31 Trips in Cali, Day 5: Big Sur

 What to say about Big Sur, except that it's beautiful and rugged and features some of the most scenic coastline in the state, if not the entire world?

Big Sur is so far removed from my life in Southern California, not just physically, but on so many levels. It is sparsely populated, green and lush and far above the fray, from the push and pull and racing pulse of everyday life. Or at least my everyday life. Maybe yours, too.

You arrive in Big Sur only by traveling a winding, two-lane stretch of Highway 1. Fog clings to the deep green crevasses in the steep hillsides. Pity the driver, who has to keep his or her eyes on the switchback curves, but is drawn to gaze out at the sapphire ocean and huge vistas.

I will say this: obviously, we're not the kind of family that visits the same destination each summer. I think there's too much beauty and culture and history and adventure up & down our state (and in the world) to settle on just one place. (Even though I understand the comfort and tradition behind having just 1 summer place to call your own.) But like my beloved Yosemite, Big Sur is a place that I could return to over and over.

Unfortunately we haven't yet returned since our first family trip here in July, 2009. We were blessed with a string of sunny warm day, in this area that's often dogged by fog and chill in the heart of summer. We stayed in one of the handful of lodging choices in Big Sur proper, in a small enclave of cabins near the Big Sur river. We could hear the river babbling at night, and splashed in its green, brisk water during the day.  

Right there, in that chair beside the river, with a wrap and a book? Pretty close to my idea of heaven. 

Thanks for coming along! Come back tomorrow for Day 6 of my 31 Trips in California series when we'll visit a shoreline that seems worlds away from Big Sur.

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