there's ever a piece of road that you have to drive once in your lifetime, it's the Pacific Coast Highway between San Simeon and Carmel in California. It's a stretch of wilderness that is overwhelmingly beautiful. Drive as we did from South to North and you have huge dramatic cliffs on your left and luscious green hills or steep rocky cliffs on your right. It's an enchanting single carriageway for 90 miles and if you're lucky any recent lanslides will have been cleared. There was such a spot just before we stopped for lunch that was particularly hairy. There was a steep bump in the road dropping off from right to left where a landlisde had caused damage - single file traffic ... read more
