Big Sur Stage One

Well, we made it back. I did not post simply because my parent's internet is so slow that that last post took almost an hour and a half just to upload the pictures and I don't have the patience for that. So, we will do what I always do and catch you up over the course of the next week or two. :-)

After the Madonna Inn, we headed north on Highway 1 or the Pacific Coast Highway. This is the famous Bixby bridge, one of the tallest concrete bridges in the world and one of the most photographed in the world...probably because there is a nice turn out on the highway just for pictures. :-)

This route took us to Big Sur where we were to camp for three nights.  Our camp had a very large playground, which was welcome relief for quick bursts of time.

As you can see, our resident climber quickly made it to the top of the most dangerous, frightening apparatus in the entire area.  Yes, that is K at the top and that is M down lower...gives you an idea of the height.

Our campsite was right next to the river, well, stream this time of the year.

It's hard to tell, but Em has quite the sweet tooth, just like her Daddy.

We brought a second tent so we would have a place to put all the food and clothes and a place to eat if it rained...it turned into a nice place for the girls to play as the evenings and mornings were quite cool.  It is hard to see since I took the photo through the screen, but in there is squinkie land.

Did I mention mornings were cool?  The irony was that just after they asked for the blanket, the Canadians next door got out of their tent and were walking around in shorts and sweatshirts!  :-)

So, before we even left, I showed K pictures of the places we were headed, and she became convinced there was hidden treasure at the waterfall (thank you Disney).  I told her there wasn't one there still but if we wanted to make one, we could search for it.  She was thrilled and so we did.  Thankfully the dollar store is my best friend and I will be quite sad when its treasures no longer thrill the girls!

So this was K's first map...she was talking herself through it like a seasoned pro.  That is thanks to Curious George.  I sound like a TV junkie.  We are not, but they remember everything they see.

Finding the treasure box for the first time.  (We hid it several more times over the next few days.  We had a few presents - once it was two oreos - and we created increasingly complex maps and harder hiding places).

Ok, yeah, some of the stuff they already owned.  I raided their dress up before we left and added a few gold pieces from the dollar store.

Our first day out we went on a hike down to this 'beach'.  Sometimes there are hidden gems around a bend, we went to find out.

We got to go through this old tunnel to the cove.  It was used as a port in prohibition days.

The river flowing into the sea.  No hidden beaches around these corners.  Still a neat hike, but time to move on.

So it was off down the coast a little farther to McWey falls.

The cove from our parking spot.

You know these falls...the one that falls directly into the ocean, well, it used to, until a landslide put so much sediment into the ocean that a new beach formed and now the water falls directly onto the beach.  The falls are the tiny stream of water on the left...

Because of the shadows and mist, this was the best pic of the falls.  If you are ever headed up there, go in the afternoon for the best pictures. And since you aren't allowed to hike down to the beach, this is as close as you will get.  I was happy since I just wanted to see it but the girls were sad because they wanted to walk under the falls.

Down the coast the other way.  The lady who owned the house here had this view out her living room and the falls out her bedroom.  It's a rough life.

The girls made both those hikes on their own so not wanting to tire them of hiking on the first day, we went back to the camp and played in the freezing cold river for a while.

This campground was so high class, it had showers that were clean enough you were actually willing to shower in them...AND they had warm water.  Oh, free coffee and tea all day long too.  Never have I camped like this.  There wasn't a bit of cell phone service so they even provided old-school pay phones for those in need.

The next morning we made the works for breakfast.  While Dad made bacon on the fire, I made pancakes with chocolate chips over the camp stove (yes, a single serve size) and then when they were all done, eggs, for those not allergic. It was quite a yummy breakfast if I do say so myself.

This was taken with M's iphone panorama mode.  Now you can see our whole set up.  The sleeping tent in the bottom left is ours.  The bonus room, where the girls are playing, is our friends' tent.  I am watching carefully while the remaining bacon cooks to completion and I finish my hot cocoa before we head out for the day.

Well, that is enough for tonight.  All this is doing is making me wish we had camped for a week straight.  I already miss it!  So simple.  To bed early, up even earlier, camp fires, hiking, eating simple foods, hiking, playing at the beach, treasure hunts, squinkies, showers, and smores...always something to do but never in a rush.