Big Sur Day 2

Day 2 in Big Sur was a doozy. It was also, technically, the only day we were in Big Sur.

Peter and I woke up early Sunday to the sound of waves crashing on the beach nearby and our neighbors packing up their tent. After breakfast, we packed up our stuff and continued up North. Along the way, we stopped at San Simeon to take some photos and to have lunch at Sebastian’s Store.

The sun was still MIA behind clouds but we had to drive with the top down. I refused to allow the clouds to ruin my convertible experience!

The rest of the drive up the PCH consisted of winding roads along the coast of the ocean. We went all the way to the most northern tip of Big Sur to Bixby Bridge. The sun and some blue sky started to peak out from behind the clouds, making the ocean even brighter and bluer than before. It was really turning into a wonderfully perfect day.

We started heading back South again towards camp to set up the tent before it got dark. But before we got to the campsite, we stopped to take pictures at McWay Falls.

Kirk Creek Campground was the whole reason I booked this trip. Reviewers said it was a beautiful campground ideal for stargazers. The campground sits on a cliff high above the ocean and has wide open views of the sky. Our campsite happened to be a little elevated above the other campsites and was close to perfect.. minus the fact that it was right next to the bathrooms.. and every once in awhile, you could smell that it was right next to the bathrooms..

Up until this point, this trip had been going surprisingly well. We were planning on driving back North and visiting Pfeiffer State Beach to photograph the sunset. On our way up, right by McWay Falls, the line of cars in front of us suddenly stopped. Around the bend, a man comes running down the street so I turn the music down and then I can hear it, the pained screams of a devastated young woman. The man running down the street alerts all of the cars that there’s been a horrible accident and that the person is either unconscious or dead. The line of cars is eventually forced to drive around the body, still mangled in the middle of the street with a jacket covering their face. I could see the trail of blood coming out from underneath and could still hear the young woman’s howls echoing through the canyon walls. I will never forget her cries. Within this past year, my family unfortunately lost two people who were far too young to go and this was yet another sobering reminder of how fragile life could be. One moment, this person was enjoying a vacation and the next, lying in the middle of the road. The rest of our drive to Pfeiffer State Beach was a silent one.

Sunset at Pfeiffer was amazing. Despite it being a little windy, we were able to take a few photos and then sit and enjoy the sun as it went down. Peter and I sat on a log a little further back on the beach, a little more secluded from the rest of the people who had come to see the sun set. The sun cast a beautiful golden glow and everything looked that much more peaceful. I silently hoped and prayed the person in the accident was okay and that the universe continued giving me a good year and protecting my family.

Heading back to camp, we were stopped by a LONG line of cars stopped on the PCH. We were about half a mile from McWay Falls so this wasn’t a good sign. It had been 2 hours since the accident but people were saying the highway would stay completely closed for the next hour or so. We ended up hanging out in our car for over 2 hours until we were allowed to drive through. When we passed the McWay Falls site, firefighters, police officers, and highway patrol lined the highway on both sides. I hoped and prayed again that the person was alright.

By this time, it was too late to drive all the way back to camp only to have to drive back within half an hour to make our late night adventure. We had made reservations at the Esalen Institute to participate in their late-night hot springs experience. And when I say late-night, I mean 1am-3am. Peter and I ended up parking in front of the Institute and cooking our dinner on the parking lot floor. We still had about an hour or so until the Institute would open for us so Peter and I napped in the car, bundled up in our sweaters and jackets.

Our hot springs experience was interesting. According to Yelp, many people strongly recommended it but I could only base the experience off their words as photography was strictly prohibited because of the “clothing optional” rule. The Institute director led the small group of 20 people down a massive dirt hill through the Institute grounds. We couldn’t see anything around us due to there being no moon. Our flashlights barely lit the way in front of us. Suddenly, we could hear the roar of the waves crashing to the right and below us. We entered a very dimly lit spa room where the director briefly gave us information and then disappeared.

Peter and I quickly undressed, rinsed off, and picked a 2-person tub instead of sharing a larger jacuzzi tub. It was extremely dark so I could barely make out that the tubs were lined up inside a covered patio that sat right at the edge of the cliff. The waves of the ocean were crashing right below us and the sky in front of us was littered with stars. The smell of salt water and sulfur filled the air. Peter and I soaked in the hot spring water for what felt like half an hour but turned out to be two and a half. We took a nice hot shower in the open-air outdoor showers and made our way back to the car.

By the time we got back to camp, it was almost 4 in the morning, the exact time we were hoping to catch the perfect view of the Milky Way. Right after I got out of the car, I looked up and there it was. The clouds from the past two days had cleared and the Milky Way stretched right across the sky in front of our tent. We spent the next few moments taking photos and reminiscing on the ups and downs of the day before climbing into our sleeping bags for the night (..or morning considering the sun was about to rise).

I checked the news after our trip had ended and we had gotten home. Unfortunately, the woman in the accident didn’t make it. She was vacationing with her husband and daughter when she realized their car wasn’t parked properly and was starting to roll down the street. She tried to stop the car but tripped and the car ended up rolling over her. She died before the paramedics reached her. I will never forget the pain in her daughter’s screams and now my hopes and prayers are with the family in the hopes that they will once again be happy and be able to enjoy a vacation again.