While visiting Marina, CA we decided to drive down the Pacific Coast through the Big Sur. I wasn’t sure if the scenery would live up to the hype, but boy were we surprised!
Not what you were expecting …right? Well, we drove through a wooded area and then got to a little neighborhood with great, big houses! We found our first little place to pull off and that’s when things got magical……
See that road on the left….it’s actually someone’s driveway. You can’t see them but this family also has stairs that lead down into the water. I don’t know if I would get in that water but maybe they have a boat?
While we were staring at the water several really cute cars pulled in and I felt like there would possibly be a movie in the making….
Not sure what kind of movie…maybe a romantic comedy. This is how dreamy I was feeling.
Anyways, we get back in the truck and continue down the road…..
Once again back into the woods and then this happens……
I can’t even imagine that the sun shining would have made this better. Once again we get out and Mike finds a trail to the edge of the cliff. So down he goes….not into the water but down the trail.
I love how small you can feel next to the sea. These are some of the photos Mike captured on the edge…
Looking straight down…
To his left….
and to the right.
At this point we were trying to figure out how to live here..in the truck…on the coast:)
But we decided to continue on down the road and see if there was a better spot…..Haha.
It looks like you will be back in the hills when all of a sudden this happens…..
See the cow? That is the luckiest cow ever. I was surprised to see cows living on the coast.
Beyond the cow is a bridge……
We pull in for a quick photo. This is the famous Bixby Bridge.
(side note…we did a lot of staring at the water)
This is the view that memorized Mike.
Gorgeous!
The Bixby Bridge was named after Charles Henry Bixby. Residents would have to travel 11 miles out of the way during the winter to cross the creek and when you are traveling by horse and buggy that could mean an extra few days. So a bridge was built.
We have seen a lot of “old” building and structures on this trip but it still is amazing to me that man was able to build such amazing things with no heavy equipment or iPhones.
This bridge is in a lot movies and commercials. 
Oh look, there he goes again. This time I decide to follow him because I had the camera. Once down there it smelled like a dirty bathroom so I quickly came back up. Gross.
I know that it looks like we have been on this road all by ourselves but I assure you there were lots of other people stopping and taking pictures. There is always plenty of parking along parts of the road. 
Look how happy he is to climb and explore….I am happy to not have lost him into the sea. Once he made his way back up we decided we need to get to our next destination.
Winding our way up the mountain…..
But not without another stop to take another picture of the bridge.
There are several places to see in the Big Sur….
We didn’t have a definite plan on where we wanted to go so we just drove….
That’s when we came to this little place on the side of the road…
This was the only place we saw that had gas but we stopped mainly to pick up a souvenir. 
Here is the general store that made homemade burritos in the back and sold granola in the front. Camping is a big deal here. Well not like our camping but lots of tents and cabins to stay in.
There was a restaurant and a small hotel that hosted weddings and while we were there a bride and groom where getting there ideas together…..
This is one of the more cozier spots…..
There were some very artsy shops as well…..this place had a real hippie vibe.
We got our Christmas ornament and kept on down the road.
That’s when we happened upon this State Park….
When we pulled into this wooded area we were met with……
these two cuties….this is the only wildlife we saw on our entire trip! Pretty exciting!
We made our way around to the Lodge
Which is a hotel with a restaurant. It’s a little nicer than the last place we left but it didn’t have that beautiful creek in the back. The Big Sur Lodge has these….
Finally!!! This is one thing I wanted to see……I know these aren’t the biggest trees in California but still amazing!
The bark is so different…..
After looking at the trees I wanted to go see Pfeiffer Beach. I thought it was here at the state park but after driving to the guard house,(and almost paying 20 dollars to get in) the ranger told us we needed to get back on Hwy 1 drive another few miles down the road.
Now if you ever get to drive through Big Sur just know this, there is no sign on the street for the beach. I almost passed it but my trusty co-pilot found it just in time.
This was the sign we saw. Well no biggie..we didn’t bring either of these…right???
We turn the sharp turn and see this….
At least we know we are on the right track…..
Remember that narrow road sign? They weren’t kidding!
This was just wide enough for our big truck.
Mike was a nervous wreck…..and I was glad to be driving.
Now remember from the sign, we have 2 miles.
It would have been nice to not have passed anybody but that’s not fun!
There were several times I would have to stop and back up to one of the side pulloffs to let someone go around.
Hehe…..It was kind of scary but we finally made it.
You pay 10 dollars at the gate and then park.
There was probably about 20 parking spots and we came on a good day.
We walked down the path to the beach
I was very excited because we have seen a lot of beaches here and they have all been so different….this one did not disappoint.
I love that we have the white sandy beaches here and the beauty of mountains flowing into the sea out west. Thank you God for such a creative landscape!
There were some waves coming in but nothing to big. 
Here he is….beach ready…on a cold day.
One of the views to see here is the rock formation with the water flowing in and out. When the sun is out and setting, it will shine through the hole.
I encourage you to google a picture of it.
Please enjoy these pictures of the water flowing through the arch.
You can see the power of the water coming and going. I wouldn’t want to be in there! After a little more walking around and photo taking, we decide to go….we are hungry!
Love being with these two on this adventure!
Our trip down the narrow road was just as fun as going in 
This time I had some help from these folks. Now I knew when another car was coming. Mike still didn’t like it…Haha.
Further on down the road is the Julia Pfieffer Burns State Park and then the Hearst Castle. I hate we missed them but when boys get hungry, they need to be fed.
We head back to Monterey and stopped at Hula’s for a delicious Ahi Tuna Sandwich…..
This time we got to sit in a Tiki hut!
I would say this was one of my most favorite parts of our road trip. To be able to see the creations that God has given us and see them with my husband and son….I will never be able to thank God enough!
Next up…a little golf outing on the beach.