Off we go to Big Sur on another cool and foggy morning. I’d hoped not to have to climb the big hill between Monterey and Carmel, but we’re not allowed on the freeway, so up we go. We eventually ride through Carmel, stop at Safeway to buy food, and then hit the twisty little road to Big Sur. Twisty for 74 miles, apparently.
It’s a narrow road, somewhat careworn. Bits of it are sliding into the sea, so the shoulder is pretty terrible and there’s several sets of road works. There are also a number of spectacular bridges which usually appear in car commercials and tourist promotional literature.
Eventually, as we approach Point Sur itself, the sun comes out. That’s the Point in the distance.
Here’s a picture of Diane looking happy the sun’s out.
The road moves inland after Point Sur to the small, lengthy town of Big Sur. We stop and buy groceries at the store, and then hit Pfeiffer State Park. This is very plush, with a laundry and a couple of stores, so we stay an extra day, then we’re off to Kirk Creek, another campground which gets great reviews despite having no showers. We start by cycling up a big hill. It’s foggy again. 310 miles to LA.
The mysterious Big Sur coast.
Kirk Creek turns out to be on a small bluff, overlooking the Pacific. It is fabulous, even if there are no showers, and you have to boil the water. We didn’t know the latter, and our gas supply (represented by one very small MSR container which we panic-bought in Garberville, some weeks ago) takes a hammering. That’s it in the middle of the picture (the campground, not our fuel container).
And here it is a bit closer up. Our pitch is near the little tent in the picture.
We pass a pretty blissful evening chatting to other campers, including a few cycle tourists. I fall asleep listening to the sound of the waves breaking on the beach, one of my favourite ways of dropping off. San Simeon tomorrow.
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