When we left Morro Bay, it was a gorgeous day... sunny, mildly warm (for the central coast), and the air was fresh since it had just rained a couple days back. So, we headed north on the 1 Freeway. If you are planning on doing a tour through California, taking the 1 is a MUST! It's SO beautiful!! There are just miles and miles of open air and road.
After we left Morro Bay, we decided to stop by this Elephant Seal viewing reserve a couple miles north of Hearst Castle. It was amazing how close you can get to the elephant seals and how enormous they were! For the most part, they were either napping or just lounging but once in a while, you could see one scratch or kick sand up on itself. The Elephant Seals' flippers are pretty amazing too! When they scratch, it looks like they have the bone structure of fingers like us but only webbed.
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| Elephant Seals lounging in the sun.. |
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| Jeff and Gia exploring... |
So, after seeing this cool wildlife, we decided to continue on our way.....only we parked on a dirt road that was too soft for us to drive out!! We ended up getting stuck for an hour while the tow man came and pulled us out. (Thank you, AAA!)
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| Trying to get us out of the dirt with a chainsaw... (yes...yes... we came equipped with chainsaws on our trip) |
So, after we left the Elephant Seals, we continued our way up the coast. By the time we left the seals, the fog had rolled in, which was sort of disappointing since I've never been on the 1 before and I hear the views are spectacular. Driving the 1 is definitely a scary road to drive on!! I mean people with regular cars were telling us how scared they were driving on that road and here we are with a huge giant RV toting along on the 1. Pretty gnarly. If you haven't ever been on the 1 through the Central Coast, its a two-lane road that HUGS the coastline. Driving north isn't as scary since you are closer to land, but driving south is another thing because just outside the passenger's window are huge cliffs with straight drops to a rocky ocean! The drive is so worth it though. We stopped at an overpass and admired the expansive coastline.
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| Cool silhouette of the boys and Gia looking in all directions.. (haha) |
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| Had to get a yoga photo in... |
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| Cedo and Mama |
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| Family Photo |
After you go through the traditional ocean backdrop, you enter redwood country, where there are some of tallest trees I've ever seen in my life!! It was surreal to see these beautiful ancient trees all along the coast. It was such a dramatic change to Southern California's bustling and metropolitan coastline where the most common trees are Palms.
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| HUGE Redwood trees!! |
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| Cool mushroom growing at the base of a tree.. |
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| Up close photo.. |
Our initial destination from Morro Bay was Santa Cruz or Half Moon Bay, but by the time we arrived in Big Sur, we were too exhausted to move forward so we decided to set up camp for the night. Driving down the 1, there is barely any cell service (for our map system on our phones) as well as a lack of street lights, so we just set up shop at the nearest campsite. Driving into the campsite it was pitch black so we couldn't really gauge where we were. So we parked in a designated spot and set up camp.
When we woke up, it was the most beautiful, organic place we have been to so far!! We were the only people in the campsite so it was like this whole oasis was just for us!! There was a river behind us and we were surrounded by towering Redwoods. The air was sweet and clean. This was more like it!! We were finally "out in the wild"..... well more so than the previous campsites we visited. :) So, we decided to stay for a couple more days to absorb our Redwood haven.
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| Our campsite |
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| Stairs leading to the general store and lodge they had up top |
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| More stairs |
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| A view of the river right out of our bedroom window :) |
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| Beautiful (but cold) river behind our campsite |
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| Gia was in heaven.. (haha) |
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| A secret hiking trail I wanted to walk, but passed because I didn't want to go by myself. Just over the hills was the ocean!! |
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| Gia waiting for me to go on the trail with her... |
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| Cedar in his warm winter gear. |
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| Cedar without his warm winter gear |
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| Another silly yoga shot |
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| Setting up a chill out spot on the river |
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| Campsite |
The campsite we stayed at was called Fernwood Resort in Big Sur, California. It was one of the best campsites we have been too (so far)... The campsite was secluded from the road (HWY 1) and just a short walk up some stairs, there was an adorable wood lodge where they held music shows and events for tourists and locals. There was also a small general store for camping needs and if you weren't in the mood for camping, they offered cute little cabins you could stay in. If you are looking to get away from city life for the weekend, this is the spot to go... just try and go during the summer months when it isn't 45 degrees out. ;)
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