I’ve driven up to San Francisco from the SoCal area several times, but I’ve always wanted to stop at scenic viewpoints along the way and never got the chance. Recently we decided to take a road trip up to the city, and stopped in several beautiful places along the way, including Big Sur and the Santa Cruz Redwoods – two places I’d definitely recommend to those who love to take photographs.
Big Sur
The weather was pretty foggy the whole weekend, but I think it added a beautiful, ethereal element to the pictures. We left late at night, so by the time we arrived in Big Sur, it was super early in the morning. A word of caution to those making this trip: if you take the 1 (i.e. Pacific Coast Highway, or PCH), be warned that this is a winding road along the edge of the mountain, so please be careful when you make the trek. The drive is definitely beautiful, though, since the mountains are right on the ocean!
We stopped by McWay Cove in Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, which is a gorgeous inlet at the base of the mountain where various elements of nature meet. Be sure to look for the 70 ft waterfall off the seacliff, which splashes down on the sand below and drains in to the ocean. If you walk farther down the path, you will see the remains of what was once a beautiful house owned by an heiress and her husband, whose bedroom window overlooked the ocean and waterfall.
Of course, we had to stop at the famous Bixby Bridge for pictures! This is a popular photo spot, as it is both historical and scenic. Bixby Bridge is literally built in to the side of the mountain cliffs, and is said to be one of the tallest concrete bridges in the world. I was freezing up there since it was windy, so I had to hold on to my hat and put my jacket on as soon as we were done taking pictures! I realize now that I should’ve taken some pictures from the other side of the bridge so that you could see the ocean, but I was too cold to think so much while I was there!
Santa Cruz
After Big Sur, we headed up PCH, where we drove along the cliff and in to the expansive farm fields along the coast. It sort of reminded me of when I was in Peru, where they plant several crops on the soil overlooking the ocean! We stopped in Santa Cruz for a quick break, and decided to visit the famous California Redwoods while we were there.
The park has several beautiful hikes through forests of gigantic redwood trees. I felt so small next to these beautiful trees; they’re just so huge! We did a mini walk through the forest since we didn’t have a lot of time, but even the short walk that we did was beautiful. We even walked over a creek and found an abandoned railroad; it made me feel like I was in a totally different world!
xx.
