http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/California/Big-Sur/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from North America , United States , California , Big Sur en-us Wed, 08 Oct 2008 06:58:08 BST Wed, 08 Oct 2008 06:58:08 BST Up and out early this morning for a change even stooped to Macca's for breakfast before visiting the Monterey Bay Aquarium. By Asian standards Singapore Bangkok this aquarium is on the small side but for what it lacked in size it more than made up for in its unique exhibits. They have a Sea Otter tank and we managed to catch feeding time well talk about CUTE These little guys ar http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/United-States/California/Big-Sur/blog-328386.html Well Pat and I have left San Francisco and we are in Big Sur.Before leaving San Francisco we picked up our 4 x 4 and a tent and we then headed south on the Highway 1.The Highway 1 is a coastal road and it is amazing. We are now camping in Big Sur which is on the coast and is a massive forest. Unfornately just before Pat and I arrived 92 of the forest burnt down in forest fires or as the locals sa http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/United-States/California/Big-Sur/blog-323239.html Wednesday 3rd SeptemberYesterday was great walking the beach. Saw more seals and lots of pelicans. For most of the day we had the whole beach to ourselves. However the Pacific ain't the Med. Water was freezing so like true Brits we paddled Seagulls helped to eat our picnic. Heading South again today towards LA which will probably take a few days at the leisurely pace we are travelling. http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/United-States/California/Big-Sur/blog-319381.html THE BIG SUR MONTEREY COUNTY Sunday 31st AugustToday 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 http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/United-States/California/Big-Sur/blog-319005.html ON OUR WAY Saturday 30th AugustWersquove been in England for one week now and have been enjoying the cool weather and green countryside after the heat of Spain in recent weeks. Today we braved Terminal 5 at Heathrow and ldquoYesrdquo they still have problems there. We arrived in good time and were told that the only seats available to us were numbers 29F and 30E in other words sitting http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/United-States/California/Big-Sur/blog-319004.html Our day began with a sobering trip to the UPS store in Los Olivos. Shipping wine cross country is very complicated and expensive for those who do not know. Next was a quick stop at the TJ Maxx in Santa Maria to get a new suitcase as one of ours will not be making the trip home. I would like to give a special shout out to our TomTom GPS system voiced by Gary Busey . I do not think this trip wo http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/United-States/California/Big-Sur/blog-316857.html Once again i put my fate at the mercy of USA's public transport system and i am not dissapointed... it takes me a mere 3.5 hours to travel a distance i could manage in a car in just 30 mins. But make it it does and I get to Long Beach airport to pick up a hire car 20 mins late. Which means the efficient peoples in Enterprise have given the car i reserved to someone else... but that was their prob http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/United-States/California/Big-Sur/blog-313761.html We're in California now We went from the Grand Canyon to Anaheim CA. We stayed in the Crowne Plaza Resort ha resort.. not quite. It had no free breakfast we were charged for internet pool and fitness room access. 12 a day outrageous The room was very nice however and it was great to be sleeping in a bed not a cot. The next day we got up at 7 AM to get on the 8AM shuttle to DISNEYLAN http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/United-States/California/Big-Sur/blog-305314.html Hi chaps purchased a laptop with a 9 inch screen..................................will now find things easier I hope.luv ya all.Kev and Wendyy. http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/United-States/California/Big-Sur/blog-304950.html Highway OneAnother whirlwind pack breakfast and departure and we left Monterey to head off down Highway 1 towards Santa Barbara. The first area we hit was Big Sur derived from the Spanish name El Pais Grande del Sur the big country to the South. The coastline was rocky lined with trees and the sea still highly populated with Kelp. We stopped several times to take in the dramatic views. We had http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/United-States/California/Big-Sur/blog-303860.html The drive from Kings Canyon to San Francisco was pretty uneventful which was a good thing considering the state of the roads. We arrived at our new RV park which was right next to Monster Park. Those American Football fans amongst you will know that this is the home of the San Francisco 49ers. Called 49ers due to the mass influx of people and prospectors into San Francisco when gold was discovere http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/United-States/California/Big-Sur/blog-287489.html Today was a relaxing day. We got up later and didnrsquot drive far. We visited Julia Pfeiffer State Park about 10 miles south of where wersquore staying. There was a short walk to a waterfall overlook and a great coastal view. It was a beautiful area very peaceful and we had it almost to ourselves. It reminded us of Hawaii. There was another short trail with a little stream wildflowers a http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/United-States/California/Big-Sur/blog-276377.html Today we left behind the big city traffic of Bakersfield and headed toward the central California coast. It was a pretty ride. The highway passed rolling golden hills dotted with dark green California oak trees. Here and there black cattle were scattered like pencil points on the hillsides. We had traveled through the orchards and fields of Bakersfield and now we were in cattle ranch and vineya http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/United-States/California/Big-Sur/blog-276376.html Big Sur is a very famous tourist destination along the Pacific Coastal Highway1. Big Sur generally refers to the region surrounding the town of Big Sur. Itrsquos boundaries are not verywell defined however in general it is considered to be the area between the Carmel River and San Simeon town along the pacific coast. Big Sur is world famous its resorts and state parks along the coastline. Th http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/United-States/California/Big-Sur/blog-273645.html Thursday 24th April My final day in New Zealand I got picked up by a shuttle from the Jailhouse hostel in the morning and went off to Christchurch Airport. I was due to fly Christchurch to Auckland and then Auckland to San Francisco. I spent ages in a queue with some fineky elderly english gentlemen trying to book my luggage through to the international connections desk so that when I arrived http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/United-States/California/Big-Sur/blog-271318.html Having spent a delightful time on California's Central Coast it was now time to ride the epic Pacific Coast Highway northward. Considered by many to be the finest drive drive in America we experienced a portion of the PCH last summer on the family vacation road trip that blog can be found at httpwww.travelblog.orgBloggersArnimHucksRoadshow. Much of the time while piloting Lurch our http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/United-States/California/Big-Sur/blog-266099.html In this blog entry we are using a different approach that we hope will integrate the written comments and the pictures better by putting most of the text in the captions for the pictures. We hope you like it. http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/United-States/California/Big-Sur/blog-255957.html Wow we have just arrived in a small town called Cambria which is just South of the Big Sur region. We have just driven down possibly the nicest ocean road in the world with views of the Pacific ocean to die for. We spent the night at riverside inn lodge which is surrounded by mountains and trees. It has been absolutely ammmmmazing. And the only thing that has made the experience even better i http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/United-States/California/Big-Sur/blog-238183.html ...hanging out on the beaches of Big Sur on the way back to San Francisco... http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/United-States/California/Big-Sur/blog-236046.html Camping at Pfieffer Big Sur State Park post Esalen. http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/United-States/California/Big-Sur/blog-236043.html Checked into Esalen on the 6th for my 5 day yoga workshop.These pictures in no way can tell the story of this place...simply beautiful http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/United-States/California/Big-Sur/blog-236036.html Part 1We left Santa Barbara in glowing sunshine and headed up the dramatic Highway 1 Gladys our sat nav took us on an alternative route via highway 154 and through Los Padres National Park very dramatic and breathtaking views. We took numerous blurred photos and images to try and capture the beauty but I guess you just had to be there.The Big Sur is equally stunning with mountains ascending to o http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/United-States/California/Big-Sur/blog-234688.html I started from San Francisco before 8am on a drive on Route 1 also known as Pacific Coastal Highway or PCH. I was doing this trip towards the end of Sept and was not expecting to see the infamous coastal fog that shrouds San Francisco bay area for most of the summer. It was bright and 85 degrees for the two days I was in San Francisco. 30 min into the drive and I began seeing the ocean to my right http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/United-States/California/Big-Sur/blog-208892.html One of My Favorite Places in the World Big Sur California http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/United-States/California/Big-Sur/blog-208010.html We decided to move on further down the coast today to cover some of the 300 miles to LA. We said goodbye to the smelly room and headed off down Hwy 1 through the stretch of coastline known as Big Sur. It's a breathtaking coastline the scenery is amazing. We saw vultures elephant seals and a whale far out at sea.We drove down to Cambria a small town about 240 miles north of LA and booked in http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/United-States/California/Big-Sur/blog-207103.html I have been driving to Big Sur along Highway 1 for 4 times during my stay in California for 18 months. It is one of my favorite places on the earth. It is the No. 1 of top 10 romantic places by gayot.com.ldquoBig Surrdquo means ldquobig mouthrdquo in Spanish. It is not a spot in the map instead it is a coastline on Highway 1. The scenic charm can be extended from between Santa Cruz to http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/United-States/California/Big-Sur/blog-203575.html It was a long weekend in North America so what better way to celebrate then to take a quintessential American road trip down Californiarsquos famous Highway One.We headed down south past Devilrsquos slide and half moon bay the spectacular oceanic views warranting the number of lsquophotorsquo stops we made. We ended up in Santa Cruz a vibrant University town that had a very surfy feel. http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/United-States/California/Big-Sur/blog-199634.html I and my friends had gone to Big Sur during this spring break of 2007. It was a 3 day trip. We booked a campsite at the ventanna campground which was the cheapest deal we could find at that time. we almost dropped out plan to go in the very last moment as no one had a drivers license but then figured it out later. http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/United-States/California/Big-Sur/blog-183178.html HI Everyone 75 Arrived in CA on time Thursday at 715. Here are some highlights of the trip so far. Flying over Rockies Grand Canyon was incredibly beautiful. Unfortunately we had many babies on the plane that cried almost the entire way. Thank goodness for headphones. The flight was about 6 hours. We had no meal but plenty of snacks. They should the movie Premonition. I watched. Paul reads. http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/United-States/California/Big-Sur/blog-178434.html Its been quite a while since I last sat in front of a computer to update this travel blog. We've spent a lot of time in state parks with no internet access etc but now we're down the coast and I've found one and half an hour to start catching up. Jim Laura's was great. really good to see them and their girls. When i last wrote we'd been down the river on a raft. Well after that we did a bit of http://www.travelblog.org//North-America/United-States/California/Big-Sur/blog-175588.html