The Clouds Roll Over the Santa Lucia Mountains
I am watching the moon rise through the sky and it’s another clear, breezy night in Big Sur. I have created a ritual here that when I wake up, I walk down to the ocean. It’s about 1.5 mile there and back, and it’s an excellent way to get things moving and in good stead for the day to come, which today will include a visit to Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park. Plus, it’s not often I get to luxuriate in the smell of a eucalyptus grove. This time, I made it down to the water without crossing paths with the bobcat.
Seaweed Is One of the Most Nourishing Foods on the Planet
When I returned, Brendan and I threw together some eggs and leftover fish and veggies for breakfast. We wanted to get some exercise, but agreed we probably were not up for another strenuous hike like the one we did yesterday. The main state park of the region is Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park, which is not the Julia Pfeiffer State Park we went to yesterday. This park is on the mountain side, not the ocean side and henceforth, there were some lovely developed trails through the redwoods. Big Sur is the most southern point for the range of the redwoods, and they receive less rainfall here than up north, which explains why they are only “really big trees” and not “towering giant trees”. Driving on the road, I saw a sign that said “Palo Colorado” which translates into “stick color red.” We could only conclude that the early Spanish settlers were as equally enamored by the redwoods, as we are today. All trees have a way of commanding a certain type of respect from us, but the redwoods are so regal, that they bring even more attention to themselves, just by the fact that they exist. I thought about children who grew up here and a redwood is there reference point for what a tree is. Anywhere else they travel, they would think trees are bonsai!
The Prize Atop Valley View Trail
We strolled along the river trail, which features the Big Sur River, originating from the Santa Lucia Mountains and slowly making its way out to the ocean. We dipped our toes in and splashed our faces – so cool and refreshing. It looped back around and lead to Valley View Trail which led up to a waterfall and a valley view (henceforth the name of the trail). A mile up those mountains actually felt like a pretty good grunt, even though the distance is modest. Amazing how when the terrain gets steeper, it’s disproportionately more work to navigate it. The waterfall was a pretty enough sight, but after seeing McWay Falls yesterday, it was honestly not a showstopper. Coming back down and up a different spur that ended at a peak looking north up Highway 1 was very dramatic. It gave us a birds’ eye view of this magnificent land. The hum of the cars was very distant and the songs of the birds and insects were fortunately more prominent. We sat there for about 30 minutes drinking in all that lay before us. Some of that time, we had the landing all to ourselves, while at other points, people came, took a picture and carried on. Big Sur is pretty remote and it’s interesting to see homes tucked away into the mountain side. Surely for those who inhabit the area, it’s a living paradise, every single day!
Some of These Trees Were Around When Jesus Was a Baby
Heading back down, Brendan and I commented on how surprised we were about how much poison oak is growing on the paths. I do get it that the plant grows well here, but being a state park, one would think that they would trim it back, at least a foot or two from the trail. We did our best to avoid touching it, although at points, one must step over it, as it is literally covers the trails. I have never seemed to be super sensitive to it, but for those who are, please be aware!
We ate some lunch back by the river with the company of some Stellar Jays (bluebirds who sport a styling mohawk) and moseyed south a couple miles to Pfeiffer Beach. Arriving there we were told the parking lot was full and to come back in a fifteen minutes and try again. We found a turnoff to pass the time in and I was delighted when there actually was a spot next time around. The road winded downhill for two miles, with some homes dotting the landscape along the way, finally opening up to a parking lot surrounded with the mysterious looking cypress trees.
The Handsome Stellar’s Jay Kept Us Company for Lunch
The Mysterious Looking Cypress Trees Are Some of the Oldest Trees – They Have Been in Existence for 150 Million Years
Pfeiffer Beach has a few things going for it that make it really special. There are rock formations in the water, some of which have holes in them and the water crashes against them and through them with a passion greater than if the coastline was smooth. Also, the mountains surrounding this beach are rich in the mineral garnet and through time, it washes out of the mountains since it is heavy. The eroded garnet creates a thin coating and becomes part of the sand. What is so unique is that it covers the beige sand with a thin layer of purple. I have been to red sand and black sand and white sand beaches, but stepping foot on a purple sand beach was a first for me. It was gorgeous.
The Garnet in the Mountains Erodes and Coats the Beach with Purple Sand!
Now, it’s very windy here, and I spent the next few hours putting on layers and taking off layers, trying to adapt to the shifting temperatures. It reminded me of the time when I was 16, and decided to try to get a tan on spring break in New York. I went to a beach on Long Island and laid out in a bikini in 50 something degree weather all day – very uncomfortable! But just as sure as my sort of tan was worth it, the spectacular Pfeiffer Beach scenery was worth every bit of putting up with the wind. Experiencing the ocean pounding on the purple tinted sand while being surrounded by wind carved cypress trees was very special.
The Rugged Coastline and Raw Beauty of the Ocean Undeniably Puts a Smile on My Face
We stopped at one of the few supply shops in Big Sur to get some provisions for the next day. Seeing that they had sour cream, the idea popped into my head that we could make a veggie stroganoff for dinner. Brendan thought this was a great idea. Not wanting to give up daylight hours just hanging at our camp, we have gotten into the habit of cooking dinner in the dark. We had quinoa with garbanzo beans and sautéed veggies. Everything was accompanied with a smoked paprika sour cream sauce (which is what stroganoff is). We were sure nobody else at camp was living the high life like we were, at least on the culinary front (other than the ground squirrels). For dessert we had some artisan hot cocoa that ironically was made in Santa Cruz (my sister lives there and gave it to me as a gift) and we sat imbibing in in the delights of our glamping.
The moon rises about an hour later each night and with the mountains on the east side, it’s even later before we watch it come into its glory. I will take a little time to say hello to Mars and Jupiter and the Big Dipper, and, soon enough, it will be off to bed.
The Dramatic Pfeiffer Beach