This past
weekend, Joe and I went to Big Sur. This was our 4
th year going
camping to Big Sur, and our 3
rd year camping at Kirk Creek
campground. We both really love that place!
There were
many reasons why I was excited about this camping trip. The most important was
having the chance to get away, into nature, to enjoy the simple things in life
with my love and my dog. The second most important one was to go on my first
nature adventure using my new camera.
Over the
weekend I learned lots about photography, about light, and about many of the components
that make a good photo. Practice does make perfect, and I sure was practicing.
As Joe pointed out, now we don’t stop for me to take one photo, but we stop for
me to take as many photos as it takes to get the photo I want!
Big Sur
never disappoints me. Even the drive there is quite amazing, especially after
you pass all the resorts of Carmel and the traffic of the main cities. Once you
pass the state parks, it’s usually you, the road, the Santa Lucia Mountains,
and the Pacific Ocean.
Of course,
there is the occasional slow driver. Fortunately, most of them usually pull
over so you can pass them and enjoy the road at whatever speed you like most.
This was the
coldest camping trip we’ve ever had in Big Sur. The temps went as low as the
mid 30s at night and never really went over the mid 50s during the day. The sun
can make a big difference when it comes out and shines on you. In fact, two of
our 3 days were quite sunny and we got suntans just like that!
The first
night we camped, we stayed up later than normal and we braved the cold in order
to capture some photos of the star-filled sky. The night was so clear, you
could see the Milky Way without any trouble. When we were done with photos, we
all snuggled in our tent!
It rained on
and off all day Friday, but we managed to still have fun. After getting up with
the sunrise, we jumped on the car and drove about 10 miles to Salmon Creek to
see the waterfalls. This is the biggest waterfall in Big Sur and it’s
beautiful! Every time we are in Big Sur, we hike there to check it out and,
every single time, we are filled with happiness by seeing the falls.
Just a few
yards before reaching the waterfalls, we noticed there was a group of youth
(with a dog) camping by the falls. Big Sur is in Los Padres National Forest, so
you can camp anywhere you want as long as you follow certain rules regarding
fires and human waste. When we saw the group, instead of heading down, we went
up the trail, all the way above the trees. From up there we got amazing views
of the ocean and of Highway 1.
Right as it
started to rain a bit again, we started our descent, and noticed that the group
was now on the side of the road, waiting for someone to pick them up and take
them to their next destination. Hitchhikers are a normal sighting in Big Sur.
We spent
some time around the falls, skipping on rocks, climbing around and having lots
of fun. Bomber was really having a blast! For a 12-pound dog, he sure can
handle any situation that comes his way!
In the
afternoon, we walked across Highway 1 and started walking up Nacimiento Road to
a trailhead located about 2 miles up the road. As you reach the trail, you go
into Kirk Creek’s canyon and, after going down on the trail, you reach the
creek. It was still raining a bit when we got there but, with the tree cover,
we stayed dry until the rain stopped. In the meantime, we enjoyed the magical
feeling of being in the forest, surrounded by giants and hearing the water flow
on the creek and fall on the trees.
On Saturday,
we woke up early again and, once again, walked across Highway 1 and reached a
trailhead for a trail that goes up the mountains all the way into a canyon and
into the forest. We love starting our hikes early because we usually end up
getting the trail to ourselves. This time it was not different and we ended up
seeing only 2 people (who passed us!) as we hiked all the way to the campsite
where we turned around.
The best
part of this hike is the view! From up in the mountains you get the most
amazing and breathtaking views of Highway 1, of the turquoise-aquamarine-blue
ocean, and of the rest of the mountains. The contrast between the blue and the
green is something only nature can achieve and it’s just beautiful!
After
clocking 8 miles under our shoes, we ate lunch and headed to Sandollar Beach to
soak up some sun and to relax before going back to our campsite.
Kirk Creek
campground might just be my favorite campground ever. It is perched on the
ocean cliff, it provides the most stunning views, the crashing waves can be
heard from any campsite, you can walk to amazing hiking trails, and you can
even walk to a small beach. All of this without ever having to get into a car,
or having to walk more than a few yards!
We were down
at the beach several times and,I think I got some awesome shots of the gorgeous
rock formations that adorn the shore. For the second time, we saw sea otters at
this beach! The morning we took off, we went down to the beach and there they
were, 4 or 5 otters, playing on the water, eating their food and floating
around in the rough sea! Just beautiful!
On Sunday morning
we started making our way back to San Francisco. We took our time coming back
and stopped in many spots to take pictures, to grab coffee, and to simply enjoy
the views.
As we passed
Julia Pfeiffer State Park, we stopped at an overlook where people were
attentively looking at the ocean. Whales, we thought, and we immediately pulled
over too.
We didn’t
see any whales here, but we did see 4 beautiful California Condors flying over
our heads for a while! Snap snap snap, I captured the moment with my big lens,
and felt very grateful for having the opportunity of seeing such amazing
animals, knowing that they went almost extinct some years ago. There are only
about 100 left and we got to see 4 of them!
The rest of
the drive into the city went without any trouble. We stopped at the Bixby
Bridge once again to take some photos, and then at a state preserve, where I
got the best photos of poppies I have ever taken!
I hope you
enjoyed this week’s post. For more fun photos, visit my Etsy store at: http://www.etsy.com/shop/WorldPhotosByPaola