There
was a little fog when we left Pacific Grove at 10:45 a.m. It was 59°.
That’s quite a difference in temperature from the recent heatwave temperatures!
We traveled south on Route 1 and that is the only way to see it and the gorgeous
views. The passenger (that was Audre that day) gets the best views.
| The Big Sur coast from Route 1 |
The homes in Carmel Highlands and their views were spectacular. Along the road were beautiful blue lupines and there were white sand beaches. There were “private property” signs along the coast and some cattle grazing. The Santa Lucia Mountains rising from the road were beautifully green and sensuously shaped. We saw gigantic trees; maybe they were coastal redwoods. The eucalyptus trees were also really tall. At noon we arrived at Nepenthe Restaurant and it was 76°. We stopped in to see the restaurant and said we’d be back at 1:30 p.m. They don’t take reservations but said we wouldn’t have to wait. We went for a hike in the Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park .
We
took a walk to the famous McVey Falls and saw the remains of the Waterfall House. The
waterfall was nice as was the beach. The view from the bedroom of the Brown’s
Waterfall House must have been inspirational. We learned about Julia Pfeiffer
Burns and her friend Helen Brown. We also learned about the slide in 1983 (and
saw the scar on the mountainside) that closed Hwy 1 for a year. It also created
the beach that is currently at the waterfall. We walked for about an hour
ogling the views. We saw many morning glories, a flowering century plant and
Monterey cypresses.
We
went to Nepenthe Restaurant, Hwy 1, Big Sur, CA 93920, tel. 831-667-2345, www.nepenthe.com) for the view not the food.
We waited a while for a table overlooking the ocean by the railing. We were
happy with our seating. Our server was fine. Dimitri had the special salad Niรงoise ($21.50) that came with a generous slab of seared tuna. Dimitri liked his dish and shared it with
Audre. Audre had a cup of soup ($4.75) that was good. We spent $28.22 plus tip.
 |
| Our Big Sur Coast hike |
Highway
1 is phenomenal. All the way from Pacific Grove we were seeing gorgeousness.
The beautiful hills of the Santa Lucia portion of the Coastal Range as a
backdrop for the cliffs and rocks of the ocean shore. But Big was even more
astounding. Big Sur evidently refers to that 90-mile stretch of rugged and
awesomely beautiful coastline between Carmel and San Simeon. From www.bigsurcalifornia.org: The
present Highway 1 was completed in 1937 after 18 years of construction and lots
of money, even though convict labor was used. Electricity did not arrive in Big
Sur until the early 1950’s and today it still does not extend the length of the
coast. The proximity of the Pacific Ocean provides for a temperate climate.
Winters are mild and rainy days are interspersed with periods of bright
sunshine. An average of 50 inches of rainfall fills the many streams that flow
down the redwood-lined canyons. Coastal fog cools the summer mornings, but it
usually lifts by early afternoon.
Of all of the coastal
roads we have driven in the world, Dimitri thinks (and maybe Audre too) that
the road in Greece from Nafplio (Navplion) in the northeastern portion of the
Peloponnese to Monemvasia in the southeast, along the Argolic Gulf coast is the
most similar (see this website: http://www.visitnafplio.com/visitnafplio.com/Excursions/Entries/2010/2/27_Entry_1.html). It is a wild, ruggedly beautiful
coastline with only a few villages along the route. The road is along the coast
just like Highway 1 is.The Amalfi Coast in Italy is spectacular but it is built
up so it’s very different from the remote Big Sur Coast. The Na Pali Coast on
Kauai is outrageously gorgeous and remote but it has no road. Highway 1 makes the Big Sur
Coast so remarkable and unique. It is something to be seen and experienced.
Dimitri wants to mention the Great Ocean Road which we drove from one end to
the other in South Australia. It is definitely not great and pales in comparison to
the Big Sur Coast.
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