Wow. There will never be enough words in the English language to describe the majestic, magical, swoon-inducing place that is Big Sur, California. I went on my first real trip up the coast to stop in this place, my face permanently fixed into the cat-shaped heart-eyed emoji. Aside from a little elevation and car sickness on the way up, whipping around those twists and turns, I'd give this trip 10 stars on a 5-star scale. We took the more scenic route up, and it paid off.
First, we took a rest over at Hearst Beach, as well as a few of the little lookouts over the cliffs:
Once we got to the Big Sur area, it was time for a snack and to check in to the Ventana Campgrounds, where we were greeted by the day staff:
We spent the first day unwinding, setting up camp, and chowing down. I totally meant to take some night/star photos, but I passed out by the fire, warm and cozy as a bug in a rug. The next day, we explored Pfeiffer Beach (although it took us many passes-by to find the entrance!):
I also busted out the prisms for a little extra fun:
And enjoyed a little more time on top of the rock:
We walked down the beach and happened upon the world-famous arch. You bet I jockeyed for prime photographic position! Ha.
Then, in true Big Sur-prise form, we found the wonder of the weekend: a zen rock garden/farm. Of course we built a few of our own!
Oh yeah, the birthday boy:
On our way back to camp, I looked up and discovered this rainbow of a hill... Even the most banal things are amazing in Big Sur!
Once we made it back to camp, we decided to go for a Bearfriends band promo shoot, with the handy dandy tripod as our photographer. The best part was having people walk by while we were shooting and whisper to each other trying to figure out who we were, believing we were famous. One day, ladies! One day.
What better chance to model one of my hand-made floral crowns (I call them flower hats, really) than this photoshoot? I make them to order, ladies! And gentlemen, I don't discriminate.
At any rate, it was pretty cloudy that evening, so there was no chance of star pictures. The next day, I knew we had to stop by McWay Falls. It was so incredibly worth it to see this place with my own eyes... Imagine waking up and having this be your view? I mean, come on. It's just unfathomable. I definitely took too many pictures, and I'm sharing way too many, but I just can't help it. Trust--your wanderlusty eyes will thank me.
So on down the road we went. What a great bridge, right?
We stopped at a little cafe for a snack, and checked out the elephant seals on the way to Hearst Castle.
Then we got to check out the splendor of Hearst Castle. Seriously, it's incredible what too much money can do for a house...! Definitely worth a peek in your lifetime.
And finally, what big trip would be complete without an art piece? I'll be creating a physical version of this "sketch" sometime this holiday season.
And if you're interested in the full set of photographs, they're all loaded (with slightly better quality than you found on this blog, of course) on my Flickr account:
https://flic.kr/s/aHskjBbTBx