Every year Bela and i try to take a trip that’s just for us, not always climbing but something we both enjoy. This year we decided to head west to my favorite state for some climbing, hiking, and exploring. It just so happens that many of our friends happen to think it’s a great state as well so we have a few friends out here that we’re going to visit and hopefully meet up with to climb with… so as the weather in Chicago finally cools down from its ungodly humidity and heat and becomes bearable again, we decide to leave…. luckily i don’t feel so bad about that knowing we’ll be in the foothills and mountains soon enough.

Thursday afternoon arrives and after a few quick errands we’re finally on the road. We missed most of the traffic, but as always there’s construction everywhere… luckily we timed it well and didn’t get too delayed. As we got into Nebraska rain started coming down pretty strong as we hit a pretty big storm. The visibility got worse and worse and it got to the point where we were going at least 20-30 under the speed limit just to see the lines on the road. i may be conservative when it comes to driving in the rain, but i just dont think its worth the risk and since we weren’t under a real time constraint we ended up pulling off into a rest stop to take a break and let the storm pass.

On the way into the parking area i noticed something hopping on the road – a frog. On the way into the parking area i noticed something hopping on the road – a frog. then i noticed it wasnt just 1, they were every where! Big ones, little ones… crossing the road, hanging in the grass. They were loving the rain, we didn’t. Since it was 2am we decided to take a nap.

We woke up to dawn and got back on the road. after a few miles and just shy of colorado our stomachs reminded us that we needed some sustenance…. After a quick breakie and top off to the tank we could have gotten on our way…. but as most folks know a great road trip just isnt complete until someone rides/pets/accosts some plastic/metal animal or sculpture (mythical or extinct ones just get you extra points). So this is when we realized that the sinclair station does in fact have a miniture dinosour that is just the right height to attempt to ride So bela does a great impression of an old time cowboy and leaps right on up onto his back, proving that if cars magically disappeared that he’d likely be able to function and ride off into the sunset and make it look good.

After a quick ride, it was my turn and let’s just say that it wasn’t pretty. Lucky for you all bela was snapping off pics of my wonderuflly not graceful mounting of betty the brontosaur. we had a great laugh at my awkwardness as well as the few folks who drove by and saw the mid 30 year olds riding a fake dinosaur…. It was awesome.

Front Range Tempatations

The rest of the drive went quickly as we entered colorado and then had the big debate – where to go and what to do? we figured our friends ben and karleen were likely busy on a friday morning so we decided to head to my old stomping grounds… I had lived with my sister tiff back in the summer of 1997 at her apartment south of denver. so we drove by my old jobs – performance bikes and the movie theater that had the 3 story high screen… It all slowly started coming back, things looked very familair and it was fun to see if my memory worked at all. it did!! ok well most of it, i was able to get us back to the general area of the apartment but didn’t quite find it. i decided that it didn’t matter and we had to make a decision on what to do with our day.

Now bela isn’t that familiar with the area so i started explaining to him that i would start driving west toward a bouldering area just in the foothills and a mere 15 minutes away and if we didn’t like that we could head north another 15-30 minutes and hit Golden – another spot for climbing and a cool little town, or we could head north yet again another 20-30 mins and hit eldorado canyon for some more climbing and so and so on… There’s climbing in just bout every canyon/valley here and you really have your pick on where you want to go.

So we deciced to start with Golden since it was so close. I mentioned that we probably didn’t have a good guidebook seeing as how we left it at home since it was from 1995 and things had likely changed a bit since then. the Bent Gate (an awesome climbing gear shop) just so happens to be based out of golden so with a new guidebook in hand we had a plan – grab a quick lunch and check in on the kids to see if anyone could join us for some afternoon fun on the rock.

Karleen had to work, but ben was available but had some errands to run so we had an hour or so to fill. i had vaguely remembered my friend steve mentioning a whitewater park in the foothills and thought maybe it was in golden so i convinced bela tthat we should explore the area in town. There are some nice parks and great walkways along the river right in town and we parked when i saw some whitewater boats and got a bit excited.

We’d found the clear creek whitewater park!! While the park is manmade, it is quite natural and has some nice features. Including some nice surf waves and play spots with some really great places to hang out and watch. i noticed 2 gals just socializing along the river and ended up asking them about renting boats becuase i may just be able to convince bela to let me go out for a few hours to play in the water – its just too tempting! luckily there is an outfitter in town and i should be able to rent when the time comes (we’ll see!)

So by that point it was time to meet up with ben and we headed off toward golden cliff’s north table. Both bela and i had been there before and remembered the hike up being horrible, not to mention the late afternoon sun on a nice warm day… It didn’t seem the best choice but we really didn’t care at that point, we just wanted to get on some rock. So we prepped our gear and in no time ben pulled in and we were off up the steep climb to the rocks.

Despite the heat the hike wasn’t nearly as bad as we expected, and we found the area we were looking for fairly quickly. there were 2 nice 5.7s in a small alcove that was almost in shade so we decided to do both of those and then see what else looked good.

The first two climbs went really well with bela leading them both and they both ended up completely in the shade so we didn’t have to sweat the whole day. The rock was great – fun holds, ledges and moves. ben even pulled off a superb chaco toe crack move in addition to climbing the 2nd one totally barefoot (he brought his super tight shoes that no longer fit…) We finished the day with bela leading a beautiful 10c that had some tricky moves. I made an attempt (halfway wasn’t too shabby!) and then Ben finished cleaning up.

We worked our way back to Superior where B&K live where we got some dinner and waited for K to get off of work. After catching up with everyone we realized that we were all exhausted and that it was time for bed….

We declared our first day in Colorado to be quite a success… tempation at its finest. Tomorrow’s plan – tennis, relaxation and maybe some bouldering

I took the risk and brought the DSLR with me (in baggies none the less) and before we knew it the seals found us, posing for pictures! The harbour seals, sea lions, and sea otters all hang out together on a peninsula near the wharfs and the kayakers definitely pique their curiosity. We had shadows for most of the trip, but took care not to get too close a we didn’t want that huge fine for interacting with them. (but that didn’t stop the critters from checking us out)

We worked our way towards the aquarium where there is a nice kelp forest. The water was a spectacular deep green, and the kelp flowed with the currents in hypnotic waves. We took some time to enjoy the view, the fresh air, and give our muscles a break from working our way out against the wind.

Eventually the breeze started to chill us so we made our way back, with no spills and cameras still dry.

Fisherman’s wharf was calling (Chowder, chowder, chowder! come eat me!) and so we did. After a few tastings we decided to get a bread bowl and warm up on a couch with its own fireplace. After exploring the wharf a bit more we determined we didn’t have enough time for both the aquarium and Point Lobos, so we decided to hit the point… those jellies are coming to chicago so i wasn’t too disappointed.

After a short drive and parking scuffle, we were hiking out to the beautiful points of Point Lobos. Once again the water is just a beautiful deep blue, crashing into the cliffs.

The famous cyprus trees surrounded us… taking our time we walked the loop stopping so many times to enjoy the views.

I found some paintbrush wildflowers (orange!) and enjoyed snapping pics as i saw them. On our way back the light was shining just wonderfully through the trees and it felt almost like Middle Earth… the trees weren’t talking to me, but with a bit of imagination the ents would have said, sit down and stay… don’t rush!

After a fun afternoon of hiking we decided to try to drive the 17 mile drive, but then detoured when we realized you had to pay and realized the houses in the area were awesome anyways… there were some crazy roofs (wavy!) and just some cute rock homes, very gingerbready…

We made our way home, fixed some yummy food, and finished the night watching a movie all cuddling together on the couch.

Time to head home

So my last day of my trip we decided to head back to San Fran/Oakland after a leisurely breakfast. We made good time and stopped in to grab Mariana’s ID, as it was the Peruvian voting day. We made our way downtown and realized there are a LOT of peruvians in San Fran! We dropped her off to get in line to vote and went off to try to find parking… after much circling we realized there were too many voters and opted to head a bit more west and found a great ramen place. YUM!

We were just heading back when we heard voting had been completed, and Mariana had a plan… crazy ice cream at Humphry Slocombe. And when i say crazy, i mean crazy… Salt & Pepper? yep. Foie Gras? Yep (but not that day), honey thyme, jesus juice, corn… it goes on.. You can taste any of them and they ran out quickly of the best flavors (salt and pepper wasn’t one of them) but i ended up getting Secret Breakfast… corn flakes and bourbon! WTF? oddly good, even though i’m not a bourbon fan!

a perfect end to my trip, a fun city day with basically no pictures haha! Thanks to both Geoff and mariana for a wonderful finale!

One thing that was ideal during my stay was that all the road work (due to mudslides) was south of where I was staying in Lucia (and it closed off the area after 7pm). In addition the road was also closed semi-permanently to the north of Bixby Bridge due to the slip out (aka the road fell into the ocean), which meant absolutely no traffic from 7pm to 7am. We were kind of trapped, which was actually pretty cool. On my drive out I had to document all the construction… (1 stoplight, and 2 stop signs)

I learned that the road i’d taken in Nacimiento-Ferguson had a nickname.. the Nasty-Ferg or something like that which i found kind of funny but also indicates some not so nice accidents had happened on that road. I was reminded of that even more as i was enjoying the crazy roads when i happened upon 2 fedex trucks and the big UPS Van in the middle of a tight curve each time. Note to Heidi, don’t be a moron and drive safely. With fewer stops on my way back i made fairly good time back to King City.

I had to make 1 pitstop in King City… this is where Bela and our friend Geoff lived for a while over 10+ years ago. Bela had worked at the Denny’s right off the highway and I felt it was only fitting to make an obligatory driveby, which worked out well as i got gas literally right next door. I was meeting Geoff and Mariana in a few short hours so i didn’t stay to explore their old town.

After returning my rental in San Jose, i found Geoff and Mariana and we headed back out to the coast, only this time to the north a bit into Santa Cruz, another fun coastal city known for its surfing. I was amazed at how many surfers would be out at one time fighting for the waves. At one spot i swear i saw possibly 100 surfers. It was a bit chilly so we didn’t stay to watch them long.

After a quick stop at Bridges SP we decided it was time for some food and to retire for the night. A friend of theirs has a house nearby that we were very lucky to be able to use. We had a great home cooked meal and i cuddled up in a down comforter on the couch to veggie and turn in early for the night. After all these long crazy days I think I’m almost ready to head home… well almost 1 more full day to go!

With a bit more sleep i was ready for my day to begin, so i started working my way up the coast yet again. I noticed a nice little waterfall just a few miles to the north and did a quick stop, but after McWay it didn’t really compare so I didn’t stay long. With the weird weather (some rain, some sun) I was glad I’d made all my stops the day before and quickly made my way to Pfeiffer Beach.

Now I’ve read over and over how hard it was to find the access to this beach, but honestly I don’t get what all the fuss is about. So it doesn’t scream BEACH ACCESS HERE! off of Rt 1, but if you have a vague idea of where it should be its super easy, and even better it has a huge yellow sign saying “windy road, no trailers”… AND they give the exact mile marker. If you can’t find it, great! you probably shouldn’t be there if you can’t follow any of those instructions

The drive down to the beach definitely keeps you on your toes. It is mostly a 1 lane very windy road with some pretty blind corners. It reminded me a lot of JDC roads, but more fun. I got a little too excited and had to remind myself i wasn’t back home and did need to pay attention so I didn’t get into any nasty accidents. And the grand finale of the drive is crossing a small stream, which in my little economy car was only slightly concerning… I have to admit it was a bit fun splashing through it!

So there are 2 things about Pfeiffer Beach that i wanted to see… the most widely known draw is the “Window to the World” rock… It has a pretty big, fairly square hole in the center of this massive rock right off the beach. On certain days of the year when the timing is right and the sun/clouds play friendly rays of light will shine through making an intense ray of light and it’s a sight to see. (Today was not that day).

The second thing about the beach is that it has purple sand, yes that’s right purple. While the whole beach isn’t purple you can see some pretty cool designs where the purple meets up with the normal sand. My morning visit had to do with trying to catch the cool designs in the sand before too many people trampled it. I lucked out and with the rainy random weather, and it being mid-week, I got some really cool designs with no tracks anywhere near them.

It had started raining a bit harder so I decided that would be a great time to go explore Big Sur State Park nearby, thinking the dreary weather might actually be an advantage. But by the time i got there and started my hike it got wonderfully sunny and warm, oddly not want i wanted. But i was there and was looking forward to doing a light hike and made my way up to Pfeiffer falls. The light wasn’t great but i enjoyed a snack, hung out with the family of a photographer who was off trying to get the perfect shot (not sure if he got anything worth bushwhacking for) and just took in the huge redwoods near the base of the falls. I love the wonderfully tall trees, so majestic…reminds you how small you are when you see them.

After my hike back I couldn’t decide what to do, more hiking or check out Nepenthe? I voted for food, its a bad habit but Lupper was calling and i’d heard great things… while this was one of my most expensive luppers ever, it was also one of the most tasty. I couldn’t break my habit Barb and I had started of wine and dessert with each meal … tho this time i didn’t have anyone to share it haha! I opted for a nice glass of local Lucia wine, the wonderful ambrosia burger, and a triple berry pie while enjoying my view of the ocean yet again. awesome.

I’d passed enough time to start thinking about sunset again, so i opted to head back to the beach just in case that ray of light might happen… I spent some time just enjoying the waves crashing and wonderful fresh sea air and then got to work trying to capture some cool images. There were just a few others on the beach with me- it seems everyone knew the ray of light wasn’t going to happen. To top it off the weather got even stranger and it even hailed at one point! I waited it out and got some fairly good color in the clouds, but mostly i wanted to enjoy my last sunset in big sur right on the ocean. another great day!

My flight into San Jose went quickly and before i knew it I was back on the road heading south on the 101 going towards King City. My original plan was to head to Monterey for a day there then on to Big Sur, but fate had another plan. In mid March there was a slip out (read the road fell into the ocean) on Rt. 1 south of Monterey but north of Big Sur . This small detail meant you had to take the long way and come up from the south to get to Big Sur.. and in addition there had been a few mudslides including a big one that closes the road to the south from 7pm to 7am. Sooo that meant my plans had to change. I weighed my options and decided that Big Sur was higher priority to me than hitting Monterey. I did have a bucket list item to check off… so my decision was made down to King City, then west to the coast.

Two hours to KC and then 2 more hours of windy slow driving and I was on cliffs overlooking the ocean, what a view! I quickly checked into my hotel which was almost right where the little windy road came out onto Rt 1 and would be a perfect base for me. And while i was there i decided to have a late lunch, or on photo trips i refer to these as “Lupper” (lunch/supper). So after some really great fish and chips I dropped off my bags and went off to scout spots, take some grabshots, and drive all the way up to Bixby Bridge where the road was closed to the north.

The coastline was just spectacular, tall cliffs dropping into a blue ocean, waves crashing, sun shining… I started working my way north and couldn’t get enough of the coastline and dark blue ocean. After an hour or so i came upon my main mission for this part of the trip: McWay Falls in Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park. I’d seen a picture of this waterfall when i was a little girl on a calendar my mom got for me one year for christmas. It was the cover of the calendar and I remember thinking it was one of the prettiest things I’d ever seen, and after all these years I still feel that way. When i found out it was in Cali’s Big Sur Coast and had super easy access i said “I MUST GO!” – thus this portion of the trip!

So I took the quick hike and it was just like i’d imagined, just beautiful to see a 80′ waterfall fall into the ocean of blue in a beautiful little cove. I spent some time taking some pics in the afternoon light, but knew i’d want to come back for sunset.

I continued on my way north and continued to stop in just about every pullout on the way I made it to Bixby and started working my way back with a stop at Hurricane Point. I found out why it’s called that- it was so insanely windy i almost got blown over just walking around. But what a view!

It was getting closer to sunset now so I made my way back to McWay Falls and spent the rest of the evening enjoying the view and taking way too many pictures of the falls. Only 1 other photog was there enjoying it with me, we didn’t say a word to each other but that was just fine… it was the perfect end to my first day in Big Sur.