It Takes About A Week

Have you ever noticed how it takes about a week to put all the pre-trip preparations, domestic ministrations, sleep deprivation and work stress behind you once you leave on a trip? It may happen sooner for some and I know it typically happens much quicker when we climb on an airplane and just leave…such a final departure that way. This trip, probably because it’s not so far away…but took far longer to get here, has taken me about a week to get into travel mode. Certainly there have been flashes of that blissful state along the way, but I can’t say that it has really happened until today. We are camped at Big Sur and its all we had expected. Our “home” is in a grove of giant red woods, its good biking territory and the hiking is very pleasant.

We spent the day walking a long, windy beach just north of home. There were few other wanderers on the beach, and a quick nod of the head was all the acknowledgement expected or given. Everyone was lost in their own experience as the wind howled in off the Pacific and the waves spun their rooster tails as they curled into shore. We sat for a time in the lee of a lump of grey, purple rock (I could tell you what it was, but you don’t need to know) and watched the waves abruptly stopped as they pounded into the sea stacks and rocky remnants. It was a one of those “good to be here and alive moments”.

I’m thinking that it took a good week to ‘arrive’ this trip because we ended up driving a bit more than expected since leaving Lassen Volcanoes. For some strange reason Yosemite didn’t work out this trip, and actually we never saw the sacred valley. We just couldn’t get past the 40 degree slope of our camp site! There were no other sites available and it looked like thunder storms were very possible…did I say anything about the ground in our campsite appearing to have been the recipient of prior extreme flood events? So we looked at each other and referencing that tried and true travel motto, “if it doesn’t feel right, then leave”, we departed. We did this as the sun set and drove that long and tortuous road in a 8,000’ decent into the very hot valley below where we found a reasonably cheap hotel for the night. We will travel back to Yosemite another time, likely in spring when there is water actually going over the falls and we can get a better place to camp. By the way, it was the right decision as it rained up there and we saved ourselves a very bad night or two!

All was not lost after Yosemite as we had some fun driving here and there (see prior post). We also spent a long, rewarding day working our way south along the Salinas Valley (more Steinbeck) and then deviating north along back roads to Pinnacles National Monument, before again turning south and driving a one lane road (and I do mean one lane!) for about 60 very long, hot kilometers along the Indian Valley Road to San Miguel…now that was fun!! The terrain was in a word…baked! However, there was beauty in abundance if you like that sort of thing. The area reminded us of south western Alberta along the foothills.

Anyway, we will hang out at Big Sur for the next 3-4 days before once again driving the beautiful coast road back south and onwards to Santa Barbara to see Erin. This time we will be on the seaward side and can stop to take in the views!! Ok…now back to enjoying ourselves…a cold bottle of pinot gris waiting in the cooler after I post this:)